The future ’s here already
New techniques and materials in bodywork manufacture
One of the main objectives of the automobile industry is the simultaneous reduction of the weight and costs of manufacture and maintenance, without prejudicing safety and environmental concerns. In order to satisfy this double demand, both technical and economic, we need to find a suitable combination of innovatory technological processes and appropriate materials optimization.
In current vehicles there are already signs of solutions ahead.

From solvent to water
Solvent-based paints - water-based paints: the change
In the area of vehicle repainting, there are various basic reasons for recommending the use of water-based paint, rather than solvent-based paint. Amongst these, the most important reasons are the application of the restrictive coming into effect in European countries, as a result of the passing of Community Directive 1999/13/CE on volatile compound emissions for solvent use, together with the constant concern for making the workplace less dangerous for workers, and ensuring that greater attention is paid to and care taken of the environment.

Alfa Romeo 156
Bodywork, Mechanics and Safety
The Alfa Romeo 156 is a typical sports car of its make, but integrated into an elegant four door family car. In the design of the vehicle, special attention has been given to passive safety features and anti-corrosion protection without forgetting an optimization of the relation between weight and power, achieved through the use of lightweight materials. Alfa offers six engine sizes for this model, with three petrol versions and two turbo diesels, with four, five and six cylinders.

A heavy department

"Abre gas"

The bag of life
Airbag systems: precautions in use and ungrounded fears
It is quite clear that the airbag is taking its place as one of the main elements of personal protection for car occupants. It has been demonstrated that this sophisticated but simple system (a bag of air) prevents approximately 14% of driver deaths and 11% of passenger deaths. On the other hand, airbags have on occasions caused serious injury and even death, arising from their incorrect use. It is of great importance to find out what the causes of these injuries are and how to protect oneself from them; we also need to explode the myth of certain unfounded fears surrounding their use.

Würtz DBS 3500 pneumatic planer
Every workshop needs to have a minimum level of equipment, without which it would not be possible to carry out the various operations involved in a repair job. Nowadays it is also advisable that this range of equipment be expanded to cover a series of tools and elements which will make work processes easier and even cut work times drastically. The Würth DBS 3500 pneumatic planer is an example of this category of equipment, used to eliminate recoatings and to condition surfaces.
DRESTER 1000 pistol cleaner
To achieve high quality jobs and get maximum performance out of paint application equipment, it is absolutely vital to carry out thorough cleaning. When using water-based paints, conventional solvents are not advisable if we want to protect the environment, nor is cleaning them under a tap. So we need something which is designed especially for the purpose, such as the DRESTER 1000 pistol cleaner.

People with skills

Light behind the scenes
Lighting in the workshop
There is clear need for lighting in our workplace which is suitable for the operations which are going to carried out there, both from the point of view of accident prevention and protection of the worker's sight. Appropriate lighting is also advisable in order to improve production quality and yield.

Brasil: the virgin tropic