The Small Auto Manufacturing Improvement with a Big Impact

As an automotive manufacturer, you’re well aware: quality is key to your success. Compromise the quality of your vehicles, and you risk costly rework, recalls and blows to your brand Reputation.

That’s because customers have come to expect quality in not only the way their vehicles look and feel, but also in how they sound.

Does the fit and finish of your vehicles represent your original engineering design? Are your customers complaining about squeaks and rattles or wind noise? How do your vehicles look from far away — and up close? Are you confident that your vehicles’ trim pieces and door panels line up, without excessive gaps between parts or seal breaks?

If not, customers might wonder if these issues could lead to poor closure, thereby causing water leaks, rust, upholstery damage or humidity in headlights. Even issues that seem small could make consumers reconsider investing in the vehicles you’ve worked so hard to manufacture.

Gap and Flush Influence on Perceived Quality

It only takes moments to lose customers’ trust — and interest — in your vehicles. The cause of these doubts: poor fit and finish from issues related to gap and flush.

In addition to causing costly problems and recalls, gap and flush issues could negatively impact vehicle sales. The good news: a small improvement to your automotive manufacturing process can have a big impact on your bottom line.

The Solution: CALIPRI Gap and Flush Gauge

A non-contact measurement device, CALIPRI is proven to help you solve gap and flush issues in a rapid, reliable and effective manner. The solution makes it possible for you to measure any gap profile or body contour completely and with the accuracy your manufacturing firm depends on.

Conventional measuring devices only record gaps from one angle, leaving the software to make assumptions about the shape of the rest of the gap. As a result, profiles are incorrectly estimated — especially when working with difficult contours.

You could inadvertently produce superficial data that extrapolates 50 percent or more of the gap. And measurements of the same gap by different people can vary widely. This could leave you blind to curvatures that can quickly impact the vehicle’s structure, aesthetics and — ultimately — customer preference for your vehicle and brand.

Real Data for Accurate Results

In contrast to most past measurement methods, from feeler gauges to profile measurement, CALIPRI ensures real — not extrapolated — data measurement of entire gap, flush and radius contours. Even the most difficult gaps allow accurate gap and flush quality control that measures up to original engineering design and customer standards.

How CALIPRI works

To achieve repeatable, reproducible measurement, the CALIPRI measuring gauge swivels. Simply hold it over the gap that needs measuring. While swiveling the device, three central laser lines continually record segments of the contour from various perspectives before combining them for a complete measurement based on real data.

Any tilting or twisting of the sensor is automatically compensated for by its patented tilt correction. Within seconds of taking the required measurement, the profile is then displayed on your tablet PC, along any other parameters you’d like to know.

CALIPRI Ease of Use

After making a few measurements with CALIPRI, you’ll find it’s just as easy to handle as conventional systems. And the measurement time is comparable too. The only significant difference? Your measurements are now truly exact. This allows you to significantly enhance vehicle quality and speed to market, while reducing scrap, rework and potential recalls.

Test Drive the CALIPRI Solution

See how a small change in your vehicle manufacturing process can have a big impact on your bottom line. Contact ASI DATAMYTE for a test drive of the CALIPRI solution specific to your automotive application. Or, to talk to an expert about your specific gap and flush concerns, contact us at 1-800-455-4359.

Want to learn more the CALIPRI gap and flush solution for automotive manufacturers? Download a brochure or view a video about CALIPRI today.

Site: "Consumers’ Perceived Quality, Perceived Value and Perceived Risk Towards Purchase Decision on Automobile" American Journal of Economics & Business Administration 2010