Well Tooled Article in AGRR

Just to clarify on the ACTUAL report from NIOSH on power tools and their inherent physical impact to the technician. It was misconstrued in the article somewhat.

Heath Hazard Evaluation (HHE) report HETA 99–0025–2756

Use of the powered tools while inside the car resulted in cramped and awkward postures of the
trunk and shoulder. The most common awkward posture was shoulder and elbow flexion (hands
above the shoulder) when cutting the top and sides of the glass. During these cuts the worker must support
the weight of the tool, which ranged from 2.2 pounds for the BTB air–powered tool to 5.7 pounds for the
Equalizer Magnum.

The dominant hand was mostly neutral, but the other hand was often in a pinch grip,
particularly when the worker held the sheath of the Equalizer as it was guided through the polyurethane.
Pinch grips are not recommended when using tools because strength capability while pinching is only
15–25 % of that while using a power grip.

Inspection of the figures shows that all three tools used in the two
installation locations fall into some restricted–use time zone regardless of who was using the tool.
The pneumatic BTB tool had the lowest acceleration values. The one–third octave values indicate that the
tool can be used 4–8 hours per day. The OWA value of 4.9 m/s2 places the tool in the 2–4 hour zone. The
other reciprocating tool, the Equalizer Magnum, was found to have vibration levels that either placed the
tool at the upper extreme of the 1–2 hour zone (less than 1 hour when comparing the OWA value, see
Figure 6) or in the not to be used for any amount of time (Figure 7), depending on who was using the tool
during the measurement period. The orbital tool (FEIN) was measured three different times, with
either a hooked or straight blade and at each of the two locations. For the hooked blade, the FEIN tool
fell into the 1–2 or 2–4 hours per day range. The one installer who also used the FEIN tool with a straight
blade had acceleration levels that placed the tool into the 2–4 hour range. Both electric–powered tools had
maximum vibrational energy in the Z–axis which travels along the worker’s forearm.

The vibration levels measured in Farmington with the Equalizer tool would preclude its use for any amount of time.
Further analysis of the video record showed that the manner in which the two installers held this tool
seemed to affect the acceleration measurements. The Farmington employee placed one hand on the handle
of the tool and his second hand on top of the tool’s case, leaving the sheathed blade untouched. The
Belfast employee placed his second hand on the blade’s sheath, much closer to the tip of the blade.
Page 10 Health Hazard Evaluation Report No. 99–0025 The latter work practice appears to reduce the
amount of vibration measured on the handle. However, as was pointed out earlier in the report, the
second hand used a pinch grip on the sheath.

Hand Tools versus Powered Tools
The results of this evaluation suggest that the cold knife should be used as much as possible during a
windshield removal and that the powered tools should be used as a back–up to the cold knife in
corners and other hard–to–reach areas on the windshield. The powered tools result in more
awkward postures than the cold knife, and the vibration levels are such that each falls into some
type of restricted use category. The powered tools are more expensive and require maintenance.
Powered tools must also be used carefully, as they can cause damage to a vehicle’s dashboard or
headliner if the worker deviates from the cut line. Use of the powered tools, particularly the Equalizer
Magnum, creates a conflict between work practices that reduce vibration and those that add to the risk of
injury to the upper extremity (holding the tip of the sheath with a thumb opposing index finger pinch
grip).

Do you think we should reef?

“Reef”

This is a sailing term, it means to shorten sail by reducing the amount of fabric exposed to the wind.

It is also widely recognized that if you have to ask….

it is usually too late.

 

Got wire?

Lost Account

I just got off the phone with a potential customer. He was calling because he had just lost one of his long time accounts because a competitor offered wire removal. He, like a lot of others have been hearing the drumbeat, now it’s getting louder and hitting closer to the wallet.

