“Properly repairing collision-damaged aluminum vehicles requires specialized equipment,” says Richard Perry, OEM and strategic account sales manager for Chief. “We worked closely with Ford to develop the new holding, measuring and welding packages collision repair shops need to return damaged F-150 pickups to OEM specifications. The addition of our new fume extractor and dust extractor to the program helps protect technicians and create a clean environment while they are working on the F-150 truck.”
Introduced this year as a companion to its full line of welders, the mobile Chief fume extractor collects weld fumes at their source. This provides better protection against breathing toxic fumes for technicians than overhead vacuum systems. The fume extractor’s heavy-duty powder-coated arm helps prevent wear and breakage in demanding shop settings, and its “Quick Seal” filter door reduces maintenance downtime. For maximum productivity, the fume extractor can be fitted with an optional arc detector that starts the extractor as soon as the technician strikes an arc to begin welding.
Chief’s dust extractor collects and contains particles that are released when aluminum vehicle body panels are sanded. Dust containment is crucial for shops working on the new F-150 and other aluminum-bodied vehicles, since aluminum particles can cause corrosion on any bare steel they come in contact with. Aluminum dust is also explosive if a spark is present to ignite it. The Chief dust extractor features all-stainless steel construction, so it will not corrode from the inside once aluminum dust enters its system. Unlike traditional models, the Chief dust extractor’s containment vessel can be emptied independently of its water tank. This allows technicians to properly dispose of collected solids instead of pouring them down the drain with the wastewater.
In addition to the fume extractor (Rotunda product ID #128-CHF-1001) and dust extractor (#128-CHD3001), the following F-150 special tools are available from Chief:
• Enhanced Structural Holding Package with F-150 Specialty Holding System (#128-300001)
• F-150 Specialty Holding System (#128-300002)
• Deluxe Chain and Clamping Package with rolling cart (#128-619205)
• Collet Style Target Attachment Set for Non-Ferrous Vehicle Openings (#128-640200)
• MultiMig 511 welder with standard torch (#128-EL900011)
• MultiMig 511 welder with push-pull torch (#128-EL900012)
• MultiMig 522 dual torch welder with standard and push-pull torches (#128-EL900010)
• MultiTool Aluminum Dent Repair Station (#128-EL930001)
Chief also offers aluminum repair training for technicians and estimators through its Chief University program. The award-winning Aluminum Damage Analysis and Repair Technology course covers aluminum forming methods and metal characteristics, as well as damage analysis, repair decisions, and techniques for working on aluminum-bodied vehicles like the F-150.
To learn more about aluminum repair equipment from Chief, contact your local Chief distributor, visit www.chiefautomotive.com/Aluminum-Repair or call 800-445-9262. Chief is also active on Twitter, twitter.com/ChiefAutomotive, and Facebook, www.facebook.com/ChiefAutomotive. Product videos are available at www.chiefautomotive.com/video-library.
About Chief
Chief, a Vehicle Service Group (VSG) brand, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-quality collision repair products and services. The Chief product line includes frame-pulling equipment, vehicle-anchoring systems, measuring systems, vehicle frame specifications and fusion equipment including welders, rivet guns and fume extractors. Chief is also a leading provider of comprehensive training on structural analysis, measuring, collision dynamics, aluminum repair, and design based repair.
VSG comprises nine global collision repair and vehicle lifting brands: Chief, Elektron, Rotary Lift®, Forward® Lift, Direct-Lift®, Hanmecson®, Revolution® Lift, Blitz® and nogra®. VSG also has exclusive North American marketing rights to the Globaljig® and Chassis Liner brands. With its American headquarters in Madison, Indiana, VSG has operations worldwide, including ISO 9001-certified manufacturing facilities on three continents. VSG is part of the Engineered Systems segment of Dover Corporation, a multi-billion dollar, global producer of innovative equipment, specialty systems and value-added services.
