Body Shop Archives : Page 3 of 5 : Tools USA

Is your Auto Body Collision Shop “Going Green”?

Tell us about how your auto body shop is “going green”.

Post a comment to tell us what you are doing to help the environment.

There are several ways shops can participate in helping the environment and save on expenses.

1. Solar Power – Auto Body Shops should consider heating the shop with solar power. The shop facility will need to be located in direct sunlight away from shaded trees in order to benefit from this type of power. Installation of solar power panels can be costly but tax credits might be available to offset some of the cost.

2. Heated Shop Flooring – Auto Body Shops in colder climates should consider installing a water heated floor. This will allow the work area inside the booth to stay warmer for potentially less cost. As gas and electricity costs rise, heating a shop can become more expensive. Since hot air rises, heating the floor makes sense!

3. Recycle – Recycle scrap metal and other body shop materials some of which can be sold for income.

4. Energy Efficient Spray Booth Equipment – Install energy efficient new technology paint booth equipment.

Email KellyG@standardtool.com to inquire about the efficiencies in newer equipment.

Spray Booth and Paint Booth Filters

Spray Booth Filters need to be changed regularly to maintain operational efficiencies for your Paint Booth.

The following are the different type of paint booth filters:

1. Exhaust Filters – Trap any leftover pollutants prior to the air entering the atmosphere. These spray booth filters are typically changed after 50-100 working hours.

2. Intake Filters – Cleans the air coming into the spray booth.

Shop Paint Booth Filters at Tools USA.

For further questions, contact KellyG@standardtool.com or call 1-800-451-2425.

Spray Booth Maintenance

It is necessary to maintain your spray paint booth in order to have the booth operating efficiently and provide a high quality product for your auto body shop customer. Shop Paint Booths.

Maintenance of the following areas is important.

1. Lighting – Color and brightness inside the booth should be maintained. Over time, this will deteriorate and even though they may appear operational, the lights might not be in high working order. Consider replacing light bulbs on a regular basis or purchasing a light meter to test the lights frequently.

2. Spray Booth Motor – If you have a non-lubricating motor, you will need to grease the motor. Newer paint booths are sold with self-lubricating motors. Fan motor belts need to be replaced annually and inspected during the year.

3. Cleaning the Spray Booth – A powder coated booth is the easiest booth to clean since it can be washed off when overspray accumulates. The white finish allows dirt to be brushed off the interior walls and captured in the filters. The paint booth should be operating during the cleaning so the filters will capture dust.

4. Interior Paint Booth Temperature – Some paint manufacturers recommend keeping the spray booth between 68 and 70 degrees while the booth is operational. Paint booths with an air make up unit will come with a temperature gauge. Some paint booths will come with a temperature gauge. Adjustments may need to be made depending on the temperature of the object being painted and the air surrounding it. Spray booth temperature can be easily increased or decreased to accommodate changes.

5. Spray Booth Filters – The filters should be changed to prevent pollutants from entering and exiting the spray booth. Excessively dirty filters can lead to an imbalance of air flow in the booth. It is not recommended to clean the filters with air or water to try to make them last longer.

6. Paint Booth Air Flow – Maintaining proper air flow will enhance the paint drying time. Air flow can be tested by generating smoke inside the booth and watching the pattern and speed at which the smoke exits the booth. Keep in mind that the larger the item in the spray booth, the higher the air flow will be.

For more on Paint Booths, refer to our FAQ section.

Most Popular Frame Machines

Tools USA’s best selling frame machines are the Galaxy Series Galaxy ELITE 18′ Model Tilt Frame Machine and Galaxy 18′ Model Tilt Frame Machine. These frame racks will do the same work that more expensive machines do for a fraction of the price.

The most important part of buying a frame machine is to do business with a reputable company that will assist with warranty issues, replacement parts and support. Tools USA has been in business for 30 years and we have a dedicated frame machine specialist to answer your questions.

Winter season is quickly approaching so be sure to have your Frame Machine ready to go to service your auto body shop customers.

Shop All Frame Machines.

Requirements for Fire Suppression in Paint Booth

All of Tools USA’s spray booths are designed to comply with the NFPA-33 requirement for an after-market fire suppression system that:

– complies with NFPA-33 Chapter 9

– is installed by a licensed contractor who can work without being on top of the spray booth

– is not installed in a manner that threatens the structural integrity of the paint booth by removing excessive material or placing excessive weight on the top of the booth

– does not create excessive obstructions within the spray booth that would accumulate overspray

– is inspected annually by a licensed contractor.

The vast majority of our spray booths are complimented with dry-chem suppression units from experienced manufacturers who specialize in fire protection. These units comply with NFPA-17 and NFPA-33 when installed by a licensed contractor. They allow quicker fire suppression without the threat of electrical shock, quicker restart after deployment and better fire suppression in the exhaust ducting.

The wet sprinkler system is a valid alternative if required by local code or specific building factors.

Tools USA strongly recommends that proper installation of the paint booth, proper training of operators and safe storage/mixing of materials to be sprayed per EPA, NFPA and OSHA codes as the best method of reducing the chance of fire or explosion in your spray paint booth.

Is Your Spray Booth Working Properly?

