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AHEAD OF THE WAVE
Infra-red and ultra-violet (UV) sound more Patrick Moore than body repair. However, these light waves, along with more conventional air power, are enabling bodyshops to make huge energy and cost savings.
In the bodyshop industry, you can’t afford to have kainotophobia. That’s fear of change to you and me. Reluctance to change and fear of something new are understandable human traits, but in the bodyshop arena they could cost you dear – and play into the hands of those with euphobia (those with a fear of good news). The advancements in repair technology are well documented and those unwilling to take on the challenges of new techniques and equipment are those that are ultimately going to pay the price.
Putting your trust in new technology is clearly illustrated with techniques for curing and drying paint. When waterborne paints first appeared, the ‘drying washing on a warm, windy day’ analogy abounded to explain the different process required for this coating. Additional air moving systems, or blowers, subsequently appeared, which have undoubtedly made huge inroads into speeding up the flow of vehicles through the booth and in doing so also meant fewer problems post-painting because of insufficient drying.
‘Blowers speed the bake process, enable quick heat transfer and save time and energy costs for the bodyshop,’ said David Utting, Managing Director, David Utting Engineering. ‘If the nozzles are positioned at a high level in a clean air zone along the length of the booth, a more uniformed air flow can be achieved.’
As the technology has matured, so too have methods for securing a paint finish. As efficiency and throughput have become major focuses in the bodyshop, attention has turned to even more innovative methods of curing and drying as the industry has left no stone unturned in the search for productivity gains.
No custard
‘Infra-red will at least halve the paint drying process in comparison to traditional methods,’ said Alex Humphries, Marketing Manager, Todd Engineering. ‘Infra-red cures the panel from the inside out, which mitigates the risk of custard skin (something that appears dry on the outside but is wet on the inside).’
Alongside this, UV technologies are also becoming more sophisticated. ‘A UV curing clearcoat can be used for all types of repairs,’ said Ed Hilbourne, Marketing Manager, AkzoNobel. ‘After exposing UV light for six minutes at a distance of 20cm for a few seconds, the panels are dry enough to handle, enabling them to be refitted to the vehicle.’
It’s not all about getting more cars through the booth. How does an energy saving of 75-85% sound? These kind of reductions stand to reason when you consider that, instead of heating up and moving warm air around a huge, largely empty space, you simply direct light at the wet paint for a few minutes. Jon Parker, Managing Director, Byteback Group, said, ‘Why heat 128 cubic metres of air to carry out anything but a full respray?’
The cost and energy savings that can be made by using infra-red and UV drying methods are impressive. Director of Tri-Sphere, Jim Masterson said, ‘Energy is a large drain on bodyshop profits. Whichever systems can make the biggest impact on this outlay will have the best chance of long term success, not only because it saves cash, but because it also reduces emissions.’
Persuasive figures
The amount of difference these systems can make will obviously depend on where you’re starting out from, but, compared to ‘traditional’ drying and curing, the figures can be persuasive. Add improvements in efficiency to the mix and you have to ask why not all bodyshop have this equipment. For specific examples, take the REVO curing systems from Tri-Sphere, which cut up to 75% of gas/oil usage in a booth and up to 71% of electricity. Time in the booth is similarly reduced by three-quarters. Or how about the Symach Drytronic technology, which represents an 85% fall in fuel bills and a front end repaint, dry, clearcoat cycle of 32 minutes. Which is good for those employees with macrophobia (fear of prolonged waiting).
We’ve already come so far with curing and drying in a relatively short time, so is this it now? Have we reached maximum drying efficiency? The equipment manufacturers are exercising caution on this one. Tri-Sphere’s Jim Masterson said, ‘Technology is always improving, in terms of both equipment used and the formulation of the paint. It’s possible that new formulations may reduce paint drying times in the future, but these usually have their limitations.
Impact
‘Energy is a large drain on bodyshop profits. Whichever systems can make the biggest impact on this outlay will have the best chance of long term success, not only because it saves cash, but also because it reduces emissions.’
