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The world flocks to Las Vegas for several reasons, but when it’s the first week of November, it’s to be wowed by the latest and greatest in the automotive industry. At SEMA 2016, Snap-On was aflutter with some of the neatest repair and maintenance products, and one of them was the Hofmann monty FA 1000.
Automation is one of the most interesting and wonderful inventions of the modern age, and where it concerns tire mounting, the Hofmann monty FA 1000 looks to be one of the best out there. We watched in wonder as the machine went about its business, picking up a pre-mounted tire using its hydraulic lift.
The FA 1000 picked up the wheel and tire that were to be separated. Mind you, it did this all automatically with the only human interaction being putting the wheel and tire in the holder.
The wheel and tire were rested on a jack and clamped down on a center post. Using the controls, one of Snap-On’s technicians was able to control every aspect of the automated process, selecting the proper diameter of the wheel and what type of tire was being installed (Normal, Sport, or Soft).
A vertically-moving laser deployed and measured the wheel’s edge, and gauged the profile of the tire as well. Next, the bead breaker disc swung out and into the tire, having already figured out where to be and how much force to apply without damaging the wheel or the tire.
With the wheel and tire mounted to the FA 1000, the Snap-On technician needed only to program what diameter the wheel was, what the tire style was, and hit a button marked "Full Removal."
The whole process took less than five minutes and required minimal interaction on the part of the Snap-On technician. With the level of safety, consistency and ease of use the FA 1000 offers, it should start becoming a more popular tool seen at top-tier shops and garages around the country. Head over to Snap-On to find out more.
