Factory Acceptance Checks for a Four-Wheel Alignment Machine
A buyer's guide to defining practical pass or fail checks for a four-wheel alignment machine, covering camber, caster and toe verification during a factory acceptance test.
Before signing off a four-wheel alignment machine, decide how you will prove that its camber, caster and toe readings are trustworthy. A useful factory acceptance test should tie each measurement to a known reference, not just show that the screen displays numbers.
Ask the supplier to demonstrate repeatability: run the same vehicle or a stable reference fixture several times and compare the camber, caster and toe results. Define in advance how much variation you will accept, and require the same check after the machine is restarted. For toe, confirm whether the reported value is total or per wheel, and verify the convention on a vehicle with a known setting. For camber and caster, ask how the machine handles a vehicle positioned at different steering angles, and whether the procedure is documented.
Include a pass or fail criterion for each measurement channel, a check that results are recorded correctly, and a demonstration that the machine flags an out-of-range reading rather than silently accepting it. Reference values in the catalog are not a guarantee for the supplied unit; agree the actual test tolerances with the supplier.
Before requesting a quote, confirm with the supplier which reference fixture or vehicle will be used for the acceptance test, how repeatability will be measured, and what documentation will record each pass or fail result.