Page 52 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2018

TRAINING
DOES EXPERIENCE TRUMP TRAINING?
Knowledge and training versus experience and ability, is one better than the other? Mark Czvitkovitis
of I-CAR poses the question.
Mark Czvitkovits
HOW MUCH OF an expert can you be if you don't update your skills?
Having 20 plus years of experience does not make you an expert if you don't understand the technology of the cars you are working on. You might be an expert at repairing mild steel-bodied car but unless you are in the restoration business, the majority of cars arriving at your
Volvo S60 is representative of the the complexity of today’s vehicle construction that experience can;t equip you to repair safely.
styles, positions and types of welds for different substrate strengths and thicknesses. The old days of dialling in your amps and wire speed as the only adjustment are long gone and as a technician who welds, then your understanding of adjusting settings is the key to delivering a strong weld.
When we look at riveting and the various styles of rivets and guns, there may not be too many technicians who understand SPRs, solid rivets and the different styles of blind rivets and their specific uses. An incorrect rivet that is not set accurately is as dangerous as a poor weld. I wonder how many technicians have used an SPR tool without the correct training regarding pressure or rivet size?
The onus lies with the industry to understand that new technology is just that, all technicians need to invest in improving their knowledge. Structures are one area that provide repairers with many
different repair scenarios and relying solely on experience with no training will result in an incorrect repair.
ADAS
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in many new cars today demand pre and post scanning, as well as calibration. All of these sensors, radars and cameras are in the most vulnerable positions in vehicles today. A simple task such as removing a mirror from a door, if the vehicle is equipped with Blind Spot Detection, will require calibration.
Drivers buy cars with these features to assist them in safer motoring. If our industry, all of our industry, does not recognise or accept the importance of these requirements then we are not doing our jobs correctly. It is disconcerting that the majority of the collision repair industry receive or participate in very little or no training at all and the perception of skills and ability is unrealistic when in the context of new technology.
There is so much that needs to be learned about new cars you need to do more than pay lip service to training and upskilling. Find out more at: www.i-car.com.au
workshop are made of a complex mix of materials - all of which demand very specific welding skills, intimate knowledge of their safety systems and total adherence to the manufacturers' repair methods. Experience alone can't equip you to
undertake safe repairs.
The reality is that training and ongoing training
will become a requirement for collision repairers as
vehicle technology continues to evolve and insurers
are already demanding evidence that you and your
team have undertaken appropriate training. The
process of repairing cars has already changed significantly over the last 10 years, dramatically over the last five years and will continue to do so at an even faster pace.
Ten years ago, HSS was seen as the major challenge and it continues to challenge many. There is little understanding that the effects of incorrect welding – for instance strengthening a section that has been designed to deform in a certain way during an accident – can compromise accident safety. Even a couple of extra spot welds could cause incorrect deformation and put the vehicle occupants at risk.
Steels are becoming so strong, in excess of 1400 MPa, with proposals to use even stronger versions in the future. These steels are extremely susceptible to heat and even the attachment methods are changing from using only resistance spot welding or MIG brazing and not utilising steel MAG welding at all. Rivets and adhesives are also beginning to become more mainstream in many repair situations.
PERPLEXED BY PARAMETERS?
What has also changed is the complexity of MIG/MAG welders that can now adjust so many parameters for individual welding
52 PAINT&PANEL September / October 2018
www.paintandpanel.com.au
“An incorrect rivet that is not set accurately is as dangerous as a poor weld.”