Page 52 - Australian Paint & Panel Magazine May-June 2019

Measuring and Alignment
52
PAINT&PANEL MAY / JUNE 2019
CHOOSING
THE RIGHT
BENCH
THE CONTINUING IMPLEMENTATION OF ADAS AND OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES IS CHANGING THE VIEW ON TOLERANCES SAYS MARK CZVITKOVITS FROM I-CAR.
IN YEARS GONE BY 3MM WAS AN ACCEPT-
able tolerance that could be managed and adjusted during a vehicle rebuild after a col- lision repair. The amount of adjustment in suspension and panel alignment was easy enough to ensure correct alignment. With the gradual introduction of more advanced ADAS systems, that tolerance is becoming too large, especially where radars, lidars and sensors are being mounted.
Measuring is required to find all the hid- den damage that has occurred during even what may be perceived as minor damage. Without measuring the repair becomes ‘unguided’ and this in turn can increase the time of the repair as no repair plan has been produced from a full understanding of the scope of damage incurred.
When ADAS sensors and radars are in the direct impact zone, then measuring is a best practice regardless of the perceived size of the damage. So much damage can be hidden and visual inspections do not tell the whole story when estimating. Collision energy forces also can travel through the vehicle at varying speeds and cause indi- rect damage away form the point of impact.
Measuring helps determine where to re- store the vehicle structure so that safety systems operate properly. Sensor operation, such as airbag sensors, rely on a structure that is restored to specification. ADAS and motion sensors must be mounted in the cor- rect position to ensure successful calibra- tion can be performed. If a radar sensor and