Why is CAR line?

Why BIW Product designer and BIW tool designer always refer carlines?
Automotive sheet metal components are designed in CAD (Computer added Design ) software e.g.
CATIAv4-v5, UG, ProE, Ideas,
In any CAD tool there is default axis system X,Y,Z.
Lets us consider if every designer starts design of BIW Door Assembly part a default axis system,
then it will be difficult to assembly or position the part with respect to each other.
Due to avoid this issue. BIW car panel are designed with reference to CAR axis means at their
original position of finally built car.

Reference axis system of the software is used for design of the various features of the parts (e.g.
hole, fillet, threads,) To correlate the position of all the automotive components during the final
assembly the axis system of the vehicle is used. Most of the time vehicle axis system and software
axis system is same. e.g. In most of European OEM X axis represents length of the vehicle Y axis
represents width of the vehicle Z axis presents height of the vehicle. Y axis is considered to be
located at front axle. All BIW welding fixtures are designed with reference to car line.

car line zero will be @ front axle center, means (x,y,z=0,0,0)@ front axle center with this reference they
will start designing car

To represent the position of biw car parts,welding fixture and its unit assemblies with its
individual parts (e.g. mylars(the parts which are in contact with panel)) in 2D drawings,
their respective positions are shown with reference to (X=0,Y=0,Z=0)positions. In short it
shows in 2D XY, YZ or XZ coordinate position of BIW welding fixture parts or assemblies
with reference to origin X=0,Y=0,Z=0

Let us consider a situation if individual fixture designer starts designing a part or panel
on their default axes system then it will be difficult to assembly or position the part with
respect to each other. So in order to avoid this all the designer starts designing with
respect to car axes system (which is generally at center of front axle)

Car lines are the (Grid lines) shown on the fixture , which virtually represent the same
location in the BIW. All the car line on fixture display the coordinate at corner for
reference . With these lines one can easily relate the ,location in BIW.

Some times single coordinate hole is given in the fixture ,that also represent the car line
coordinates, from that reference point fixture is made and can be inspected . Body
coordinate are mentioned near the hole
In BIW FIXTURE design the panels are always fixed with the help of 3-2-1 .because it
always minimizes the usage of unwanted components to hold the panels

with the help of 3-2-1 principle we can arrest the six degrees of freedom which means
six degrees of rotational and six degrees of translational axes .

FIRST PLANE

This is the "3" in 3-2-1. So, three specific points are used to define the first plane.
Fewer than three points cannot define a plane, and in the real world dimensional
tolerances mean that four or more points

will not be coplanar. A real-world, less than ideally perfect part placed on four or more
reference points will, in fact, rest on only three of the points due to its less than perfect
surface. Different parts may rest on different combinations of three points, resulting in
variation between finished parts.
A stool can be used to illustrate this concept. A two-legged stool would certainly be
unstable. A three-legged stool sits rock-solid. A four-legged stool is often found to rock.
In the illustration, a three dimensional part, represented by a cube, is placed on a datum
plane defined by three support points. The part’s six degrees of freedom have now been
reduced to three. It can still move along the X or Y axes, and it can still be rotated about
the Z axis. (The part cannot move along the Z axis because it is held against the plane by
clamping force.

SECOND PLANE

A second plane, if it is perpendicular to the first, can be defined by two points, the "2" in
3-2-1. The part is now constrained to one degree of freedom: movement along the Y
axis. (The part cannot move along the X or Z axes because it is held against the planes
by clamping force.

THIRD PLANE

A third plane, if it is perpendicular to both of the first two planes, can be defined by one
point, the "1" in
3-2-1. The part is now entirely constrained. It cannot move along or rotate about the X,
Y, or Z axes. (Remember that the part is held against each of the three planes by
clamping force.)