Modern measuring systems have to meet various requirements. The most important are: ease-of-use of the whole system and data security of the measurements taken.

Above all, the examination of the complete process is most significant: from planning of the vehicle’s inspection and the actual taking of measurements to filing the documentation.

 In many cases such a car inspection is planed beforehand at the desk. This means that all data of a car, which is relevant for the inspection is provided and mandatory.
However, depending on its use, a surprise inspection must be expected. In such cases the cars to be measured are unknown beforehand.  Then it must be possible to collect relevant data during post processing.  

The inspection itself should be easy to complete. The operator should be able to complete measuring tasks without difficult calibration. Registration of all check points on the car should be intuitive in order to clearly assign measuring spots to the corresponding parts of the car. The measuring gauge should allow for several cars to be measured in a row without having to transfer any data to a computer in between measurements.

Laymen and experts alike should understand the documentation. The measurements should be indicated in a way that allows possible "Coating-Problems" to be recognized at a glance. In addition to a list of vehicle data and measurements, the expert’s report is always part of the documentation. Nowadays it is appropriate to provide documentation not only on paper but also as an electronic document that can be exported or send, for example via e-mail, and saved.

Since the evaluation of damage often concerns legal disputes - be it an expert's report on the state of a car due to a difference in opinion on the matter, be it that such a report is doubted - the safe handling of data is another requirement of a modern coating thickness measuring system.  Data has to be protected against tempering and the document should state who took measurements, who drew what conclusion, and on what measurements the evaluation was based.

As a specialized company, with a long experience in the area of coating thickness measuring technology, AUTOMATION Dr. Nix tackled the subject of practical measuring systems time and again, particularly in regard to the use by experts.
The word novel CarCheck-System is the first of such systems that offers a systematic solution for the complete inspection process. The CarCheck system already received international praise when it was first launched.

The process of a systematic coating thickness measurement using CarCheck

Practical experience shows that on different cars always the same problematic spots have to be measured.  Taking many measurements in close proximity to each other is less important for the evaluation of quality than taking measurements on all parts in order to gain as complete an overview as possible.

Usually, taking three measurements on each part is sufficient for evaluation purposes.  These three “basic” measurements allow the car to be measured quickly while still providing a complete picture of its state.  If a more exact inspection is required, subsequent measurements are possible. Experience shows that "intensive" measurements with six measurements per part can reveal further problematic areas.

The measuring spots are arranged alongside a grid. The measuring system should guide the user during measurement from one spot to the next to ensure that all spots have been measured properly. However, measurements should still be convenient and fast.

Author: Dr.-Ing. Gerrit Gehnen
Technical Manager
AUTOMATION Dr. Nix GmbH, Cologne