Collision Repair Training | United States
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Current Events/News: Advantage Online: 2003 Archives
CHANGES IN STATIONARY GLASS REPLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS February 10, 2003 -The new I-CAR Enhanced Delivery program on stationary glass replacement, Movable And Stationary Glass Program 2, contains some significant changes in the recommendations from the original class developed in 1993. The most significant changes have to do with the urethane adhesive, specifically how the adhesive is cut out and recommended adhesive cure times. This article highlights those changes.Full Cutout OnlyThere used to be two cutout methods discussed, a full cutout or “full strip” method and a partial cutout or “short cut” method. The full cutout method removes all but 1–2 millimeters of the existing urethane and requires applying a full bead of replacement urethane. The partial cutout method removes just a thin layer of the existing adhesive and only requires a thin, new bead of replacement urethane. There have always been issues why one method is more proper than the other. Today, no adhesive manufacturer and, as of this writing, only one vehicle manufacturer recommends the partial cutout method, which is under review. The main reason why the partial cutout method is NOT generally recommended anymore is because the possibility of incompatible products has increased. Also, it’s difficult to determine how well the existing adhesive bead has bonded to the pinchweld, which is a critical part of stationary glass replacement, especially for the windshield. Another reason is that it’s more difficult with the partial cutout method to prevent the glass and moldings from sitting too high on the pinchweld. With the full cutout method, the adhesive is first removed as close to the glass as possible. Then the pinchweld can be inspected and cleaned and the glass dry-fitted. Then, just before the glass is ready to be installed, the existing urethane is final-trimmed to the 1–2 millimeter height (see Figure 1). This is done to minimize contamination possibilities. Also, freshly cut urethane makes the best bond to new urethane. Pinchweld primer is only applied to scratches in the urethane that expose bare metal, using a small cotton swab so that the primer is contained to the scratch (see Figure 2).
No Driveaway Cure TimeThere are usually two cure times provided for urethane adhesives: the final cure time when the adhesive has reached its full strength and a driveaway cure time. Driveaway time is defined as the length of time required to enable the adhesive to reach enough strength for the vehicle to be released. Movable And Stationary Glass-Program 2 recognizes only one cure time, the final cure time. This is because in a collision repair facility, there should be no reason to release the vehicle before the adhesive is completely cured. The autoglass industry still recognizes driveaway time, since installers regularly perform mobile installations. AGRSS StandardSomething new for anyone who performs stationary glass installations is a stationary auto glass replacement standard available from the Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS) Council, Inc. AGRSS is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the safe replacement of auto glass. AGRSS was founded and is supported by companies in the auto glass replacement industry that keep safe installation as their primary goal. AGRSS is an accredited American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards development organization. The AGRSS standard (ANSI/AGRSS 002-2002 Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard) is North America’s only auto glass replacement standard. The standard can be downloaded for free off the AGRSS website: www.agrss.com. ConclusionAlong with the new I-CAR program on replacing stationary glass are new recommendations for urethane installations. Look for this program, and a new complete program on movable glass installations (Movable And Stationary Glass Program 1) in your area. |
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