Technology Archives - BodyShop News

Hyundai Launches Solar Roof Charging System

Hyundai is launching its first car with a solar roof charging system. The company says the technology will provide vehicles with additional electrical power, as well as increasing fuel efficiency and driving range.

The solar roof charging system will first feature in the latest generation Sonata Hybrid to support the vehicle’s electric power source, improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions. In the coming years, Hyundai says it will roll out the technology to other vehicles across its range.

“Solar roof technology is a good example of how Hyundai Motor is moving towards becoming a clean mobility provider,” said Heui Won Yang, Senior Vice President and head of the Body Tech Unit of Hyundai Motor Group. “The technology allows our customers to actively tackle emissions issues. We are striving to further expand the application of the technology beyond eco-friendly vehicle line up to vehicles with internal combustion engine.”

Hyundai says the solar roof can charge 30 to 60 per cent of the battery per day with 6 hours of daily charging, and is capable of functioning while the car is in motion. Hyundai expects the roof to increase drivers’ travel distance by an extra 1300km annually.

The system is composed of a solar panel and a controller. Electricity is produced when solar energy – photons of light from the sun – activates the panel’s surface. The electron-hole pairs in silicon cells are then created, and the photons are converted into electricity. The electricity is then converted to the right voltage by the controller, and then stored in the battery.

The new Sonata is now on sale in Korea and will soon be sold in North America. Hyundai says it currently has no plans to expand sales to the European market.

Comments Off 288

Business, Business, Business

Daimler AG And BMW Group To Develop Automated Vehicles

BMW Group and Daimler AG have signed an agreement to develop autonomous driving technologies. The representative of the two companies planned a collaboration earlier this year and now an official agreement for long-term strategic cooperation has been signed.

Initially, the aim would be to co-develop technologies for driver assistance systems, highly automated driving on highways and automated parking. Additional discussions are planned to extend the cooperation to higher levels of automation in urban areas and city centres. The market launch in series vehicles out of this co-development is scheduled for 2024, with the partners implementing technologies independently in their respective series vehicles.

The two companies will each implement the technologies in their respective series products independently. The cooperation will see more than 1200 specialists working together, often in mixed teams. They will be based at locations including the BMW Group Autonomous Driving Campus in Unterschleissheim, near Munich, the Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre (MTC) in Sindelfingen and the Daimler Testing and Technology Centre in Immendingen.

Along with Aptiv, Audi, Baidu, Continental, Fiat Chrysler, HERE, Infineon, Intel and Volkswagen, the BMW Group and Daimler have published a white paper entitled Safety First for Automated Driving. As well as covering all relevant safety methods for Level 3/4 SAE automated driving, the paper introduces a traceability system, which extends from the primary goal – being safer than the average driver – right down to the individual safety objectives of the various components. The paper was published on 2 July 2019.

Comments Off 228

Main News, Main News

Frank Kirmis Appointed Director Of Pro Spot Germany

Pro Spot International announced the appointment of Frank Kirmis as its new Director of Sales and OEM Relationships for Europe and Asia.

In his new role, Frank will help Pro Spot continue to build relationships with European vehicle manufacturers, develop its European sales strategy and build up distribution service networks. Kirmis will help oversee expanding locations in Europe and Asia including the company’s new location in Germany.

Pro Spot said Kirmis joins the company with 30 years of experience in the industry, giving him a great understanding of the market and those in it.

“The technology is here, the knowledge is here, the spirit is here; I am excited to continue to grow the brand globally,” Kirmis said.

In addition to offices in Sweden and Italy, Pro Spot said the new location in Germany will help to establish its brand presence with local support for sales, service and product training in a more meaningful way.

“I say this truthfully – I feel like we haven’t started yet and 33 years have gone by, but there are so many opportunities to do so much more,” said Ron Olsson, President of Pro Spot. “With our passion, our products, our engineering and technology, we will continue to keep inventing and developing new ideas to help this industry continue to thrive.”