It is critical to ensure your paint booth is working properly at all times to gain the greatest operational efficiencies as well as provide a safe environment for the workers. A properly working booth will provide safety, clean environment, appropriate lighting, fire protection, faster drying for paint, and as an option, temperature control.

Have you had problems with your spray booth?

Tell us what problems you have had.

Why buy a Spray Booth?

There are many reasons to buy a spray paint booth rather than just designating a portion of your collision auto body shop to “painting”. The primary reason is that many states require a spray booth. The spray booth provides a specific clean space to ensure proper paint application as well as directs all the hazardous materials away from the work area through the use of proper filters.

Do you have other questions about Paint Booths? Visit our FAQ.

FRAME MACHINE

GENERAL FRAME MACHINE INFO

Frame machines are designed to hold a vehicle in place while the damage is hydraulically removed. There are two main styles of frame machines that come in many configurations. The drive on platform style machine (frame rack) and the drive over European style machine (frame bench). There are stationary bed, tilt bed and multiple height machines. The machine that works best for your operation may be determined by the type repairs that you do. Rebuilders may need three or more towers and a heavy duty machine were as the regular body/collision repair shop will normally only need two towers and a general duty machine.

DOMESTIC OR IMPORT FRAME MACHINE

Most of the frame machines sold in the United States today are manufactured in China, including some of the well known names that have been around for years, always ask where the machine is built. This does not mean that the equipment is not well made or sub standard but you do need to know that there are varying degrees of quality. The higher quality Chinese equipment is a tremendous value and will give you years of service. Standard Tool is one of a very limited number of companies that manufactures frame machines in the United States. We offer our Galaxy Ultraliner series import for our value minded customer but we still build our Star Rack and Galaxy machines in North Carolina.

SELECTING THE RIGHT SIZE MACHINE

There are many different size frame machines available that will allow you to accommodate various size cars, trucks and SUV’s . Standard Tool/Tools USA also has the capability to build custom size machines when there is a space limitation. Passenger vehicles and trucks up to short bed extended cab (18’) can be repaired on a 17, 18’ or 20’ bed where the long bed crew cab trucks (23’) will require a 22’ machine.

FRAME MACHINE OPERATION

A Frame machine is not a piece of equipment that you should attempt to operate without proper training.

SELECTING A FRAME MACHINE SUPPLIER

When you are shopping for a frame machine you should research the company that you are considering purchasing from. If you search the internet for frame machine you will be find many offerings. You want to be sure that you are dealing with a reputable seller, this is extremely important. You want to select a supplier that has a long history in the industry and extensive knowledge of their products. There are a lot of one and two man shows selling equipment over the Internet that will not be there or will be unwilling to help when you need customer service after the sale. Like anything else you are purchasing, you want to be sure that you are buying from a company who knows what they are doing. In the market today, it is easy to find places to buy equipment that is not going to be of the quality that you expect, the lowest price is not always the best buy. This means that you need to research the company background and the equipments reputation that you plan to purchase.

TOOLS USA Customer Service

Who you gonna call?

We know your time is very valuable. There aren’t enough hours in the day to finish all of the things on your list. Let’s face it- who has time to waste on the phone? Certainly not our valued customers!

Have you ever called a company and explained what you need, only to be transferred to someone else and have to repeat everything you just said? Even more aggravating is being transferred yet again and yes, repeat everything else a third time! At one time or another, we’ve all had to deal with that.

When you call us with questions, its important to know who you should talk to in order to minimize the amount of time you spend on the phone.

If you have questions about pricing, order placement or simply want to compare products, then a salesperson is best suited to answer your questions.

Once you’ve placed your order, most questions can and should be handled directly from our Customer Service Department. If you need technical assistance, we have engineers on staff to assist you with our paint booths, frame machines, powder coating equipment or auto body shop supplies.

If you are unsure as to whom you should speak with, simply call us and we will direct your call accordingly.

AUTOMOTIVE REPLACEMENT PART

From time to time, our Customer Service Department receives calls to help identify a replacement automotive component part.

As an example, we’ll use our 4400 Power Puller Package. Let’s say our customer, Mr. Smith calls to report he needs “the whatchamacallit on the upright piece that holds the chain.”

From a customer service perspective, the part Mr. Smith needs could be one of 3 things: the chain stop or one of the pulleys. After asking Mr. Smith several questions to determine what he needs, we hit a brick wall, so on to Plan B.

This plan works every time! What plan, you might ask? Our ToolsUSA website. You will be directed to go our website www.toolsusa.com, while we remain on the line with you. In the search box on the left side of the homepage, type in the automotive part number then, click “GO”.

The next page will display product info, pricing and a picture of the product in question. By clicking on the small picture of the product, you can view a larger picture. While your customer service associate remains on the line, you can describe in more detail the automotive part you need. If you do not have access to a computer, we can fax a picture of the item to you. Simply circle the part you need and fax it back to us.

Another useful strategy is using your cell phone or digital camera. By taking a picture of the item and emailing it to us, we can quickly determine what to send you.

In Mr. Smith’s case, we determined that he actually needs the chain stop, which screws into the ram at the top of the post. Problem solved!

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Tag: Body Shop