Mobile Toggle

Archive for May, 2021

Axalta’s Commercial Transportation Team invests in Remote Training Capability

Posted by Jennie Lepore

As manufacturer of the leading and most durable coatings in the commercial transportation industry including the iconic Imron® brand, Axalta is dedicated to developing new products and processes as well as continually improving existing products to meet evolving customer needs.  As the importance of training continues to grow while the logistics of face-to-face meetings becomes increasingly difficult, Axalta is proud to introduce a portfolio of over 25 remotely accessible educational resources that aid in the professional application of Commercial Transportation Finishes. These educational resources are designed to develop and improve application skills, reinforce proper repair procedures, and enhance capability to select and mix the optimum products to exceed the expectations of vehicle owners.

Via this investment in remote learning, Axalta aims to help customers gain proficiency in the selection in use of our products and increase productivity via correct application and use of the most efficient processes. 

A comprehensive set of Commercial transportation training programs has been created as E-learning modules and Self Study Courses to allow both shop and distributor personnel to gain needed expertise at their own pace when time permits.  Our on-line learning resources can be found in Axalta’s Learning Campus at  

Axaltalearningcampus.com

For first time users, a Learning Campus profile can easily be created for free by clicking on the “Create a Learning Profile” link right below the Sign-in area. 

To find the Commercial Transportation Courses, click on “Commercial Transportation” at the top of the home screen after signing in.  

Current E-learning Modules

  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Understating Commercial Coatings
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Undercoat National Rule
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Undercoat Regulated
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Topcoats National Rule 
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Topcoats Regulated 
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Basecoats & Clearcoats National Rule 
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Basecoats & Clearcoats Regulated 
  • Rival Commercial Transportation System 

Current Self Study Courses

  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Air System Components
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Spray Equipment Set-up
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Surface Preparation
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Abrasives & Sanding Best Practices

Current Lunch & Learn Presentations (Short training sessions designed for local Axalta reps to present to distributors and shops at their location over a lunch break) 

  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Undercoats National Rule Lunch and Learn
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Undercoats Regulated Lunch and Learn
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Topcoats National Rule Lunch and Learn
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Topcoats Regulated Lunch and Learn
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Basecoat / Clearcoat National Rule Lunch and Learn
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Basecoat / Clearcoat Regulated Lunch and Learn
  • Axalta Commercial Transportation Rival System Lunch and Learn

Commercial Transportation Video Series

  • Commercial Transportation – Blending CT Systems
  • Commercial Transportation – Clearcoats
  • Commercial Transportation – Undercoats
  • Commercial Transportation – Spray Equipment Setup
  • Commercial Transportation – SS Topcoats / Basecoats
  • Commercial Transportation – Surface Preparation

Bendix Announces 2021 Technical Training Sessions

Posted by Jennie Lepore

ELYRIA, Ohio – May 18, 2021 – Building on decades of industry training experience, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) has restarted its long-running training programs for 2021, after the pandemic required postponement of much of the 2020 schedule. Bendix is offering in-person and online training opportunities for fleet technicians, owner-operators, and others to enhance the skills necessary for keeping vehicles on the road and in safe operating condition.

In-person opportunities on the 2021 calendar cover 10 states. They include 10 sessions of Bendix’s three-day Air Brake Training class – long recognized as setting the industry training standard – beginning June 8-10 in Rosemount, Minnesota. And Bendix will hold its two-day inperson Advanced Technology Training program – introduced in 2019 – four times, with two sessions each at Bendix headquarters in Elyria and at the company’s Sparks, Nevada, location. In addition, Bendix is holding three Virtual Training sessions of its three-day Air Brake Training class, with the first being conducted May 25-27.

Registration is open for the complete schedule of both courses, shown on the last page of this news release. All in-person training adheres to the latest safety, health, and sanitization protection protocols, as applicable, including social distancing and face masks. All state, local, and company-specific travel restrictions apply.

“Like the industry as a whole, Bendix is working to overcome the challenges of last year, and resuming our technical training sessions to meet the constant need for service training – even in a reduced capacity for now – is an important part of that effort,” said Lance Hansen, Bendix vice president – aftermarket sales, fleet, service, and field operations. “A member of the ASE-certified veteran Bendix Service Engineering Team conducts every class, which will follow all health and safety protocols. In the demanding and fast-changing commercial vehicle landscape, we have our eye firmly on helping to equip teams across the industry with the technical knowledge they require. This is essential as safety components evolve and advance at a rapid pace.”