Comments Off 198

Main News

I-CAR Australia Launches The I-CAR Professional Development Program

In 2019, I-CAR will begin the implementation of transforming its delivery, recognition and certification of training in response to the ever-changing needs of the modern collision repair industry. The increasing impact of technology, the importance of OEM procedures and changing business needs has resulted in a need for I-CAR Australia to assist the industry in acquiring relevant skills and knowledge.

Over the past two years I-CAR has engaged with and listened to collision repair industry stakeholders, both locally and internationally to ensure that the future training we provide is relevant, sustainable, responsible and affordable. This has resulted in a better programme that will identify knowledge and recognise skills and competencies for career development and progression.

The changes to take place will not affect current training accreditations, certifications or those actively on the Road to Gold. Over the coming months there will be additional announcements made regarding these changes to the I-CAR programme.

The enhancements will include an emphasis on expanding our training delivery to include Live Classroom, Virtual training and On-line training. In addition, new Hands-On Skills training courses will be released as well as a new Aluminium Welding Certification to complement our current Steel Welding Certification.

The upcoming changes will strengthen the value of the Platinum Individual and the Gold Class Professionals designations by ensuring that individuals and businesses are recognised for having the training required to perform in current as well as new specific roles in the collision repair and claims process. The changes to our Welding Certification programmes will bring them into better alignment with OEM requirements internationally and form part of a planned development pathway for structural technicians.

This change process will take 18 months to complete and will deliver a training and skills recognition programme for the Australian collision repair industry that places our technicians among the most highly skilled technicians internationally.

I-Car’s website will provide all the necessary information as the programme is rolled out and will become the first source of information for all Australian collision repair industry professionals.

Comments Off 698

Business, Business, Business

AMA / Gemini Joins Tradiebot And Swinburne University In Repair Technology Collaboration

Australia’s AMA / Gemini Group has thrown its weight behind Industry 4.0 innovator Tradiebot Industries’ Repair-Bot project being developed in conjunction with Swinburne University.

With backing from the Australian Government’s Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), the stage one, A$1.2 million collaborative Repair-Bot project is making use of 3D printing technologies and robotics along with novel materials to enable automated rapid repair service for plastic car parts.

Welcoming the new partnership, Tradiebot Industries Founder Mario Dimovski said: “Commitment from leading industry players such as the AMA / Gemini Group is a positive indication we are on track in solving current obstacle in the automotive collision repair industry around the repairs of plastic components.”

“We look forward to building our relationship with the AMA / Gemini Group as we work together towards developing new technologies, skills, materials and complex automated collision repair systems,” Dimovski said.

Dave Calder, Corporate General Manager, AMA / Gemini Group, summarised: “With advances in vehicle technology, parts costs rising and skills availability ever challenging, we are constantly looking at ways to advance the industry, refine our operation and continually deliver on our ability to provide value to our clients and customers.”

“Innovation is core to our business and we are delighted to be collaborating with the leaders in this space, Tradiebot Industries and Swinburne University. The research and development of augmented repair processing, 3D printing, robotics and the advancement in industry 4.0 technologies is a perfect fit and positive outputs of our collaboration will generate immense value to the automotive repair industry.”

Swinburne University of Technology’s Dr Mats Isaksson said: “The Swinburne research team is excited to welcome AMA / Gemini as a collaborator on the Repair-Bot project with Tradiebot Industries. My team and I look forward to the added industry expertise that David Calder and his team will offer.

“This sector is highly concentrated and ferociously competitive, so a solution like the Repair-Bot has the potential to be truly transformational, using Industry 4.0 technologies to reduce material wastage, ease the pain of ever more complex and restrictive design elements, and take on routine tasks in an increasingly tight skilled labour market.”

As well as improving procedures in the automotive repair industry, the collaboration is being seen as a further sign that the A$7 billion Australian industry has started down the path of digital transformation, with technologies that have the potential to lead the world.

