Structural Repair Equipment Choices
by Mike McCrary To the modern collision repair facility (we used to call them "bodyshops"), unibody frame measuring and straightening systems are central to the overall operation of the shop. While some shops choose to farm-out structural repairs in lieu of purchasing the expensive equipment necessary, the fact remains -- the unibody must be straightened if today's cars are to be properly repaired.
Unibody design changed the way we look at vehicles. Now the car is a single structural unit and must be repaired as such. Tolerances are ever more important and achieving them in repair is an ongoing challenge. And while the structure of the automobile has changed greatly, and great changes are yet to come, the unibody is certainly something that will be with us for a long time.
Collision repair facility owners can eliminate wasteful spending or production inefficiencies by carefully examining the types of systems out there and their respective strengths and weaknesses. An appreciation of changing vehicle technology also helps guide decisions, as well as an understanding of different cost/benefit factors involved in acquiring big ticket equipment items. Armed with this knowledge, there is no reason your metal shop should seem like the federal government's "Department of Wasteful Spending."
Equipment Categories
Measuring and straightening are usually mentioned in the same breath, but it is important to consider them separately when choosing equipment.There are basically three types of frame equipment systems available: floor systems, the dedicated bench and the rack.
Floor systems are simple and have some advantages. First, they are relatively inexpensive. And, while they are only adequate for minor damage, they often have quite a bit of versatility. A floor system can be a great idea if the shop is located in a rented or leased building, particularly a floor system that is not actually anchored to the floor. Also, most of the equipment can be moved and stored elsewhere, freeing up valuable shop space for other repairs not requiring extensive pulling. On the downside, some floor systems don't allow for multiple pulls and can take a long time to set up. Also, technicians will spend most of their working time on the floor, which is less productive than working at a more comfortable height.
The bench-type system is considered by some to be second to none. It is extremely portable and some can even be moved with a vehicle loaded, thus a stall does not have to be permanently dedicated. Although in some cases a car can be driven or pulled onto the bench, setup time is significant and may be difficult. The heart of a dedicated fixture bench is its "fixtures" that attach to the bench or the car to establish correct dimensions. For most of these systems, however, different fixtures are required for every type of car, so there is the ongoing expense of purchasing or renting the appropriate fixtures. A basic bench has one or two pulling towers, but more towers add greatly to the productivity of the system.
Finally, the rack system. Most racks tilt to accommodate vehicle loading. Beyond that, many features are available on different models that greatly enhance the versatility of the machine. From height-adjustable systems to 360-degree articulated pulling towers, the options are almost without limit. Budget and a careful examination of current needs must play an important role in purchasing this type of equipment. When looking for a rack system, it is important also to consider the number of pulling towers needed, their pulling capacity, access to both the front and rear of the vehicle, and floor-space requirements. Perhaps the biggest drawbacks for a rack system are the need for dedicated work space and they are not portable.
Regardless of the specific type of frame equipment selected for a shop, the bottom line has to be the bottom line. The goal of any shop owner must be to make vehicle repairs profitably. True, big equipment doesn't come cheaply, but with careful planning, the end can justify the means. Among the first considerations are the amount and type of work routinely performed by the shop. For instance, a shop that winds up doing mostly light collision work on newer cars certainly doesn't need to rush out and buy the biggest bulldog of a frame machine.
Does your shop work on a lot of high-end cars? Then precision measuring and alignment is a must. It's easy to overestimate the type of equipment you may need. Generally, the best rule of thumb is to get something that will provide the most use now and has the flexibility to be updated as needed. Make a careful list of the types and volume of work currently being done, as well as the facility that will house it, and do a lot of fact gathering before jumping in.