Hansen continued, “Our training program is part of our larger post-sales support commitment. It’s just one more way we help fleets face the ongoing pressure to maintain overall safety, performance, and uptime as they strive to lower their total cost of ownership – and help address the industry’s continued shortage of qualified, highly skilled technicians.”

Safety Lessons
Bendix’s Air Brake Training course is aimed at both new and experienced technicians, and covers the description, operation, and service elements for the total range of components found within dual air brake systems. Classroom topics include the fundamentals of compressed air; tactics for air system failure mode diagnosis and troubleshooting; and components such as air compressors, valves, foundation drum brakes, and air disc brakes.

Bendix recommends that students complete the Air Brake Training course before taking the Advanced Technology Training class, which covers the operation and troubleshooting of higher-level driver assistance and safety systems, as well as diagnostic software. A must for advanced technicians as more fleets and drivers adopt complex technologies like collision mitigation systems, the Advanced Technology Training sessions will address:
• Antilock Braking Systems (ABS)
• AutoVue® Lane Departure Warning System from Bendix CVS
• Bendix® ESP® Electronic Stability Program
• Bendix® Wingman® Advanced™ – A Collision Mitigation Technology
• Bendix® Wingman® Fusion™ driver assistance systems • SafetyDirect® system by Bendix CVS
• SmarTire® and SmarTire® Trailer-Link™ TPMS by Bendix CVS

The Advanced Technology Training program includes hands-on, in-depth maintenance instruction for Bendix® air disc brakes and electrical diagnostics.

“We cover a lot of ground, in terms of quantity and complexity of the products involved,” Hansen said. “For that reason, we strongly advise each student to complete either the three-day Air Brake Training course or the System Training – Air Brake Training module at brakeschool.com before taking the Advanced Technology Training class.”

Per-person enrollment costs are $450 USD for Air Brake Training, $400 USD for Advanced Technology training, and $300 USD for Virtual Training. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis, and class size is limited. Registration may be completed online at www.bendix.com; by phone at 1-800-AIR-BRAKE (1-800-247-2725), option 3; by email at BendixTrainingSchool@hkm.dcgcentral.com; or via fax (216-651-3261). See the full listing of dates and locations below or visit www.bendix.com.

Knowledge Base
Since 2013, the Bendix On-Line Brake School has been available as an ever-expanding 24/7/365 training resource – and the site (www.brake-school.com) now offers more than 90 free courses and numbers more than 110,000 registered users. Students can access a curriculum covering the full spectrum of braking and active vehicle safety system product topics, ranging from overall education on product features and operation to troubleshooting, diagnostics, and maintenance best practices. Through the site, Bendix also develops customized training channels, offering specialized programs for organizations spanning all segments of the commercial vehicle industry.

At knowledge-dock.com, Bendix provides an archive of post-sales product support and insight, including Bendix Tech Tips, podcasts, and blogs. Additionally, the company’s YouTube channel includes a library of Bendix Tech Talks and other resources.

Through its industry technical leadership, an ever-growing portfolio of technology developments, and unparalleled post-sales support, Bendix delivers on safety, vehicle performance, and efficiency – areas critical to the success of fleets and owner-operators. Bendix strives to lower the total cost of vehicle ownership, helping strengthen return on investment in safety-enhancing equipment and technology.

For additional information visit this page.

About Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a member of Knorr-Bremse, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, energy management solutions, and air brake charging and control systems and components under the Bendix® brand name for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 4,100 people, Bendix – and its wholly owned subsidiary, R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc. – is driven to deliver the best solutions for improved vehicle safety, performance, and overall operating cost. Contact us at 1-800-AIR-BRAKE (1-800-247-2725) or visit bendix.com. Stay connected and informed through Bendix expert podcasts, blog posts, videos, and other resources at knowledge-dock.com. Follow Bendix on Twitter at twitter.com/Bendix_CVS. Log on and learn from the Bendix experts at brake-school.com. And to learn more about career opportunities at Bendix, visit bendix.com/careers.

Repairing Hoods Made of Metton – Case Studies with Polyvance’s R&D Team

Posted by Jennie Lepore

One hot summer day, a dump truck pulled into the lot at Polyvance. The truck’s owner had heard from a local farmer friend that the company repaired broken plastic and wanted to see if they could help him with a problem he had on his hood. 

