Plastic Fantasic

In todays panel and paint industry, there are a number of elements which will generate business for you.

One such element is that of convenience.

If your panel shop can do a little more than large or small dent or replacement repairs, there is a much greater chance that business will come your way. 

So what other services can your shop offer, for a minimal capital outlay?

Motor Equipment News spoke to Carr Plastics Ltd recently, and we discovered a panel shop which can offer professional plastic repair is likely to be favourably looked at, as opposed to a panel shop which has to outsource.

With some 200kg of plastic in the average car, it is likely in the event of a collision that some plastic repair will be required.

And with the way the collision repair industry is going, those plastic repairs are going to have to be up to scratch, regulations-wise.

Yes, we hear you, perhaps that opinion should be kept quiet for the moment, but you all know itll happen sooner or later, so you might as well start thinking about it now.

But we mentioned small capital outlay and in the grand scheme of things, a plastics welder and a little bit of practice time is not going to cripple your cash-flow, if it does, call your accountant  you have a major problem!

Carr Plastics can tell you exactly what the figures for a respectable plastic welder would be  something like a Leister Triac or Ghibli perhaps  and theyll give you some good advice on which unit best suits your needs.

A lot of it comes down to personal preference, says Paul Newman, spokesman for the company. Some prefer the robust looking power tool type while others are more at home with the pistol-grip. 

As to who does the plastic welding in your shop? Well, this editors had a crack at it and while it was more a Picasso attempt than a Michaelangelo - hey, it worked alright? Mostly my use of anything plastic includes the words keyboard or Visa so to say plastic welding is challenging  bah  any apprentice can do it.

And the cool part of that is, the apprentice actually feels valued, especially if he/she is the only one in the shop doing the plastic welding.

There are some basic points to take into consideration: like-to-like plastic types only, correctly identifying the plastic/plastic rod to be welded, knowing how much heat is enough to produce a good weld that is easily finished, crack prevention, V-grooving, tack welding and replacing bits of missing plastic from other sources.

It is also important to look at the right amount of pressure to be applied and if youre thinking this all sounds like its falling out of the easy to do bin, companies like Carr Plastics Ltd, who supply the welders and consumables, also have training DVDs available.

And thats good news for those who dont have a panel shop per se, but have had some plastic repair come in and thought they should look into this plastic welding repair thing.

It is easy to get training, easy to get the gear and easy to spin a nice little return on your investment.

Worth thinking about, isnt it? n

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