Aluminum auto bodies are the next generation of repairs

Sept. 22, 2014
Aluminum auto bodies will result in changes for aluminum producers, vehicle manufacturers and ultimately the auto repair business.

When Ford Motor Company’s new all aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup truck hits the retail market in the fall of 2014, it will herald an evolution in the industry. Or some might see it as a revolution in the industry. No matter how it is defined, aluminum auto bodies will unquestionably result in changes for aluminum producers, vehicle manufacturers, and ultimately, the auto repair business.

And what is the “driving-force” behind the increased use of aluminum in vehicle bodies? Better fuel economy. Better fuel economy standards first by Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations enacted by the United States Congress in 1975, and now updated to require that all cars and trucks operate at an average of 54-miles-per-gallon by 2025.

Reaching that goal is best accomplished by making cars lighter in weight, hence the switch to using more aluminum in car manufacturing, along with higher-strength steels that are thinner, stronger and also weigh less. The Aluminum Association estimates that aluminum can provide a weight-savings of up to 50-percent compared with the traditional mild-steel automotive body structure. Aluminum offers a fast, safe, environmentally-friendly, and cost-effective method for increasing performance, boosting fuel economy and reducing emissions while maintaining or improving safety and durability.

Industry changes
Various Ford F-150 models, with high-strength steel frames and high-strength aluminum-alloy bodies, will weigh up to 700-pounds less than previous all-steel models. Its reduced weight not only contributes to fuel efficiency but also allows the truck to tow and haul more cargo while improving acceleration, braking and handling performance. The military-grade, aluminum alloys are rust- and corrosion- resistant, which helps to increase vehicle service life.

The acrylic structural adhesive offers fast full-cure and clamp removal times, and corrosion protection.

Aluminum producers are also gearing up for the increased demand from car manufacturers for aluminum sheet. In a December 2013 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Randall Scheps, the executive in charge of selling Alcoa’s aluminum sheet to the automotive market, said “automotive demand for the product is forecast to increase fourfold by 2015 and 10-times by 2025.” To meet this demand from the auto industry, Alcoa is investing $575-million to expand production at its plants in Davenport, Iowa and Alcoa, Tennessee. The article also mentions that Novelis, an Atlanta-based aluminum supplier, is also expanding automotive sheet lines in Oswego, New York.

The vehicle repair industry, as well, will be impacted by the increased presence of aluminum-bodied vehicles on the roads. Repair shops will have to prepare their facilities to handle aluminum repairs, and technicians will have to learn new techniques for making those repairs. However, none of these adaptations need to be daunting tasks for a repair shop.

According to a news article on The Aluminum Association’s website (http://www.aluminum.org/product-markets/automotive), “…working with aluminum is not difficult; it is merely different.” As more aluminum vehicles enter the market, repair shops will adapt to handle damage repairs. Although different techniques are required for steel and aluminum repairs, professional programs, as well as training from manufacturers and suppliers, are available to help technicians understand these differences.

Aluminum repairs
Reconfiguring a body shop to handle aluminum repairs, and the training needed, can be done with minimal investment. “In the past, aluminum repairs were expected to be made in a separate room or building within the body shop’s complex,” noted Ed Staquet, Senior Technical Support Manager, Fusor® Aftermarket Repair Products, LORD Corporation. “But this is no longer the case. It is now acceptable to use shop curtains to separate aluminum repair operations from areas where steel repairs are being done.”

According to Staquet, the reality is, “Investing in training and shop space for aluminum vehicle repairs is something that will have to be done anyway, as more aluminum-bodied cars and trucks enter the market.” Currently, many OEMs, such as Honda, Audi and Mercedes Benz, do have aluminum-bodied cars for sale. And for many years, steel-bodied vehicles have been built with aluminum components, such as hoods or body panels. The Ford F-150, though, is the first high-volume, full-bodied aluminum vehicle to enter the market.

A similar sentiment is voiced by Douglas Craig, Technical Application Engineer & Collision Industry Liaison, Structural Adhesives Tech Service for LORD. “As soon as it became known that the Ford Motor aluminum-bodied trucks would be entering the market, there was a huge concern in the collision repair industry over how to make repairs that are feasible, safe and meet customer and insurance-industry approval,” said Craig. “Auto body repair shops have to embrace aluminum repair and learn the new techniques so that aluminum repair becomes mainstream, as is comparable to working with steel materials. Consider the training as the cost of doing business.”

“The collision repair industry has been adapting to these changes already,” Craig said. “Now, there will be just more aluminum in the vehicles.” And it’s not just aluminum that will be used more frequently. Craig noted that other materials, including composites, such as carbon-fiber and fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), will become more typical in vehicle manufacture. “So the real point for the repair shop is – ‘How do you adapt and learn how to fix these new materials?’ ” said Craig.

“It’s not really that much of a challenge to work on aluminum vs. steel,” Staquet said. “The body shop technician just needs to become familiar with the aluminum material and the repair techniques.” Staquet contends that once a properly trained technician learns how to repair aluminum dents and replace aluminum parts, it will become “second nature, as with steel repairs.”

Repair training
There are many venues available for learning how to work with aluminum – including online and classroom courses, support from repair-product suppliers, and programs and instructions offered by the OEMs. Specifically, the FORD F-150 was built with repairability as a key design element.

The adhesive is recommended for panel and weld bonding of aluminum roof and quarter panels, rear body and van side panels, and door skins.

“From the beginning of the F-150’s design, repairability was a prime concern. This is an extremely ‘repair-friendly’ vehicle for the technician,” commented Staquet. Various truck components can be replaced in sections, eliminating the need for extensive labor, and the B-Pillar can be replaced without removing the roof panel.