He said it was his wake up call and he had been looking at the new tools offered for this technique. We had a nice chat and he sounds like he is on the right track, watching videos and making calls. His son will make the decision but hopefully the young will realize the physical risk in keeping up their current pace into middle age and take the leap of faith to wire.

Also, if you haven’t started selling your best accounts on the merits of having their glass done with wire, your main competition will be.

Wire Breakage – a question from the field

1. Is there some model or type of car where we shouldn’t use the Glass Bot?
Not so much which ones you wouldn’t use it on, but which ones would benefit from the use of wire and no paint damage.

OEM recommendations are a good indicator of vehicles that would be good candidates for the Glass Bot. Virtually every vehicle with open pinchwelds and exposed edge glass without moldings are the main reason you would want to use the Glass Bot. This is what it is designed for. Preventing paint damage. VW, Porche, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo, etc.
Most of the Japanese OEM recommend wire as well.

The F-150 can be a very stubborn beast with most any tool. SUV’s and trucks have very rectangular windshields and normally the bottom corners are tough to cut as they are at a sharp right angle to the A-Pillar. I wouldn’t “test” the Glass Bot on or offer to demonstrate the Glass Bot with the F-150. Someone with good knowledge of cutting with wire would be able to remove this glass. The OEM setting of the this particular glass part can and will cause wire breakage as sometimes the bottom center of this windshield is right down on the pinchweld and this prevents the wire from progressing. Also, cutting INTO the bottom corner is difficult as it is a wide bead of urethane and gets wider as you come into the corner.
To accomplish the successful removal with minimum wire breakage is to start the wire in the bottom corners, cut from the corner to the center, reverse ends of the wire, cut from the other corner to the center. Then set up the wire to cut up the A-Pillar and then roof to the center, reverse ends, cut up the other A-Pillar and finish at the top center.

Vehicles I would not attempt to use the Glass Bot on would be based on the knowledge of what the urethane is like under the glass from the factory, if the windshield had been replaced already and/or what that installation looks like when the vehicle is delivered to the shop for the replacement. This would be the same consideration I would have with any tool choice for the installation as it presents itself. Installations that do not provide a clear access for the wire to get down alongside the urethane bead, whether blocked by urethane squeeze out alongside the glass edge or moldings that are shoved tight against the pinchweld edge preventing the wire from dropping down behind the glass are to be addressed before choosing a wire removal.

2. Is there some type of glass on which we shouldn’t use the Glass Bot?
Small quarter lites cannot be accessed via wire because of the glass size and the footprint required to mount the Glass Bot. Rear glass parts with raised grid pattern on the interior surface which prevents a vacuum seal to the glass. Large curved glass parts require more movements of the Glass Bot during the removal, considering the wire path across the face of the glass and how far off the glass the curvature causes.

3. Is there a step-by-step learning video on how to use the Glass Bot?
Our current video is used for online training, more details can be obtained via live training sessions online. It is difficult to capture all situations in one video and for marketing / training purposes, they are normally kept short. As we sell globally, we cannot be everywhere to perform personalized training and so this is why we have developed the online webinar program.

4. Is there a formation that can be given on how to use the Glass Bot?
Our instruction sheet gives a step-by-step direction on starting the wire, using this opportunity to “test” the urethane hardness, thickness and difficulty for penetration. This gives the technician feedback on how to process with the set -up of the wire and the cutting direction that will be taken. If the bottom bead is very tough, prepare the wire for only cutting the A-Pillar and roof area via wire. Chose another tool for the bottom bead.
If they proceed with cutting the bottom as the first choice, will it be all the way across or from corner to center as mentioned above?

The Pulley Cups are rated at (38 kilograms (84 lbs.) of lateral pull on a flat, dry glass surface.
Using our chart, the angle of the wire on the Pulley Cup should be kept at a short angle. Steeper angles put more pressure on the cup and not on the wire cutting.

