AES induction heater helps out Go-Ahead London

Go-Ahead London has noticed numerous improvements to workshop safety and vehicle repairs since using a portable induction heater at its New Cross accident and repair centre.

Supplied by Automotive Equipment Solutions (AES), the UK distributor for Josam commercial vehicle workshop products, the JH1000 heat inductor is designed for lighter straightening and loosening of heavy vehicle parts but without needing a naked flame. Using an open flame is the conventional method, but it can present safety issues and damage wiring or other connected parts, according to AES. Although the unit is electrical, it does not affect the vehicle systems, so none of the electrical modules need to be disconnected.

Repair Centre Manager, David Frost, said: “It’s so much safer than using a flame to heat up anything on the vehicle. For example, we recently straightened a front-bearer by applying heat right next to the electric wiring and air pipes, without affecting them in anyway. The bearer was pulled straight and the job completed in minutes rather than hours – which would have been the case had we needed to remove the bearer or move the wiring and pipework out of the way.

“After the initial demo we purchased the Josam JH1000 because we heat a lot of chassis and body parts during accident repairs. No question, it has quickly paid for itself and continues to be a workshop asset. Also, I’m pleased to add that the equipment is easy to use, easy to maintain and training and support from AES has been excellent.”

The JH1000 induction heater is designed for straightening lighter components and loosening heavier machine parts including bolts, nuts, bushes and bearings. The control panel has intuitive buttons and indicators for easy setting of five power output levels and a duty cycle of 40 minutes.