Orange Coast Testing Inc. (OCTI, Santa Ana, CA) is an inspection and testing company serving a client base located mainly in the western region of the United States.

The company specializes in nondestructive testing (NDT) including radiography, liquid penetrates, magnetic particle, pressure testing and weld-related inspections, as well as eddy current inspections.

OCTI conducts inspections for a variety of industries including aerospace, aviation, electronics, satellite components, power and pressure vessel companies, and wheel manufacturers.

CR: From Medical to Industrial

When Paul May, president of OCTI, started fielding inquiries from customers about new NDT computed radiography (CR) he knew he needed to take a closer look at the digital technology. “A lot of my customers were already aware of technical advances in digital medical radiography. They would go to a doctor’s office and see firsthand just how easy it was to work with the digital medical X-ray applications. So I thought if it was a new trend in the medical field, why not in the NDT industry?”

Today, only a small percentage of NDT organizations have made the transition to digital technology. Now OCTI has joined the ranks of these early adopters by offering digital X-ray technology to its customers. “Like a lot of NDT inspection companies we’ve primarily used film technology,” says May. “We also work with real-time radiography equipment, which produces 3-D video images, but we found that the image resolution wasn’t very good. With our digital system we’re now able to better serve our customers in turnaround time and resolution.”

Evaluating Digital Systems

After conducting nearly two years of product and technology research, May decided to purchase the Kodak Industrex ACR 2000i digital system from Carestream Health (Rochester, NY).

“After looking at all of the systems, I felt that the Kodak system delivered the image quality and resolution we needed," says May. "They really went out of their way to work with me to establish financial terms that helped us acquire the system. The dealer who sold us the system, Willick Engineering, even offered to loan us his own demo system to use until our new one arrived. It was a nice gesture, but we didn’t need to do that because our system was delivered promptly.”

The System Delivers

After using the Kodak Industrex ACR 2000i for two months, OCTI noticed a significant increase in productivity and decrease in material costs and waste. The system delivers instant digital X-ray images in minutes-at least 10 times faster than standard film methods-and produces sharp, digital images that are easily examined from all angles using a software interface.

It also allows customers quick access to high-quality X-ray images via e-mail, eliminating any additional delivery costs and time delays, while providing operators with fast, accurate measurements of selected image characteristics through the use of the system’s digital micrometer to reference actual size.

Finally, the system displays thickness levels using a single digital exposure instead of multiple film exposures, saving significant material costs of two to three additional film exposures per part.

Future Plans

“In the lab I would recommend it for X-rays on composites, or any type of forensic evaluation, especially where you’re looking closely for voids and cracks, “ says May. “But, what’s also great for us is the system is highly portable. So far, the ACR 2000i hasn’t had any limitations that would keep us from considering taking it out into the field to expand our capabilities.”

Carestream Health Inc.
(585) 627-1800
www.carestreamhealth.com

Benefits

- After using the Kodak Industrex ACR 2000i for two months, OCTI noticed a significant increase in productivity and decrease in material costs and waste.

- The system delivers instant digital X-ray images at least 10 times faster than standard film methods.

- The system also allows customers quick access to X-ray images via e-mail, eliminating any additional delivery costs and time delays.