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Ford Focus RS (2011 year). Manual - part 112

Special features to note when puddle welding:

• The panels to be joined must lie perfectly flat to

one another.

• The panel flanges must be treated with

corrosion protection. The position of the weld
must be bare.

• Prepare the holes depending on the thickness

and number of the panels. The hole size should
be 6-10 mm, or match the original weld spot.

• Start the welding procedure on the panel at the

bottom so that the hole is filled completely.

Continuous bead welding

A welded joint with a full seam is suitable for joining
highly profiled body parts. Pillar and sill areas are
typical application areas.

Special features to note during bead welding:

• Both parts of the panel must be bare on both

sides over a width of 5 mm.

• Align the parts precisely with clamps.

• To prevent the panel from warping, tack longer

joints before welding them.

Intermittent bead welding

Intermittent bead welding is used when the
connecting flanges are stepped. This form of seam
is mainly used on the external panel area for
sectional repairs.

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Special features to note when intermittent bead
welding:

• Weld gap.

• Spot weld interval.

• Apply alternate tack welding across the entire

length of the seam. This keeps warping to a
minimum.

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MIG brazes

Description

Des

cript

ion

Rear side member / wheelhouse reinforce-
ment

Apron panel reinforcement / A-pillar

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) brazing is increasingly used
in production for certain body areas.

In areas where resistance spot welding is not
possible due to limited space or higher strength
requirements, MIG welding was previously used.

Increasingly, these MIG welded seams are being
replaced by MIG brazes. The temperature range
used during MIG brazing is significantly lower. This
keeps the damage to the anti-corrosion zinc layer
on zinc-coated panels to a minimum.

This results in the following advantages of the MIG
brazed seam:

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• No corrosion of the brazed seam.

• Low erosion of the zinc coating in the joining

area.

• Low level of heating and thus little warping.

• Easy finishing of the brazed seam.

• Good for bridging gaps.

NOTE: MIG welds must not be carried out on or
near existing MIG brazed seams as even the

smallest amount of brazing solder can result in a
reduction in the strength of the weld seam.

MIG brazing requires a new generation of welding
equipment and training in the technique.

Joining techniques

Butt joints

Description

Des

cript

ion

Join areas

Profile

Full seam

The butt joint is a joining technique frequently used
in body repairs. The butt joint is typically used for
repairs in the pillar and rocker panel area.

Areas that are suitable for the use of the butt joint:

• short seam lengths.

• highly profiled structures.

The edges of the panels to be joined are placed
against each other and are joined with a full seam
in whilst maintaining a required welding gap
(welding gap same as panel thickness).

NOTE: The butt joint requires a high degree of
accuracy and care when trimming and cutting. For
correct execution of the welding, an exact, even
welding gap must be maintained.

Preparation of the joint areas includes:

• Sanding the connection areas bare on both

sides.

• Removal of the zinc layer in the welding area.

• Carrying out welding tests on an equivalent

sample panel before the actual welding, if
necessary.

• Tack welding in the join area: From the edges

to the centre, then check the shape.

• Joining new and old parts with a full seam weld.

Joggled joint

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Description

Des

cript

ion

Body part

Joggled area

New panel

The joggled joint variant is restricted to body areas
with a good surface condition without beads/swage
lines or profiles. A sectional replacement with a
joggled joint is welded using a continuous seam.
This procedure is used, for example, at the
transition from the side panel to the rocker panel
(3-door vehicles).

When cutting the new part, slight measuring
tolerances are permitted, as these are covered by
the joggled area.

Preparation of the joint areas includes:

• Sanding the connection areas bare on both

sides.

• Removal of the zinc layer in the welding area.

• Preparation of a joggled strip.

• Carrying out welding tests on an equivalent

sample panel before the actual welding, if
necessary.

• Joining the new and old panel with continuous

seam welding.

• Lead loading the weld seam.

Soft soldering

WARNING: The roof repair may only be
carried out in Ford-approved special
workshops and only by specially trained
personnel.

NOTE: The roof is secured to the side walls with
laser soldered seams in production. When repairs
are carried out, these laser-soldered seams must
be replaced by soft-soldered seams.

WARNING: Poisonous gases and dust can
be produced when working solder. Use an
extraction unit and, if required, a protective
mask.

NOTE: Ford offers basic and in-depth training on
the following topics.

NOTE: Areas for soft soldered joints require careful
preparation. It is extremely important that the joint

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surfaces are exactly aligned and that a bare metal
joint surface is prepared.

This means:

• Thorough cleaning of the surfaces to be brazed.

• Close contact of the panels at the brazing

position.

• Use the soldering iron to warm the location of

the seam to be joined.

• The liquid brazing material is drawn between

the panels through capillary action.

