Chief Automotive Reveals New Collision Repair Products at NADA 2016
April 4, 2016—Chief Automotive revealed three new products at the NADA Convention and Expo 2016 in Las Vegas, April 1-3.
Chief’s Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun, Vulcan Adhesive Debonding Unit, and new MIG/MAG welder were all on display at the show.
The new Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun has a compression force capable of 22,000 pounds and is backward compatible with the PNP90. The rivet gun is offered as a cabinet-equipped unit with a boom to reduce technician strain and fatigue.
“The new Chief Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun was developed to meet Mercedes-Benz specifications, including being able to pierce Usibor,” said Mickey Swartz, director of global product management for Chief parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG).
The Vulcan Adhesive Debonding Unit is designed to break the bond of structural adhesives joining exotic materials such as aluminum, high-strength steel and carbon fiber. It uses infrared radiation technology to heat the surface until the first layer of glue releases, leaving a clean and smooth surface.
“The need to meet 2025 CAFE standards is driving automotive manufacturers to explore an incredibly wide range of materials, joining methods and other light-weighting technologies in a relatively short period of time,” Swartz said. “The Chief Vulcan Adhesive Debonding Unit is a solution to an issue that wasn’t important just a few years ago. But as OEMs incorporate glue and epoxies into their manufacturing processes for more and more vehicles, collision repair shops need to be equipped to efficiently separate those bonded components to properly repair the vehicles.”
Chief’s three-phase, high-amperage MIG/MAG MultiMig 621 welder can be used to weld and braze aluminum, galvanized sheet metal, stainless steel and high-strength steel. It features synergic-pulse technologies required by most OEMs for aluminum welding.
“The MultiMig 621 is a great choice for applications where the OEM requires a three-phase, high-output welder, such as when welding certain thick structural aluminum components,” Swartz said.
More information can be found on Chief Automotive’s website.