Times have changed, now you can just go watch their live broadcast of car repairs, haha. (2023.4.20)

The cars here mainly refer to cars, excluding large cars.

Sheet metal here, and Sheet Metal Fabrication Mild Steel such as steel bending, are two professions that cannot be compared with each other, so there is no need to get entangled.

What does an automotive sheet metal worker do? To put it simply, if your car is damaged in a crash and you want to fix it, you have to find an auto sheet metal worker. (hereinafter referred to as sheet metal workers)

Here is a brief explanation of the types of car repair work. There are three main types of automobile maintenance jobs: 1. Mechanics, 2. Sheet metal workers, and 3. Painters. (I won’t talk about electricians separately)

Mechanic repair is to repair the engine and chassis (also called suspension); painter is to add putty and spray paint.

The rest is the job of the sheet metal worker.

We often see some smashed cars, like Coke cans that were crushed by a foot.

Then how can we repair it?

At this time, it depends on the ability of the sheet metal ductwork process.

Sheet metal workers are people who can put "crushed Coke cans" back into shape.

There are occasional exceptions, such as cars that are broken into two pieces, crushed into pizzas, squeezed into sandwiches, etc. (you can find pictures of accident cars on Baidu), so there is no need to repair them.

It’s not that you can’t repair it, but it’s based on reality. If you can’t repair it, just change it.

One of the main things sheet metal workers repair is the vehicle frame.

As shown below:


When the frame is dislocated or deformed due to impact, it needs to be repaired, which requires a sheet metal galvanized steel worker to correct and reset it. (As well as replacement parts and partial replacement parts)

This involves some issues on the car body. A car is not just a frame, but also requires many, many accessories that can be assembled to become a complete car.

The first is the front and rear bumpers. The bumpers are almost all made of plastic (except for individual cases). All plastic parts on the car body are not crash-resistant, easily damaged and inconvenient to repair, so they are generally replaced. Car owners often ask, if the plastic one breaks when hit, why not use iron? As far as I know, the reason the front and rear bumpers are made of plastic, or even more easily damaged materials, is because those materials cause less damage to the human body. (There are also some models that take the weight of the car body into consideration, such as the carbon fiber materials used in sports cars. You can refer to the shapes of various sports cars after being hit.) This is also the reason why most cars are rounded and not designed with many prominent angular shapes. Bar. (Supplement: Regarding the question of why the bumpers are made of plastic, some friends have already given a better explanation in the comment area)

Then we can safely leave the engine, chassis, and fuel tank to the handsome mechanics.

Next came the doors, hood, and trunk lid. If these things were damaged, they would have to be repaired by a sheet metal worker.

In addition to the mechanics, all other parts on the vehicle frame, including the various parts installed on the doors, front and rear covers, are all handled by the sheet metal workers. These are another major maintenance item for the sheet metal workers.

2014.8.8:

What do these parts problems refer to? For example, the car door cannot be opened, the door glass cannot be raised, the sunroof cannot be closed, and the hood cannot be covered.

And so on.

It seems pretty simple.

It's actually quite simple.

Just understand the structure of the car, how each component works, find the root cause of the problem, and then find a solution.

Of course, it will be a little more troublesome to operate.

After all, you have to take the time to get to know these things. For example, the car door cannot be opened. Sometimes it may be that it cannot be closed, or it can be opened from the outside but cannot be opened from the inside, or the anti-theft lock cannot be locked, and it cannot be opened after being locked, or the door can only be locked to one position. or the door is difficult to open and close, or the door makes a rattling sound when opening and closing, or the door sags, or the door does not self-priming, or the door handle does not return to its position when pulled, or the indicator light remains on after all the doors are closed. It shows that there is a car door open...

Next, let’s talk about a major repair project for sheet metal workers.

Just the appearance.

After the car is damaged, the first thing we need to repair is the frame, because all the components are mounted on the frame.

After the frame is calibrated, we measure the dimensions to determine whether the positions of each screw hole are completely reset and symmetrical (symmetry is very important).

Then we have to install other parts for comparison to see if there is any deviation in the gaps, the height of the lines, and the position of the screw holes after assembly, and whether they can match the original car. (Especially the gaps between car lights and doors)

Basically, if you cultivate it well, you won't be able to tell from the outside that it has been cultivated. If you cultivate it badly, it will look ugly. Everyone knows this.

Whether the appearance is well repaired or not depends mainly on the skill of the bronze sheet metal workers (I won’t talk about accessories from the sub-factory).

That's basically it.

Finally, to summarize, this answer is to explain the profession of automotive sheet metalworking from an entry-level perspective, so try to start with the simplest one.