When it comes to testing aerospace components, the costs of imperfections go far beyond the financial. Thus it is critical that nondestructive testing (NDT) for aerospace vehicles and parts is made foolproof in finding even the tiniest hint of damage or defect.
Aircraft are the backbone of several industries and, as such, are subjected to intense and near-continuous use, making preventive maintenance critical. Maintenance protocols are exhaustive, but time-consuming, especially when fuselage and wing longerons are involved.
Industrial radiography equipment most often used for castings and welds helps provide an important level of confidence with inspection of non-metallic components.
Established in 1993, DICONDE (Digital Imaging and Communication for Non-Destructive Evaluation) is an imaging and archiving technology standard that defines all image attributes and elements in a universal format. DICONDE was based on DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), a proven imaging and archiving standard in the medical industry. In 2004, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E07.11 subcommittee made DICONDE the standard (E2339-11) for NDT (nondestructive testing) imaging.
Quality, safety and weight are chief drivers in the design and manufacture of most automotive components. An advance in any one of these areas can’t come at the expense of another. And of course, cost is a critical factor as well.
As conventional film radiographic testing continues transitioning to the digital or computed RT process, the POD method of analysis is likely to improve significantly.
All Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) or examination methods comprise the following steps: the search for, and detection of the discontinuities, the indication or recording or signal–processing of those detected discontinuities, and the human interpretation of that indication, record or signal.
Having spent 15 years as MAC’s vice president of sales and marketing, Boden brings an in-depth understanding of the company’s test systems and customer inspection needs.