In 2006, Polyvance revolutionized plastic repair in the collision repair industry when they introduced their line of Nitro-Fuzer nitrogen plastic welders. Prior to that time, a technician who wanted to repair a damaged plastic part had to use Polyvance’s Mini-Weld Model 7 airless plastic welder or a two-part adhesive. Airless welding is a relatively slow process and adhesives are messy and expensive. The Nitro-Fuzer nitrogen welders promised fast, strong repairs at a low consumable cost.
Since that time, over a third of the body shops in America have purchased a Polyvance Nitro-Fuzer nitrogen plastic welder. However, the price point of the Nitro-Fuzer welders left many people unable to take advantage of its speed and strength benefits.
To fill the gap between the airless welder and the nitrogen welder, Polyvance is introducing its new 6180 Mini-Fuzer hot air plastic welder. This mid-priced welder offers much greater repair speed and versatility with its hot air welder, while still offering an airless plastic welder for melting in reinforcing wire mesh and for repairing thermoset polyurethane parts like bedsides and dually fenders.
The Mini-Fuzer is an entry-level, imported machine that will introduce shops to the capabilities offered by the hot air welder and the ribbon-style welding rods. It is packaged with ten types of welding rods that will allow repair of the most common types of automotive plastics such as polypropylene, nylon, and ABS. Three of the materials include ribbon rods which provide greater strength because they offer more contact area on the substrate. Polyvance currently offers 22 different welding rod materials, and the Mini-Fuzer can be used with all of them.
Because it has an onboard air pump, the Mini-Fuzer does not require a compressed air connection, allowing it to be used in mobile repair operations, or anywhere a 120V power source is available. Lightweight and compact, the Mini-Fuzer is easy to transport around the shop from job to job.
The hot air welder has temperature feedback control, so it automatically varies the power level to achieve the desired temperature no matter the flow setting. The flow control knob allows for easy adjustment of the airflow over a range of 0 - 28 liters per minute. And the hot air welder torch will cool down and heat up automatically as the torch is placed into and removed from its holster to improve heating element life.
The airless heating element also has temperature feedback control to allow for the repair of temperature-sensitive plastics such as PUR and ABS. At its maximum temperature of nearly 900°F, the airless welder can be used to smooth down hot air welds and to melt in reinforcing wire mesh. Because the Mini-Fuzer is an entry-level product, however, the airless welder is not of the same robust design as those used on Polyvance’s professional-quality Nitro-Fuzer welders.
For high-end professional shops, Polyvance’s line of Nitro-Fuzer nitrogen plastic welders are recommended because of their time-proven quality and durability. Furthermore, using nitrogen gas to weld instead of hot air ensures the highest quality welds on every type of plastic, especially important when your reputation depends on the quality of your repairs.
Whichever plastic welder is chosen, Polyvance leads the industry in plastic repair training, with options ranging from YouTube videos to intensive two-day, hands-on, instructor-led courses. Polyvance University is a portal offering free, self-paced training on the basics of plastic repair and an introduction to nitrogen plastic welding. Combining this virtual training with some hands-on experience and repetition using one of Polyvance’s welders will enable practically anyone to repair damaged automotive plastics.