Alongside brazing, bonding, and riveting, welding is one of the most important joining processes in vehicle workshops. A vehicle body is made up of around 1,000 individual components. Most of these components are a mix of aluminum and high-strength and higher-strength steels.

It is not uncommon for the vehicle body to deform, break, or crack as a result of an accident. When this happens, the body needs to be professionally welded back together in the workshop. The demands body workshops place on welding technology have therefore increased significantly.

LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

In the workshops of the Volkswagen Group – which includes vehicle manufacturers such as Audi, Seat, Skoda, Porsche, and MAN – Fronius-FAN welding systems are used for repairs and restoration. This is made possible by the long-term partnership between Fronius and FAN AUSTRIA GmbH. The globally active company based in Wels, Upper Austria, is a specialist in body and spot welding technology and acts as a workshop equipment interface partner for Volkswagen AG. Their decades of experience in the vehicle body repair sector has opened up a new market segment for Fronius.

Only devices that have been tested by VW and by the Schwei?technische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (German Welding Institute) can be used in the workshops. The devices must meet stringent requirements. In addition, the branded welding systems have a specially developed VW design. Once the devices have been tested and approved by VW, they are entered into the central management system for workshop equipment. This means that more than 40,000 VW Group workshops around the world can order the approved machines for their applications. FAN is the main interface partner for the whole transaction.