NEWS

20.09.2011Measuring coating thickness efficiently using images for documentation

Cologne, Germany, September 2011: The German company Automation Dr. Nix presents their new coating thickness testing and documentation system CarCheck System PLUS. The system includes a handy gauge for vehicle measurement and user friendly PC software. The PC software enables car experts to configure the gauge according to their needs and to archive all data. Thanks to the car images with incorporated coating thickness values, testing reports created with this system are especially meaningful.

The importance of coating thickness measurement

The reliability and the total driving performance of cars have increased during the last two decades. Accordingly five or six years old cars with a driving performance of 100,000 kilometers and proper equipment still gain a remarkable price. A crucial point regarding the actual value of such a car is whether there were accidents and if so how serious they were and if they were repaired in a professional manner. The coating thickness between the outer side of the paint and the metal underneath allows conclusions regarding the history of the part inspected. If the coating is particularly thick, damage was repaired – for example by filling.

The CarCheck System PLUS gauge

The CarCheck PLUS gauge is suited for measurements of coatings with a thickness of up to 5 mm on metal. Thus it allows distinguishing between standard painting, repair of small paint damage and unusually thick fillings. The gauge is provided with an internal memory for all measurements allowing users to allocate measurements to jobs – that is a car – and testing areas, for example fender or engine hood in the gauge directly after measurement. Users can freely select the number of measurements for each job and testing area.

The Car Check PLUS PC application

Using the CarCheck PLUS configuration and documentation software, testing jobs are easily and quickly created and transmitted to the gauge via radio. Customizable testing areas are available in addition to predefined standard testing areas. The order in which testing areas are displayed in the gauge corresponds to the order in which they have been selected in the PC software. Thus any expert can depict his round around the car by the testing order used. Testing reports are created in PDF-, Word- or Excel format. These reports can be created either according to mainly automated predetermined standards or as highly individualized reports including images of cars with incorporated measurements.

Standardized yet flexible

In their “Leitsätze für Gutachten und andere Sachverständigenleistungen“ (Guidelines for Expert Reports and other Expert’s Services), the German Institut für Sachverständigenwesen e.V. (Institute of Expert Assessment) recommends expert reports with image and data documentation as created with CarCheck System PLUS. However, as tailor-made as CarCheck System PLUS is – it is just as flexible, too. Thanks to the freely selectable names of jobs and testing areas, the system can easily be used for other testing tasks even outside the car sector.

About Automation Dr. Nix

As a leading company of non destructive coating thickness measurement, the German company Automation Dr. Nix GmbH & Co. KG (www.automation.com) has been in the family for 3 generations. With launch of the Quanix 1500 about 20 years ago, Automation Dr. Nix set a standard in the assessment of coating thickness. With their CarCheck System PLUS Automation Dr. Nix continue their commitment to the car sector with a new tailor-made solution.

In addition to specialized coating thickness gauges and measuring systems for certain industries, Automation Dr. Nix also offers gauges for general use in various levels of performance. The products are distributed globally with the help of regional partners.

About the author

Dr.-Ing. Erik Marquardt is technical manager at Automation Dr. Nix GmbH.

Image titles

Abb. 1: Highly individual testing reports are just as possible as standard ones.