Friction stir weld (FSW) inspections in aerospace manufacturing are challenging for ultrasound technicians not necessarily because they require specialized computations or complex techniques but because scanning with conventional probe setups can be so time consuming.

As nondestructive examination (NDE) continues to evolve as an inspection discipline, so the technologies of NDE evolve to meet new challenges in terms of materials and material geometries to be inspected. 

Additive manufacturing (AM) is everywhere and anywhere nowadays. Every day technical websites, and even most social media sites, are posting cool videos and new applications. 

Nondestructive Testing (NDT) is the name given to the processes designed to verify the integrity of a structure in such a way that the performance of that component is not impaired by the test.

According to ASTM E1316-17a and NET.net, a flaw is defined as ‘‘an imperfection or discontinuity that may be detectable by nondestructive testing and is not necessarily rejectable.” 

Portable phased array ultrasonic testing systems hit the market nearly 20 years ago, and today the latest generation of these tools delivers better amplitude resolution, faster data acquisition rates, and advanced data analysis in a single easy-to-handle package.

It’s an exciting time to work in ultrasonics. Phased array and other innovations in ultrasound have expanded its applications and uses, and with the advent of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) in aerospace, the need to nondestructively test critical parts for thickness and flaws continues to grow.

Olympus announced the addition of a motorized steerable scanner to its line of solutions for ultrasonic and phased array testing. The field-tested, remote-controlled SteerROVER™ scanner is the most ad-vanced and versatile motorized scanner offered by Olympus.

Fast and reliable, PAUT technique has dramatically improved the probability of detection of defects inside a weld and became over the years a code compliant replacement solution to the radiographic testing. 

Inline automated manufacturing has quickly become more complex than ever. In order to ensure the quality of the product being manufactured, inline testing is now a critical part of the manufacturing process.