By Mike Davey
Mississauga, Ontario — September 23, 2015 — Owners, managers and techs in the Greater Toronto Area had a chance recently to get up to speed on the latest welding techniques for modern materials, including aluminum. The clinic was presented by Sean Slaven and Jason Grey of Arslan Automotive and hosted by Fix Auto Mississauga Central.
The clinic started with a brief presentation conducted by Slaven where he noted that welding has been through numerous advancements in recent years, and that the technological change just keeps coming.
“Honda is changing the game,” he said, referring to recently updated repair procedures from Honda that use silicon bronze welds in a zig zag pattern.
The presentation ran through some of the equipment that can be used to repair materials such as high-strengh steel and aluminum, covering some of the technological advances made in recent years, and how they can help collision repair facilities stay ahead of the game. Slaven showed off the current generation Tecna welder, noting that it is designed for ease of use.
“It’s a smart machine,” he said. “It reads the kinds of metal, the thickness of the metal, and then it welds it for you.”
The system includes a number of different settings, including “Expert” mode, used to input predetermined OEM parameters. The machine offers another benefit, according to Slaven, in that it keeps an accurate log of all welds performed with the machine.
“At some point, insurance companies are going to want you to print and submit a record of you welds,” he said.
The presentation also covered other essential items of equipment for aluminum repair, including fume extraction and rivet bonding.
The “classroom” portion of the event was followed by demonstrations of the equipment, with attendees given an opportunity to try out the equipment for themselves.
For more information, please visit arslanauto.com.