Measuring
Accurate frame work cannot be performed unless accurate measuring is available. Just as frame equipment has evolved, so has measuring equipment. At one time, a tolerance of half an inch was acceptable, as long as you could get the panel to look OK. Even with unibody vehicles, the standard once was 5 to 10 millimeters. On some cars being produced today, tolerances are plus or minus 1 to 3 millimeters. With standards this precise, the need to measure accurately is very real. As mentioned, the automobile is a complete unit of interrelated parts. In fact, some electronic components, such as side-impact airbags, will not function properly if strict tolerances are not met.The specific type of measuring tool required for a job can often depend on the complexity of that job, thus it is beneficial to have available an arsenal of different types of equipment to accommodate different situations. Where a simple tape measure is handy to gauge the distance between spot welds or single plane spans, they are difficult to use under the car and have limited accuracy in longer distances. Centerline gauges have their place, but are also limited by factors such as their ability to provide only two-dimensional measurements. Tram gauges can also be very helpful in gauging squareness of a box or other relational measurements, but since most are analog, opinions as to which line the thing is actually on can vary. Each of these less expensive methods share the common drawback of requiring the technician to pull, measure, re-pull, re-measure and so forth. They can each be helpful, however, when the damage to the car does not extend to the frame or unibody, and setting up on a full-blown dimensional measuring rack just isn't an effective use of time.
The two current standards in the industry for unibody frame measurement are the universal system and the dedicated bench. The universal measuring system utilizes a series of bars and telescoping trams to measure the vehicle. Although setup time is reasonable, about 15 to 20 minutes, it is necessary for the technician to manually record all measurements and there must be at least three undamaged points to act as "zero points" as a basis for measurement. The dedicated bench, utilizing fixtures as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) control points, eliminates the guesswork of measuring, but a setup time of three to four hours seriously limits the productivity of the unit.
The most exciting development in this area of collision repair is the computerized measuring system. Computer systems offer real-time, three-dimensional measuring. A screen depicts the vehicle "as-is" and "as-ought-to-be," based on OEM information stored in the computer. This image is updated on the fly as pulls are made. While this is a great leap forward in technology, it must be remembered that technology does not exist in the absence of a technician. The person using this type of system must still be familiar with the basics of measuring and pulling, and must be able to set up the machine for optimal accuracy.
Purchasing Options
Cost analysis is crucial with a major purchase such as straightening or measuring equipment. A popular trend is to lease "big-buck" equipment. There are tax advantages associated with leasing and it certainly sounds better up front. Leasing can also stave off the fear of new technology developments making existing equipment obsolete. In some instances, leasing can be very advantageous, but remember, profit from new equipment can rarely be realized until that equipment is paid off.When looking to purchase any new equipment, it is vital to get a feel for real-world use of the proposed machine and to look at areas that may at first seem insignificant. Even minor details can be important. Consider that adding some feature, say a better clamping system, would save a technician 10 minutes on a job and that technician utilizes that feature on 12 vehicles a month. The time savings represented in the course of just one year would be 24 hours. If there are three techs performing similar work, the time savings to the shop would add up to 72 hours for the year. Now you can see how that minor time-saving feature can translate to increased productivity and profits.
The Future
It's difficult to tell exactly how unibody repair will look in years to come. Perhaps cars will be of a modular construction in which entire damaged segments are removed to be recycled and replaced with repair modules. The entire front clip of a damaged vehicle could be unbolted, tossed in a shredder and replaced! One certainty of the future is the use of different types of materials. Plastics, carbon-fiber and other recyclable components will be common.What about tomorrow's equipment? How about a "hands-off" computerized clamping system that will enable the car to be anchored to the frame machine in seconds? With developments in three-dimensional imagery and laser measuring, the day is not far off when a vehicle could be fixed to a fully automated measuring and pulling machine, and a single push of a button will pull it back to OEM specs.
Will this technology really make its way into shops? It will if it can generate profit. As with any development in structural repair, it's a matter of analyzing all the factors, preceded by a goal, and that goal needs to be a better bottom line.
Mike McCrary is sales manager of Collision Services, Inc., a Waterloo, Iowa, firm that supplies tools, equipment and marketing solutions to collision repair businesses. McCrary has been with the firm for five years in sales and management capacities.
ASA Main Page || AutoInc. Main Page
RX For Rotors || Refinish Data: How Little We Know || Structural Repair Equipment Choices || Educating Service Advisors And Estimators || Middle Management Strengthens Family Business || Building Attitudes Of Motivation || Tech To Tech || TechTips || Stat Corner || News Briefs || News Briefs Extra || Taking The Hill || Directions || Chairman's Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLIV No. 9, September 1996