Repairability

Aluminum is having a dramatic impact on the design of the cars we will be driving in the future. Its low weight, strength, manufacturability, and wide range of product forms are all directly applicable to meeting the increasingly complex requirements facing automotive engineers and designers. With the increased use of aluminum will come the need for repair. While aluminum can be easily repaired, the methods sometimes differ from those used for steel.

Two things are required for cost-effective repair: proper equipment and properly trained repair personnel. The aluminum industry and automakers have developed a thorough understanding of the technical requirements of repair and are working with organizations such as the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) to prepare instructional materials for training current repair technicians and those in vocational schools. Young people in the vocational schools, trained from the start to work with aluminum, will be the first to echo the refrain "not difficult, just different."

The aluminum and automotive industries have established the necessary repair technologies in the following areas:

• Joining — Methods used with aluminum include gas-metal-arc (GMA) and gas-tungsten arc (GTA) welding, mechanical fastening such as riveting and clinching, adhesive bonding, and combinations of these such as weld bonding.
• Metalworking — General techniques for working sheet materials are similar to those for steel using standard tools, with careful attention paid to the use of heat. An example of the "not difficult, just different" theory: aluminum is usually cut with woodworking tools rather than with arc or gas equipment. Techniques and tools for grinding, sanding, drilling, and filing are all available.
• Finishing — Correct methods of cleaning, pretreating, and refinishing are known and the products used (cleaners, primers, paints, etc.) are commercially available. Suitable sealants and isolation techniques are available where dissimilar metal separation is required.

All of these technologies are being transferred to the point of repair through existing dealer networks and the automotive repair industry infrastructure. No new infrastructure will be needed for the repair of aluminum structures or body panels in the future.