The problem he was experiencing was with the horseshoe pockets, where the hood guides bolt onto the hood of his Kenworth T800. They were both broken out. As a result, the hood didn’t sit correctly and was vibrating. The driver was not only annoyed by the noise but was sure something else was going to break on the hood if he didn’t fix it soon.

The hood on his T800 is made of Metton® , a trade name for a material called dicyclopentadiene, or DCPD. Metton is a thermoset liquid molding resin built on DCPD chemistry. It has a lot of advantages over other materials for making large parts with lots of contours and deep draws. Metton is stiff and has good impact properties. 

Compared to metal, a part made of Metton is much lighter. Light weight means better fuel economy, which is important for over-the-road trucks. However, since Metton is a thermoset material, it cannot be broken down into its constituent chemicals, melted, or otherwise recycled. So these large parts end up in the landfill where they will remain for hundreds of years. 

Metton, as experienced in this driver’s hood, is unlike fiberglass or SMC, because Metton does not have any fiber reinforcement throughout the resin, making the material relatively weak in tension, particularly when subjected to vibratory stress. As a result, the material seemed to routinely fail at the horseshoe pockets, where the hood guides mount. 

Kenworth does not make a repair kit to address this problem. The only  solution is to replace the hood. The cost of a new hood is $5,000, or  you can purchase the internal panels for about $1,800. This price does not include the eight hours of labor required for installation. Unfortunately at the time the driver came to Polyvance for assistance, an alternative solution was not available, since a band-aid approach wasn’t going to solve his problem. 

The analysis of this driver’s Metton-made hood at Polyvance however has shed light on the part’s repairability. Despite requiring a two-sided mold, thanks to the liquid resin’s low viscosity, very large parts can be filled out reliably with a cure time that is very fast – only 60 seconds – making for a part cycle time of only about five minutes. Furthermore, the injection pressures are very low (only 50 psi), meaning that the mold can be made of aluminum or even composites for short runs. 

The main problem with the hood was that the hood guides put a point load onto a thin section of the hood, and the hood itself is subjected to a lot of engine and road vibration. In order to create a reliable repair to address the problem, Polyvance engineers decided that the loads from the hood guides had to be spread out over a larger area to reduce the point load concentration at the thin section where the guides bolt through the hood. The horseshoe pocket revealed itself as the ideal structure to bond a reinforcing panel to, so Polyvance created molds to fit into the horseshoe pockets. 

After extensive testing of adhesives, Polyvance’s R&D team introduced the 2510 PlastiFix two-component methyl methacrylate adhesive as the optimal bonding agent for securing the reinforcing casting and plates to the Metton hood. 

It took over six months of development and design work to complete the kit, which was introduced in 2015. Unfortunately, the gentleman with the dump truck who originally informed us about the problem had to replace his hood. However, the insight he provided opened our eyes to the problems endured by heavy duty truck owners with respect to their Metton hoods and in general challenges with plastic repair. 

Many large trucks have hoods made of Metton, and perhaps there were others out there with the same sort of problem. It didn’t take long for our phones to start ringing about the similar Kenworth W900 models. These had the same problem but with a different geometry to the pockets. During the development process it was discovered that Kenworth has two configurations for the W900 pockets – round and square. 

Subsequent to the introduction of the W900 repair kits to the market, we started receiving calls about the T880 hoods. This problem was different – instead of the hood guide mounts, the T880 hoods were breaking where the damper struts mounted. Apparently, when the damper struts wear out, the hood slams open, putting excessive stress on the hood where the struts mount. The root of the problem was the same; the unreinforced Metton material was subjected to a repetitive point load, causing a crack that continued to propagate with each repeated vibration. 

Due to the more complex geometrical structure of the T880 hood, where the struts mount, Polyvance 3D scanned the area, giving the CAD software a perfect rendition of the surface where the reinforcement cap would be applied. The reinforcing casting conforms to the contours of the hood, spreading the shock load over a much bigger area of the Metton to restore the broken hood’s functionality, keeping potential repair costs down and the hood itself out of the landfill. 

Using Polyvance’s kits to repair damaged Kenworth hoods provides a triple benefit – they save the vehicle owner money, they create a repair that is stronger and more durable than the factory original, and they keep another large piece of unrecyclable plastic out of the landfill. 

Polyvance will continue to develop repair solutions for the heavy duty industry as we become aware of problems that operators experience. For questions about available repair kits or potential solutions, please email Polyvance’s service team at info@polyvance.com or call at 1-800-633-3047