Comments Off 996

Technology - Products, Technology - Products, Technology - Products

Ferrari Introduces The World’s First Low-Bake Paint Technology

Thanks to an on-going collaboration with PPG, Ferrari has introduced an innovative low temperature paint system, making the Prancing Horse the world’s first car manufacturer to adopt the new Low Cure clear coat technology.

The new two-component paint system incorporates a specially formulated clear coat which makes it possible for the car to be baked at 100°C instead of 150°C, cutting energy costs and enhancing the sustainability of the process.

The Low Cure resins contain a new hardener which enhances the chemical and mechanical resistance of the coating. The new formula also boosts cross-coat linking which simultaneously increases chemical hydrophobicity and reduces water permeability.

Additionally, the new solution makes it possible to bake carbon-fibre and composite components together with the bodyshell, resulting in colour uniformity between the various body components.

Thanks to the new technology, Ferrari has industrialised a process to produce at least 61 different basecoat colours by combining metallic basecoats with a gloss or matte pigmented clear coat.

Comments Off 1130

Technology - Products

Axalta Demonstrates Its Military Coatings Capability In Partnership With Rheinmetall

Earlier this year, Axalta Coating Systems’ head office in Sydney, had the opportunity to host Rheinmetall Defence Australia, to learn more about the company’s plans to establish a national military vehicle industry in Australia that included a hands-on demonstration of their Boxer CRV.

Axalta’s customers plus a network of local suppliers were briefed on the importance of establishing strong military business partnerships in Australia and the opportunities it presents to the economy, local businesses, manufacturing and job growth.

Rheinmetall also delivered the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (Boxer CRV) to Axalta’s Riverstone facility, acknowledging the three-year partnership between both companies. This journey began with Axalta providing Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia (RMMVA) coating products for Australian military logistic vehicles being produced as part of the Australian government’s LAND 121 Phase 3B Defence Programme. Rheinmetall is one of the world’s leading suppliers of defence technology, including wheeled and tracked military vehicles, weapons, ammunition, simulation solutions, command and control technology, force protection systems and sensors.

Comments Off 1049

Technology - Products, Technology - Products, Technology - Products

Tesla Approves Spanesi For Its Body Repair Programme

Tesla, Inc. announced it has added three new Spanesi structural repair benches and the Touch Measuring System to its OEM approved equipment list, for Tesla Approved Body Shop programme.

“Spanesi is excited to be a part of approved list of collision repair equipment recognized in the Tesla Approved Body Shop programme,” said Timothy W. Morgan, COO and Managing Director of Spanesi Americas. “We look forward to providing state-of-the-art collision repair equipment to those facilities that are working on the highly complex vehicle structures and substrates being produced by Tesla today.”

“Tesla’s growing vehicle model line-up continues to push the tools and equipment industry to provide modern solutions to support the collision repair industry,” continued Morgan.

Comments Off 1098

Technology - Products, Technology - Products, Technology - Products

Nissan’s Miniature Car Wash Means Better Paint, Worry-Free Washing

A miniature car wash, about the size and shape of a popcorn machine, plays an important role at the Nissan Technical Centre North America in Michigan.

Equipped with a spinning brush that has vibrant blue bristles, this highly specialised machine allows engineers to test paint samples to make sure Nissan’s exterior paints hold up to the tough environment of automatic car washes.

Long before a Nissan ends up on dealer lots, engineers have made sure that every shade of exterior paint will stay looking great, even if customer frequently takes their Nissans through the rigours of an automatic car wash.

To mimic an automatic wash cycle, Nissan’s miniature car wash spins the brush at around 180 rpm, causing the bristles to harshly slap the paint sample as water jets spray and “Arizona dirt” replicates the harsh and abrasive real world.

In the pictures below, the red 1:16 scale model of the 370Z is for illustrative purposes only. In actual testing, Nissan paint is applied to rectangular plates which are placed into the miniature car wash and tested multiple times to ensure a top-quality finish that lasts.

Comments Off 1006