Rivets

With riveting, two or more panels are joined
together using a joining element (rivet). In body
construction, pop rivets and punched rivets are
used.

Advantages of riveted connections:

• Metallic and non-metallic materials can be joined

together.

• Different thicknesses of materials can be used.

• The material does not have to be heated, and

therefore does not warp.

• Low level of preparation required.

NOTE: For detailed instructions on the procedure,

please refer to the equipment manufacturer's
operating manual.

Disadvantage:

• During dismantling procedures, swarf/rivet

remains can fall into inaccessible cavities, which
can lead to rattling and rusting.

Description

Des

cript

ion

Panels

Pop rivet

Pop rivets are used if only one side of the panel is
accessible. In this process, overlapping panels are
drilled and connected with a pop rivet.

Pop rivets can be inserted pneumatically,
hydraulically or manually with rivet guns.

Bonding

Description

Des

cript

ion

Butt joints

Bonded connection

Bonded connections are used more and more in
modern body designs. Here, a distinction is made
between bonds for stabilization purposes and
bonds for adhesive strength. Bonds for stabilization
purposes are found on clinched flanges and on
cross beams in doors or on the roof.

WARNING: Risk of poisoning! Adhesive
can be harmful to health. Ventilate rooms
well and use breathing protection. Where
possible, work with an extraction unit.

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NOTE: Adhesives are chemical products and are
subject to the safety regulations of the
manufacturer.

Please

refer to the specifications

in the general

part of the particular manual for information on the
repair adhesive which is to be used.

Advantages of glued joints:

• They are air and watertight.

• High corrosion protection

• Different materials can be connected.

• Bonding can be combined with resistance spot

welding.

NOTE: The quality of the bonded connection is
largely dependent on the care taken during
preparatory work. When gluing bodywork parts,
follow the work instructions from the adhesive
manufacturer.

Bonding and welding

On some vehicle models, (such as the Ford Ka),
bonding is combined with resistance spot welding.
This connection technique has the following
advantages:

• Tight, anti-corrosion connection seam.

• High strength due to additional resistance weld

spots.

Please note the following points during the repair
work:

• Only use adhesive suitable for welding

(conductive).

• Carry out resistance spot welding on the

connection flanges before the adhesive
hardening process.

• Carry out test welding with the adhesive applied.

• If MIG welding is carried out during a sectional

repair on a connection flange with adhesive
material, the adhesive material must be applied
at a distance of approx. 10 mm from the weld
spot.

Bonding and riveting

As with welding, bonding can also be combined
with riveting. This connection technique has
additional advantages. These are:

• Metallic and non-metallic materials can be joined

together.

• Different thicknesses of materials can be used.

• The material does not have to be heated, and

therefore does not warp.

• The rivet connection stabilizes the connected

components during the adhesive hardening
phase.

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Plastic Repairs

General

The proportion of plastics used in vehicle
construction continues to rise. Up to now damaged
plastic components often had to be replaced.
These days, plastic repairs are becoming more
and more widely accepted because of the
increasing cost of spare parts.

NOTE: Plastic adhesives are chemical products
and are subject to the safety instructions of the
manufacturer.

In repair work, the material properties of plastics
are highly significant. There are two main groups:

• Thermoplastics.

• Thermosets.

NOTE: Elastomers make up a third group of
plastics. These are not mentioned below because
they have no plastics repair applications.

Thermoplastics

Heat causes thermoplastics (also called TP
polymers) to transform from the solid state into the
thermoelastic state and then into the thermoplastic
state. When thermoplastics are cooled, they return
to solid state.

Plastic

Brief

descrip-

tion

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

copolymer

ABS

Polyamide

Polycarbonate

Polypropylene

Polypropylene/ethylene propylene

diene copolymer

PP/EPDM

Polycarbonate/polybutylene tereph-

thalate

PC/PBT

Polyvinylchloride

Hard PVC
/ soft PVC

Thermosets

Thermosets (also called TS polymers) are much
harder and more brittle than thermoplastics. Their
strength remains largely unchanged when they are
heated. Thermosets are destroyed when heated

above the critical temperature. Also, the original
state will no longer be restored on cooling.

Plastic

Brief

descrip-

tion

Glass reinforced plastic

GRP

Close-meshed cross-linked poly-

urethane

PUR

Wide-meshed cross-linked poly-

urethane

PUR

Plastic identification

Normally the appropriate identifier is marked on
the plastic components used in vehicle
construction.

The capital letter sequences used for this are
standardized in DIN EN ISO 1043-1 and DIN ISO
1629 (for rubber) and can be looked up in the
tables which they contain. In addition the string of
characters provides information about the exact
mixture ratio and the proportion of certain fillers.

Examples of the identification of plastics

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