3M, Fusor call for panel bonding acceptance

The leading suppliers of panel bonding products in Australia, 3M and Fusor have called for more understanding of the procedure, particularly in regards to its status as an alternative to spot-welding. "Panel bonding is recognised in other countries as an alternative to spot-welding and does not compromise the integrity of the vehicle, it actually adds to it because of the rust-resistant qualities it provides. We would encourage insurers to get some testing done on this process. We would like to see some of the myths and rumours about this procedure disappear," said Phil Henderson, national sales and marketing manager -- automotive aftermarket division, 3M Australia.

A spokesperson for Australian Warehouse Distributors, the Australian representatives of the Fusor brand said; "Our company has been monitoring the potential for metal bonding adhesives since the early '70s. Not until the mid '90s as a result of new materials being used for a safer more fuel-efficient motor vehicle has the opportunity arisen for the previously available adhesive's technology to be introduced and packaged appropriately for vehicle body repair. The increased use of aluminium and plastics and the need for more cost-effective quality repairs will only increase the use of Fusor brand adhesives in the future".

"The 3M panel bonding system has now been in use on cars in North America for over seven years," said Mike Howcroft, business development manager, automotive aftermarket division, 3M Asia Pacific. "Manitoba Public Insurance [in Canada] was initially taking the same position as the insurance industry in Australia, until they completed their own crash evaluations. KIDI, the Korean Insurance Development Institute similarly concluded those findings in their own crash testing. Both firms are members of RCAR, and have presented papers on the subject favouring panel bonding as a preferred method of repair. The process is recommended for door skins, roofs and rear quarter panels, for any make or model of vehicle," he added.

In Japan, less than one year since introducing the process, 3M has over 3000 shops using the panel bonding process, including most large OEM dealerships. Jikken, the Japanese Insurance Industry representative body has met with KIDI on the subject and is doing their own evaluations.

"It is time for the insurance industry in Australia to catch up with their counterparts around the world, and provide real value to their customers, and themselves," said Howcroft.

RACQ GIO has been advising repairers in Queensland not to use the panel bonding procedure however, and stands by a letter issued to repairers and assessors in March 1996 which states: "Some body repairers are replacing damaged roof panels (turrets) using chemical hardening components to glue the side sections of the new roof panel to the drip or turret rails. This system is totally unacceptable as the manufacturers' specifications must at all times be adhered to."
Henderson counters that panel bonding is a globally recognised process and besides, restoring cars to the manufacturer's specifications is never truly possible anyway. "Spot welds in a repair shop are never the same as robotic spot welds in the factory and plug welds are widely used in the repair industry but never in the manufacturing process."
"All we ask is that the car is restored to the manufacturer's specifications which is not happening with this process," replies Graham Collie, assessing operations manager, RACQ GIO and the author of the 1996 letter.

"However, if the roof is glued on by the manufacturer, then we'll definitely glue it on at the repair stage. There are some doorskins glued on by some manufacturers and we authorise repairers to do the same. If the manufacturer does it, then we will do it, but we have to ensure that the car is repaired to the manufacturer's specifications at all times, that's our policy, I can't change that. We will never use panel bonding as a replacement for spot welding. 3M should be concentrating their marketing efforts on the manufacturers, not insurers regarding this process," he added.

In contrast, the RACV has approved the use of 3M's panel bonding process in its Repair Centres since the beginning of the year according to panel beater Cade Egan. "I have been using the system on doorskins, van front panels and have done a lot of roofs, replacing the spot-welds. You have to look at where the trade is going, a lot of European manufacturers are using panel bonding now, and Australian cars in general are not as well manufactured as European cars, so if they're using it [panel bonding] then it must be alright for Australia," he said.

Woods Accident Repair Centres in Melbourne has been using the 3M system as a replacement for spot-welds for several months and regional manager John Haddock said he was confident the system provided an acceptable alternative. "We've done perhaps half a dozen Toyota HiAce roofs in our Cheltenham branch and have used panel bonding on quarter panels and rear panels with no problems from the insurers." The Woods workshop spot welds the tops of the front and rear roof pillars and the front and rear of the panel, but panel bonds the side sections of the panel to the drip rails.

Haddock said the advantages in using panel bonding were primarily in the substantially reduced clean-up times and in the process' sealing properties on roof panels. "We don't really need to do a full drip check and we know there will be no problem with rust because it seals it [the roof panel] so well."

Panel bonding is becoming an accepted process in European manufacturing according to 3M -- the new Audi aluminium models use the process on their roof panels and Jaguar uses the system on some of its rear quarter panels. General Motors and Mitsubishi in Australia both use panel bonding for the interior structure of the roof panel, however they still spot-weld the roof turrets. DaimlerChrysler states in a directive to approved repair shops in the US: "Weld-bonding [using a combination of resistance spot-welding and adhesive bonding] will provide the customer with a superior repair that will more closely mirror today's OEM process".

At the annual I-CAR meeting in the US recently however, autobodyonline.com reported Jack Aho, manager of General Motors' collision repair technology centre as saying "Our current policy is: if it's bonded, bond it, and if it's welded, weld it". Roger Foss, national dealer support manager for Toyota also reportedly said: "Our engineers in Japan do not endorse adhesive bonding as a replacement for welding".

Lord Corporation's Fusor metal bonding products can be weld-bonded, this procedure allows for the panel to be bonded using adhesives then spot-welded through the adhesive bond line. This particular procedure is approved by DaimlerChrysler and is a result of a joint partnership program between the car maker and Lord Corporation.

Henderson predicts it will be at least 10 years before the panel bonding process is widely used in Australian vehicle manufacture, as the major players have all invested heavily in robotic spot-welding systems and would be unwilling to re-invest in new bonding systems.

Part of the reluctance associated with the use of panel bonding centres around the issue of warranties for any new repair method. 3M believes it has circumvented this by providing a lifetime warranty on all 3M Automix panel bonding adhesive repairs, taking the issue out of the repairer and insurers' hands. The lifetime guarantee covers all parts, materials, labor, and loss of use of the vehicle.

A study by Manitoba Public Insurance, Canada, in June 1998 titled Adhesive Bonding Roof Panels Time Study and Crash Evaluations concluded that the 3M Automix weld integrity is as strong as spot-welding. A similar test last year proved Fusor metal bonding adhesives also perform well under pressure -- specifically for bonding roof panel replacements. Fusor metal bonding adhesives have also met the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 301 rear impact test for fuel tank system integrity and the FMVSS 208 roll-over test for roof integrity.
"These tests prove that Fusor metal bonding is strong enough to be used as an alternative to mig welding on non structural secondary panels," said the spokesperson for Australian Warehouse Distributors, Fusor representatives in Australia.

Why use panel bonding?
According to 3M, advantages over welding include excellent corrosion protection, reduced grinding time, curing on-demand with heat, and sealing and bonding in one application. Additionally, with adhesive bonding, there's less fire danger to the technician, less danger of damaging adjacent panels, and no danger of heat warpage of sheet metal, as there can be with welding. With its easy application and short learning curve, panel bonding methods do not require the same specialized skills as welding.

For practical information on panel bonding, see our Bench Test on page 24 or wait for an upcoming article in AP&P January/February by Bruce Gascoigne, commercial development manager, Lord Chemical Products (Australia).