Today's automotive wheels are usually made of aluminum rims. All types of good-looking wheels are precisely machined to enhance their appearance. Forging, casting, lighting, painting, and other processes have indeed improved the appearance and luxury of the car. The car's wheels are constantly rotating, sometimes cracking or hitting the curb, so they are easily damaged. The more luxurious and refined the model, the bigger the problem will be in case of rim damage. This means that car owners are willing to spend a lot of money on wheel hub repair. Does restoring it to use really work? Is the operation complicated? It is said that in some cases, wheel repair also carries new potential threats. In this article, we will provide detailed answers on the technical service of the wheel hub.
Rim damage and CNC repair
Damage to aluminum rims can be roughly divided into three categories depending on the cause and degree of damage:
- The first one is friction against the road surface and curb while parking on the roadside.
- The second type, large deformation and distortion, is common when suddenly encountering large potholes or high ridges at high speed.
- The third type, a crack, which is common in the case of shocks and high-speed impacts.
Wheel repair using CNC - notes
The methods of repairing these three situations are also different, and the effect varies depending on the person. Even some repair cases introduce new hazards:
- The first of these is the repair of surface wear, which is also the most common situation. Since it does not affect the load-bearing structure of the hub, only the surface needs to be beautified. In practice, therefore, the first stage is sandblasting and polishing. The hub must first be matted and polished before renovation. The main method is cleaning the wheel hub by sandblasting to create a good foundation for later cosmetics.
- The second step is sanding. After cleaning most of the hub by dustless sandblasting, the next step is to re-polish the details with finer water sandpaper.
- The third step is filling with putty. After sanding and leveling the wheel hub, scratches are filled with aluminum putty. This step is easy to understand. It's the same as applying putty when painting car body sheets. The difference is that the wheel hub is made of alloy putty, which is harder and more delicate than the putty used for car body sheets.
- Fourth step is aluminum welding repair. Such a situation often occurs when the wear gap is slightly larger, and the filling effect is not good. Aluminum welding will be used for filling and leveling aluminum alloys.
- Fifth step is polishing. Since the filler often exceeds the original flat surface, the supplement needs to be polished so that the final metal remains approximately flat.
- Sixth step is professional painting. After finishing, it's time for painting. This step is similar to painting sheets in most workshops, and the difference is not big. It's more about checking the color difference and uniformity of painting.
Implementation of CNC for wheel renovation
The next steps are directly related to the use of a CNC machine for wheel rim renovation:
- Step seven, lathe programming. However, due to the clear surface of the hub of some models, the brushing process cannot simply be polished. They must be machined on CNC machines. At this point, very fine details are required, such as the correct curvature and axis spacing, to ensure a satisfactory final result of tooth brushing.
Summary
Wheel rim renovation is a process that can save a lot of money and potentially restore the beauty and elegance of our vehicles. However, remember to entrust such tasks to CNC machining centers, which are aware of this type of processing, as it may not always be feasible. If the main structure is permanently damaged, renovation is not recommended. However, if the damage affects minor elements of the rim, then CNC machining can help save a lot of resources and restore the rims to their perfect condition!