I have never gotten an alignment after removing control arms or replacing balljoints. Nor have I gotten an alignment after replacing strut cartridges, but that took some care.

In my opinion, the only time you really must align the front wheels is after messing with the tie rods.

You can do it yourself as well as most shops. Last time I had it done I asked the mechanic (honest guy, and a long time Volvo specialist) how he did it. He said they have a long stick to measure. That's it. Needless to say, I stopped paying him $60 for alignments.