Deltalyo’s Phil Berry also sees more technology on the horizon. ‘Honestly, I think the way development in our market keeps happening we will see more innovation coming soon, both with the products and the aids for drying, he said. 'Over the past five years we have seen a wealth of development from all angles of the refinish market and I see no reason why this should stop. What we can say is, from here on in, it will only get better and better.’
Meanwhile, Adam Cox, Celette’s Sales & Marketing Manager, believes ‘the biggest growth in paint curing and drying processes will be in the preparation bays, which can be set out to fit exact requirements'.
Slash energy
So by overcoming kainotophobia and installing new ways of curing and drying paint, you should be able to get more jobs through the booth, slash energy bills, reduce reworks and keep the macrophobes happy. Those with pentheraphobia (fear of one’s mother-in-law) or pteronophobia (fear of being tickled by feathers), you’ll have to deal with it yourself.
Thompson ARC
It was a £6,000 gas bill for the first quarter of 2008 that prompted Angela Thompson, Managing Director of Thompson Accident Repair Centre in Carlisle, to take a closer look at the ovens.
After fitting Tri-Sphere’s REVO 180, Angela found the energy savings were ‘fantastic’. She said, ‘Previously, we were using 12-16 units of gas per day each quarter. Since the new system was installed, we are down to between three and six units per day and the overall effect on our business has been unbelievable. Our emissions levels have tumbled, our cash flow has increased and we have increased turnaround time, so profitability has increased as well.’
As an added bonus, the painters have also found that by using infra-red there is less dust contamination so less polishing is needed and a better finish can be achieved.
Thompson ARC qualified for an interest-free loan for three-quarters of the cost through The Carbon Trust. The loan is over three years, but the equipment should have paid for itself well before then. ‘I can’t understand why other shops haven’t got infra-red,’ said Angela. ‘The big shops especially would benefit. It’s brilliant for small paint jobs or just panels. We’ve found our throughput is between a quarter and a third more. It’s a new way of working, but the painters got into it really quickly and have enjoyed using it. I had to put my trust in what I was being told and it’s paid off.’
Castle Coachworks
For Castle Coachworks in Northampton, a conversation with David Utting from David Utting Engineering proved to be very fortuitous.
The workshop staff had begun to notice a couple of rework jobs coming through, especially on dark colours, and although its existing ovens had fans fitted, they didn’t seem to be doing the job and the painters were having to extend flash-off times, which affected throughput. ‘We had noticed it before, but nobody came up with a solution,’ said Darren Browne, Bodyshop Manager. ‘It was David Utting who did that for us.’
David visited the site, measured the circulation in the ovens and suggested fitting his enhanced curing system Aqua Drying Pods to aid the drying process at a cost of around £5,500 per oven.
According to Darren, it’s definitely been worth it. ‘Our bake cycle is down from 35 minutes to 26,’ he said. ‘Because we’re VM approved, it’s not really about quantity – getting the job done right first time is the most important thing, but the added efficiency is certainly a bonus.
‘David Utting’s team were highly professional and I would recommend them to anyone.’
WBC Automotive
When Bristol-based WBC Automotive wanted to replace four spraybooth ovens and two independent ovens, Managing Director David Turner had a clear set of requirements.
He said, ‘We wanted to provide our technicians with the best equipment available to the market with an added emphasis on reducing the running costs.’
WBC commissioned Junair to supply two extended length drive-through spraybooths, each capable of accepting two vehicles or one vehicle plus all the off-car panels/bumpers. The booths incorporate a fully extracted and fully gridded floor which provides even, balanced extraction. This means two colours can be painted in the booth at once with no cross-contamination, which ensures maximum productivity and minimum unit cost of production.
Junair estimated a saving of £37,000, reducing WBC’s current energy bill by nearly 40%. The equipment will pay for itself in 3.75 years and carbon output has been reduced by 2,520 tonnes per year.
Junair provided help with and evidence of energy saving to The Carbon Trust, which enabled WBC to secure a loan of £96,000 toward the purchase of equipment.
David said, ‘The new Junair booths have been a complete success and have also helped our company to achieve approval for new work from the VW and Audi Group.’
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