Sema Show Daily 2018

Not Your Average Road Test, continued from page 36
Route
Plan your route. The vehicle may
need to drive north/south routes so
as to avoid driving into the sun while
testing. Be sure the route has all the
parameters needed, such as signs and
lines on the road. Failure to have all
these parameters can be the difference
between a test being successful
or not. Vehicles may need to maintain
highway speeds for up to 10 min. for
completion of the dynamic test.
Weather
Weather can play a big role in testing.
Rain, snow and clouds can have
an impact on testing as these factors
or lighting conditions could affect
the sensors.
Equipment
Not every scan tool can do static
or dynamic testing. On newer vehicles,
a factory tool may be required.
Whether you scan in-house or sublet
it out, be sure the tools are right for
the job. Scanning is not the same
as static testing or dynamic testing.
Scanning involves the reading
of DTCs and functioning of the circuits.
Recalibration is the aiming of
sensors with static tests, dynamic
tests or both.
Obviously, the advanced cameras
and systems can work in many
challenging environments. During
testing, these variables must be limited
to calibrate the systems. You
cannot calibrate or test with too
many variables affecting the outcome
because then you won’t know
why the test failed. Did the test
fail due to bad sensors or was it
raining?
MIG Brazing: It’s Here, continued from page 40
This is what a good MIG braze should look like, but looks aren’t everything. That control
is critical so as not to melt through or destroy the properties of the base metals.
Welcome to the SEMA Show!, continued from page 27
this industry, or that there has ever
been a better forum than the one
in the first week of November, to
connect with the people and the
things that can help position your
business on the right side of the
coming changes.
42 SEMA Show Daily | #SEMA2018
RDE Series
This year’s RDE series curriculum
is special. Since we launched
our first program in November
2010, we’ve continually worked to
make each year a bit different. In
looking at the lineup this year,
nearly half of the 20-plus regular
sessions on Monday, Tuesday
and Wednesday feature a first-time
speaker, while the other half sees
the return of some of our most
favorite RDE alumni.
On Thursday, our program will
see another iteration of what has
become one of my favorite events
of the week: the OEM Collision
Repair Technology Summit. The
Summit is an ever-evolving program
looking at the future of the
industry and its relationship to
the automakers, their certification
programs, their design considerations
and repair expectations, and
the future of technology and transportation
and the impact that will
have on collision repair. It’s going
to be an amazing day.
Lastly, we plan to introduce a
new program called IDEAS Collide
Showcase on Friday (see p. 28
in this edition of the SEMA Show
Daily) that’s going to look at celebrating
bold and wildly unconventional
ideas that have the potential
to transform and reshape how we
think about collision repair and/or
the business models associated with
it. I’m beyond excited to take part
in this first-ever event on Friday
morning.
If you haven’t registered for any of
the aforementioned events yet, you
can still do so at www.scrs.com/
rde. My personal advice would be
to secure a Full Series Pass to take
advantage of the best value and
greatest flexibility throughout the
week, and all of the events I have
talked about in this article.
If you do not pre-register, you
can register for SCRS’ education
programs on-site either at the main
registration desk or in the hallway
outside the education classes.
They will all be held in the North
Hall upper level (take the escalator
by the food court) in rooms
N233–N241.
Once you’re at the SEMA Show,
stop by the SCRS booth (North
Hall Booth #11173) and share with
us sessions that hit home, ideas
that inspired or questions you
have that we can help answer. Take
advantage of the community we’ve
fostered and use it to grow your
network. Like I said before, there
has never been a better time to
take in the SEMA Show, and I can’t
wait to connect with you as we
work toward a more well-informed
and better connected industry
of tomorrow.
Safe travels, and we’ll see you in
Las Vegas!
you’ll find a great quality welder for a
fair price.
Wire used for MIG brazing is silicon-based
or CuSi. Honda states
that shops need ERCuSi-A (USA)
CuSi-3 (Euro) with diameter of .8.
The shielding gas will be argon, as
this is truly MIG welding. Be sure to
follow welder guidelines on welding
tips, liners and rollers as they will
all make a significant difference in
weld quality.
Common Mistakes
When performing MIG brazing, it’s
important to watch your heat. It is not
about melting base metals but proper
surface contact of filler metal. If you
use too much heat, you destroy the
properties of steel and zinc; that’s the
reason for using this type of process.
When welding seams, be sure to
use the welder in non-pulse mode
as it will give you better results. The
panels must have a proper root gap
to allow the filler metal to flow to the
backside. Once completed, the front
and back side of the weld (doing the
stitch process) must look similar. Be
sure to practice heat control and allow
cooling between stitches before pulling
the trigger. Do not get greedy or
go to fast as you may melt through or
create too much heat and destroy the
properties of the base metals.
Take the Quiz
1. What is MAG welding?
2. What is MIG welding?
3. What is MIG brazing?
4. What’s the difference?
5. What’s in your welding tank?
6. Why does it matter?
All other welds require the pulse
mode on the welder and provide
much better strength when this is
used. Practice controlling the speed
as you zigzag across the welds. The
zigzag pattern allows heat to be created
beyond the weld edges, which
allows filler material to flow and make
a large footprint. The pulse mode
controls overheating of the metal during
the weld. Be sure to slow down
slightly as you cross the hole or recommended
opening in the top metal
as you weld. Also, watch the clamping
pressure of parts; too tight will stop
the filler metal from flowing into the
heat zone.
Always do destructive tests. Use
metal from damaged parts to set up
the welder. Take pictures and document
all welds and procedures.
Summary
To all shop managers and owners:
welding supply companies have made
extensive changes to guide you in
your purchase. Many offer welding
testing or a test trial of the equipment
before purchasing, either on-site or at
their locations. Take advantage of this
and make the right choice after testing.
The investment of a good pulse
welder is invaluable to a shop and
some of the best money you’ll spend.
The best advice I can give to a shop
on this subject is to take the new
MIG brazing BRZ02 hands-on training
course from I-CAR. This course
is done in your shop and can provide
the best information and hands-on
training you’ll find.
Mitch Becker has been a collision
industry trainer for 30 years and an
I-CAR instructor for more than 25
years. Contact him at 763-585-6411
or mb227701@gmail.com.