“In the design of the F-150, Ford’s engineering team embraced the need to repair,” said Craig. “The truck was engineered to have solutions in place for the customer when damage repair is needed.”

Ford has worked closely with The InterIndustry Conference on Auto Repair (I-CAR) and the aluminum industry to develop training programs for aluminum-panel repairs. Collision repair experts from I-CAR collaborated with Ford Motor engineers during the F-150’s design and development process. Together, they created training programs for collision repair professionals that address the unique processes associated with aluminum repair for safely executing repair operations.

FORD is augmenting these training programs with a comprehensive package of supplemental repair information. Each aluminum replacement part for the F-150 comes with detailed instruction sheets, a parts list, diagrams of repair locations on the vehicle, and a list of the tools and supplies needed to make the repair. Online instructions are will be available both on Ford Motor’s and I-CAR’s websites.

Different not difficult
So what are the differences between repairing aluminum and steel vehicles? “It’s not so much that there are differences,” said Staquet, “But rather that there are specific details to be aware of – such as having dedicated tools and equipment for aluminum repairs, and making sure that that aluminum repair areas are curtained off from areas where steel repairs are being performed.”

Cross-contamination is of particular concern when working on aluminum and steel vehicles in the same facility. Fine particles from steel or other metals can adhere to tools and equipment, and if these particles are deposited on aluminum parts, they are extremely corrosive to the aluminum, especially if moisture is present. Keeping separate sets of tools and equipment (such as MIG welders) for aluminum and steel repair work will minimize the problems associated with cross-contamination.

Using shop curtains to cordon off a separate area for aluminum repair work is necessary to prevent cross-contamination. “Most repair facilities should have separate work areas in place already,” noted Craig, “Since many vehicles have aluminum hoods or deck lifts, the repair work done on these panels should have been isolated from steel repairs.” A curtain arrangement is adequate for isolating the steel and aluminum repair bays.

As Craig explained, there really is not that much aluminum that will be exposed during a repair procedure. When a vehicle is under construction in the OEM plant, assembly personnel are working with bare aluminum. In the repair shop, technicians are handling painted aluminum parts and replacement parts arrive with a coating over the aluminum. The only aluminum that will be exposed during a repair procedure will be on the mating edges where the paint or coating is removed to facilitate bonding and riveting.

Another shop method for avoiding cross-contamination is the use of dust removal or extraction equipment, not just to protect vehicles, but most importantly, for personal health protection. “Technicians should always be wearing the proper respiratory equipment when performing sanding, grinding and welding operations,” Staquet noted. “And this is even more important when working with aluminum, since aluminum particles have a tendency to stay floating in the air for a long time. So using respiratory equipment is a necessary personal health device.”

Many shops have vacuum systems that automatically collect sanding and grinding dust. The sanding and grinding tools are attached to the vacuum system and the dust particles never reach the surrounding air. Still, Craig cautions that, similar to the need to have a separate set of tools for steel and aluminum repairs, the vacuum systems must also be kept independent of each other, so as not to contaminate the vacuum system.  

Repair products
What makes these new aluminum alloys so “revolutionary” is their strength and their ability to be rivet-bonded both in assembly and repair. As Scheps said in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, “A new process for treating aluminum sheet makes adhesive bonds between the metal and other components last longer. That means aluminum sheet can be used in the structural framework of motor vehicles.” The technology was developed at Alcoa’s Technical Center in Upper Burrell, Pennsylvania.  

Ford has approved Fusor 108B /109B Metal Bonding Adhesive for repairing its aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup truck. 

Ford Motor has approved only two suppliers’ repair products for use on the F-150, one being the LORD Fusor 108B/109B Metal Bonding Adhesive. “LORD products have been used in vehicle assembly for many, many years, both with Ford and other OEMs,” Staquet said.

Fusor 108B/109B is an acrylic structural adhesive that offers fast full-cure and clamp removal times and is six-to-eight times faster than typical panel bonders. Its acrylic formula is compatible with aluminum and guarantees corrosion protection. The adhesive is recommended for panel- and weld-bonding of quarter panels, rear-body panels, van-side panels, roof panels, door skins, and outer truck-bed panels.  

Aluminum prospects
As the deadline for stricter standards for fuel economy approaches, car manufacturers will be substituting lighter-weight parts and materials to help meet the CAFE standards. As FORD brings the first all-aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup truck to the market, other OEM car manufacturers will soon be following with their own aluminum-bodied vehicles.

As aluminum producers scurry to meet the demand for raw materials, repair-product suppliers are also striving to develop new bonding formulas that can match OEM quality for repair work. In addition, repair shops need to mobilize for handling aluminum vehicle repairs – if they haven’t done so already. Training, proper shop set-up, and dedicated tools and equipment are key components for successfully handling aluminum vehicle repairs. 

Subscribe to ABRN and receive articles like this every month…absolutely free. Click here

Sponsored Recommendations

Best Body Shop and the 360-Degree-Concept

Spanesi ‘360-Degree-Concept’ Enables Kansas Body Shop to Complete High-Quality Repairs

ADAS Applications: What They Are & What They Do

Learn how ADAS utilizes sensors such as radar, sonar, lidar and cameras to perceive the world around the vehicle, and either provide critical information to the driver or take...

Banking on Bigger Profits with a Heavy-Duty Truck Paint Booth

The addition of a heavy-duty paint booth for oversized trucks & vehicles can open the door to new or expanded service opportunities.

Boosting Your Shop's Bottom Line with an Extended Height Paint Booths

Discover how the investment in an extended-height paint booth is a game-changer for most collision shops with this Free Guide.