In body-in-white sheet metal is joined to form the chassis of a car. The applied adhesive fulfills several functions, such as increasing crash performance, vehicle stiffness, and resistance against corrosion in hem flange areas. The requirements for body-in-white include ensuring optimal function, enhancing safety standards, minimizing noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), and guaranteeing long-term durability. Depending on the joining task, there are several methods available to meet these stringent requirements. Atlas Copco is your perfect partner for high-quality and effective adhesive joining solutions in body-in-white.
- Roof structures
Roof structures are designed to meet high aesthetic and functional standards, including noise reduction and insulation. Made from materials like aluminum, steel, plastic, or carbon, each with unique properties, the challenge is to ensure a stable, durable, and high-performance structure.
- Framing
Framing joins the side walls with the roof frame and underbody, focusing on crash safety, lightweight design, and short production times. Customized bonding solutions enhance crash safety while minimizing weight.
- Closure parts
Closure parts like doors, hoods, and bumpers create stable connections between components, optimizing crash safety, vehicle rigidity, and corrosion protection. Seam bonding is a complex technique used in this process.
- Underbody
The underbody forms the basis for key vehicle components like the chassis and engine, requiring a strong structure. This is achieved by joining different materials using techniques like bonding and spot welding. Ensuring a safe and healthy working environment is crucial.
- Structural bonding
- Sealing applications
- Hem flange bonding
- Anti-flutter applications
Stitch bead application
Structural bonding applications in body shop
Challenges in structural bonding applications:
Structural bonding connects load-bearing car parts using adhesives, enabling even load distribution and weight reduction. It increases rigidity and crash safety by absorbing impact energy, crucial for modern lightweight automotive constructions. Applications include underbody protection, framing, and bonding of add-on parts.
Our application solutions:
Bead application: Adhesives are applied in even, elongated beads for precise, controlled bonds on large surfaces or longer joints, ensuring structural strength and rigidity.
Stitch bead application: Adhesives are applied selectively or in intervals, reducing adhesive use while ensuring strong bonds at critical points. This method improves curing and bond flexibility under dynamic loads.
Swirl application: Adhesives are applied in a circular or spiral pattern, ideal for covering larger areas quickly and ensuring a uniform layer. This method is useful for bonding surfaces with irregular shapes, providing strong and consistent bonds.
Multi-Dot application: Adhesives are applied in small dots across the surface, allowing precise control over placement and quantity. This technique reduces waste and ensures strong bonds at critical points, ideal for high-precision applications.
Bead application for sealing car bodies
Sealing applications in body shop
Challenges in sealing applications:
The sealing process protects joints and gaps from water, air, and dirt ingress using sealants. These materials ensure durable, stable, airtight, and watertight connections, crucial for corrosion protection, noise reduction, and structural integrity. At Atlas Copco, we use this bonding for framing.
Our application solution:
Bead application: The standard method for sealing car bodies, using rubber or rubber-epoxy mixtures. Controlled dosing ensures complete coverage of critical areas, preventing water, air, or dirt ingress. We offer a wide range of nozzles adaptable to the required width.
Process steps of hem flange bonding
Hem flange bonding in body shop
Challenges in hem flange bonding:
Hem flanging joins components like doors, roofs, and hoods by applying adhesives to the joints, creating stable and durable connections. This method ensures high strength, rigidity, and corrosion protection, crucial for vehicle integrity and safety. At Atlas Copco, we use this process for roof bonding and framing.
Our application solutions:
Shaped bead application: Even application of adhesives in elongated beads along joints, ensuring precise dosing, improved strength, and minimized adhesive spillage. This method optimizes curing time and ensures effective sealing.
Swirl application: Adhesives are applied in a spiral or circular pattern, achieving excellent material distribution and a reliable process. This technique provides a larger bonding surface, increasing bond strength and stability.
Our Atlas Copco applicators can handle both bead and customizable swirl applications for complex vehicle geometries.
Multi-Dot application
Anti-flutter applications in body shop
Challenges in anti-flutter applications:
Doors, hoods, and trunks consist of several parts that need to be connected elastically to reduce vibrations and noise. These applications typically use regular beads or dispensed dots.
Our application solutions:
Bead application: Standard bead applications connect inner and outer parts with elastic material, reducing vibrations. They are easy to handle and provide a fast, reliable solution.
Multi-Dot application: Acts as a dampener and protective spacer between the inner and outer parts. Our systems can apply up to 36 dots per equipment, with typical layouts using 8 to 10 dosing tools.
