Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Plastic Welding

cover removed from car & pieces realigned
re-positioning broken pieces
One of our customers recently had an unfortunate meeting between the front bumper of his Acura TL and a snow bank that turned into an iceberg. The extremely cold temperatures made the bumper cover very brittle and the low speed impact broke it in to several pieces. The cost of a new cover combined with the cost of painting it a 3 stage white pearl was more than our customer wished to pay. Thanks to the technology of plastic welding we were able to offer the more cost effective option of repairing his existing cover. By repairing vs replacing we were able to reduce the refinish costs substantially as well as avoid the expense of the new part. There are also environmental issues avoided by not having to send another non biodegradable part to a landfill. The process begins by removing the cover from the car to gain full access, then re-positioning all the pieces, much like a jigsaw puzzle. The next step is when the magic begins !                                                                                                  Once the pieces of the puzzle have been aligned, the plastic welding process begins. The first step  is to determine what type of plastic the cover is made of and select the correct filler material. Next, a plastic welder is used to permanently fuse the pieces back together. The welder combines nitrogen, heat and compressed air through a heated wand and the skilled hands of a qualified technician to bring it all together.
underside after final refinish
repaired cover with primer applied
face of cover after final refinsh
                  There are always options to any repair. Be sure to ask questions about a repair process offered for your vehicle to be sure the repair will return your vehicle to its pre-accident condition and fit your budget.