Unfortunately, with demonstrations cutting with wire, many vehicles get used that are difficult removals. If the technician is confident with his abilities using wire, he would recognize the level of difficulty and choose the right tool for the job. Continuing into a job that overcomes the benefits of wire are not fast or fun nor good for promoting the benefits of wire removals.

These should be staged with knowledge of the vehicle type and the requirements of the vehicle for paint protection removals. Jetta’s are a great example.

Please feel free to call me anytime or if you need me to call and talk to anyone personally. We have been having tremendous success with the Glass Bot, with Europe and Canada leading our sales. We have just opened the door in the US and sales have increased last year 71%. This is still a new concept for the old dogs to wrap their heads around and it is not easy for some to accept the wire and a needed removal technique responding to the changes in the design of vehicles today.

Customer Comment

In response to our updated Lithium Ion Battery and Variable Speed Trigger Switch Controller,

 

“Thanks a lot for your drive to perfection!!!
I’m always looking for tools for doing the best installation  possible your tool helps in that!”

Rick

Emails from potential customers

Here is one that we get often;

 

“We are a mid-size ( 12 techs) auto glass provider in Chicagoland and I am interested in “trying” your glassbot tool. Could you please contact me at your earliest convenience?  Thanks!”

Wire winding tools all operate basically the same way, the wire is wound upon a shaft or pulley. How it is wound and how the wire is positioned in relation to the urethane bead is the only difference. Just like when we used a sawing action to cut out a glass part in the past, the wire should be cutting back towards the operator or winding device to cut the urethane efficiently.

Our suggestion to this potential customer was to arrange to be online with us and watch our Webinar video and review the process via the internet. Both parties learn from each other during this process.

Once the training is done, the customer has a very good understanding of the process and can then make an informed decision on purchasing a wire winding tool.

Why Wire?

Why Wire?

The Change that Rocked Our World
When automotive engineers started using adhesives instead of rubber gaskets to retain the glass parts in a vehicle, numerous tools were designed and tested for aiding in the removal of these parts. Initially the most basic and prolific tools were the Cold Knife and Piano Wire. The Cold Knife came into existence and to this day still don’t think anyone actually knows who designed it. Another tool that was used initially was piano wire wrapped around two wooden dowels for handles. Well, we have certainly come a long way with the vast choices of tools we have to choose from now, but the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Advances in The Basics

Where the Cold Knife has remained somewhat unchanged other than the array of blades available, the use of piano wire has generated some interesting accessories to make it a much simpler method for removal. Some of the drawbacks initially were that it took two people to perform the function: one person pulling from the outside of the vehicle and another person is pulling back from the inside to facilitate the sawing action that was required. This second person was replaced with some unique inventions that attached to the inside of the glass with a suction cup and with the addition of a spring, was able to replicate the return pull of the person inside the vehicle. Equalizer’s SideWinder™ performs very well and was a great improvement over the previous method and made it much easier and less expensive in man-hours to use piano wire again.

Larger Glass = More Urethane
As the glass sizes on the vehicles grew larger, so did the bead size of the urethane that bonded them to the body of the vehicle. This increased the amount of strength required to cut the adhesive and the piano wire was being stressed to its limits to get the job done.

Wire Evolves

About this same time several improvements to the wire itself were made. One was the invention of stainless steel wire drawn into a square profile that offered four cutting edges instead of a rounded surface that the traditional piano wire had. This greatly improved the cutting action and provided less friction, which produced a cleaner cut. The other improvement was braided wire. The braided wire has similar features and benefits of the square wire in that it presented a surface area that was more abrasive than the smooth round surface of the piano wire. Not only was the surface of these new Windshield Cutting Wire designs an improvement, but also the breaking strength of the wire itself was improved dramatically.

Wire Angles
	One of the most critical factors to successful cutting when using wire is the angle the wire enters and exits the adhesive bead. This remains the same regardless of how the wire is moved through the urethane. Sawing or pulling, a steep angle of over 90° results in an inefficient cutting action, as the wire will require more pressure for it to be pulled through the adhesive.
	A more successful result, with less stress placed upon the wire’s breaking strength, would be to alter the angle to less than 90°.

