THATCHAM CERTIFICATION FOR TECNA RHINO AND COBRA EVO SPOT WELDERS FROM WILKINSON STAR

The Thatcham Quality Assurance program (TQA®) is a robust verification programme for the assessment and recognition of automotive aftermarket devices and is generally recognised as the standard for automotive aftermarket products.

Dean Lander, Thatcham’s Quality & Certification Manager said: “I am very pleased to confirm the certification of Tecna’s resistance welders 3655E (Cobra) & 3664P (Rhino). Tecna were able to demonstrate not only the robust nature of these machines but also their commitment to manufacturing and servicing quality”.

The two machines were rigorously tested to predefined criteria established by Thatcham. This testing, supported by a rigorous examination of quality systems and manufacturing process controls, is intended to provide confidence in a product’s performance and an objective evaluation of its capabilities.

Thatcham's testing includes welding numerous joints using materials currently found in vehicle structures and testing the welds using both destructive and non-destructive methods. The results demonstrate a machine’s ability to produce consistent quality spot welds.

The Tecna Rhino is a 14,000 A capacity inverter spot welder with an integrated transformer gun having an intelligent control, which can be easily updated to allow for future material developments. The Cobra Evo utilises modern inverter technology to deliver its 12,000 A capacity utilising minimum mains supply requirements. Both machines can record data from work carried out for quality control purposes such as PAS 125.

Tecna uses the latest technology and industry expertise to build these two machines, which are designed to meet the increasing demands of the automotive crash repair market making consistent and safe welds across a range of current and future materials.

Steve Murray, Managing Director, Wilkinson Star said: “We are delighted that the Rhino and Cobra Evo have received this accreditation. These two machines along with the already certified Cebora Jaguar MIG Brazing machine provide a complete package for automotive crash repairers. Thatcham’s certification plus our Company’s ISO 9001 status are an aid to help assist automotive body repairers in equipment selection.”