During development, Car-O-Liner® ergonomists — professionals who study human work systems to develop effective and safe ways to improve those systems — went into several collision repair shops and learned how technicians operate a traditional resistance spot welder. From their studies, the ergonomic CTR®9 from Car-O-Liner® was born, a fully-automatic resistance spot welder developed to optimize safety and efficiency.
FenderBender sat down with Doug Bortz, collision sales manager for Car-O-Liner®, to discuss the specific features of the ergonomic CTR®9 and how it maximizes productivity in the shop.
Enabling Safer Handling
When the ergonomists conducted their studies, they found that as most technicians handled the welding gun, they adopted a position with their arms that could promote strain or injury.
“We call it the chicken wing,” Bortz said. “If I'm standing up holding on to the welder, my elbow is up and out at an odd angle while I’m working on the car. If my arm is in the imperfect position, I'm priming my shoulder or back for potential strain or excessive use in a way that you shouldn't.”
The double-rotating C-Tong and ergo-grip handle of the CTR®9 was created to hold the arms closer to the body in a safer posture, protecting the body while eliminating the “chicken wing” stance and reducing fatigue and workplace injury.
Pre-Programmed with Efficiency in Mind
As part of OEM standards, welders cannot heat materials above a specific temperature. If a welder were to overheat the material, the heat may stress or fatigue the metal of the vehicle potentially compromising the materials effectiveness in a future collision. “The CTR®9 was engineered with a state-of-the-art C-Tong handle, and sophisticated software with four welding modes that go from manual to fully automatic”, Bortz said.
"The CTR®9 will take measurements, and then conclude that it needs to pre-burn the bond or primer to move it out of the way without compromising the rust prevention that was applied. It must then hold it for a specific amount of time with appropriate pressure then turn the appropriate power on and burn it into place,” Bortz continues.
In addition to its pre-configured features, the CTR®9 has extensive OEM approvals, a weld counter that keeps track of how many welds have been performed with the tool, and a reporting mechanism within that monitors welding activity, helping to provide insights on how to improve productivity and ensure proper and safe repairs.
The Ergonomic CTR®9 Stands Tall
Another important feature added to the CTR®9 to encourage better positioning of the welder is the telescopic support arm.
“The support arm adjusts both vertically and horizontally for maximum freedom of movement for an optimum working position while sustaining the weight of the gun," Bortz said. “This allows the technicians to hold the CTR®9 in a more ergonomic position for the body and allows for efficient work and freedom of movement, which prevents strain or fatigue.”
"The CTR®9 is one of our core products we recommend to upgrade your shop, and invest in your people," Bortz said.
Unlike other welders in the market, the CTR®9 was designed with the help of ergonomists. By integrating the science of ergonomics into the features of the CTR®9, Car-O-Liner has helped improve safety and maximize productivity and profitability in the collision repair shop.
To learn more about how the CTR®9 can help your auto repair shop, visit car-o-liner.com.