This chart shows from left to right, how the cutting ability of the wire degrades as the angle increases

Vehicle Design Changes
As more and more vehicle manufacturers strived to deliver vehicles to the market with improved MPG ratings, their main attention was focused on weight and drag reduction. Exterior moldings on glass parts add both of these less than desired results and we see this adaptation in the newest models coming to market with open and painted pinchweld and raw edged glass parts. The tolerance between the edge of these glass parts and the body panel has also been reduced in order to reduce wind turbulence, which develops drag. This created a dilemma to the AGR market, the need to develop new tools and techniques that would eliminate the possibility of paint damage. Previously moldings would cover any paint damage in the pinchweld area resulting in the removal process, the market is now faced with repainting this area if damaged.

Vehicle manufacturers, just like you, are looking for any savings in operations they can find. Part reductions that also contribute to weight reduction, wind turbulence, and labor cost are at the top of the list.

Windshield moldings are going away. The new design is for exposed edge glass, no moldings and tighten the tolerances of the gap between the glass edge and the body panel. Most have a gap of the thickness of a credit card as on this backglass.

This change in vehicle design has let to the current review of wire winding tools as the preferred method for removal without paint damage.

A New Direction In Wire Tools
As the difficulty in the removal process increased and the strength of the new Windshield Cutting Wires improved, in 1986 an inventor in Europe came up with the idea of using a device, which mounted to the interior of the glass, to pull the wire through the adhesive from the exterior inwards. Using a ratcheting lever attached to a pulley wheel to wind the wire upon, the technician would draw the wire taunt with enough force for it to cut through the adhesive and release the glass from the vehicle. This new direction removed the potential of paint, molding and glass damage experienced when pulling the wire outwards using the previous methods. Many European vehicle manufactures adopted this new tool and technique as a recommended method for removing the glass. This new application and technique using Windshield Cutting Wire has spawned even more tools and new training of technicians in this new “old” method of
glass removal.

Wire Winding Tools
The Roll Out 2000 has been available for over 25 years and is specified by various European car manufactures. Belron® has introduced their new tool, EZI-Cut® and technique using their EZI Wire®, to their technicians and is actively training with these wire removal processes.

Roll Out 2000

Belron® EZI-Cut®

Glass Bot™

The first automated glass removal tool brought to the market, the Glass Bot™, was launched in September 2008. The Glass Bot™ is operated via a Remote Control so that the wire can be observed both inside and outside the vehicle to ensure the wire does not catch against clips, moldings, glass stops or electrical connections during the operation. The operator does not touch the tool during the removal process as the tool is attached to the interior of the glass.

I feel we will see a trend towards wire removals being revisited for the benefits they provide with safe damage-free and strain-free auto glass replacements using new state-of-the-art equipment.

So, if you are assessing your future training of your technicians or reviewing new tool purchases for 2012 and beyond, take a new look at an old technique that has been brought into the 21st Century to see what is offered to ease your burden of future auto glass removals.

Rick Nelson
Nelson Marketing
Inventor of the Glass Bot

Hello world! Welcome to the Bot Blog

Well, if you are here you must either be interested in wire removal of auto glass or lost. If you aren’t lost then I might help.

Why Wire?

The Change that Rocked Our World
When automotive engineers started using adhesives instead of rubber gaskets to retain the glass parts in a vehicle, numerous tools were designed and tested for aiding in the removal of these parts. Initially the most basic and prolific tools were the Cold Knife and Piano Wire. The Cold Knife came into existence and to this day still don’t think anyone actually knows who designed it. Another tool that was used initially was piano wire wrapped around two wooden dowels for handles. Well, we have certainly come a long way with the vast choices of tools we have to choose from now, but the more things change, the more they remain the same. <read more>