Flaws can be found in every type of material and component, no matter the method of manufacturing, processing, or finishing used. Selecting the proper detection method is crucial, because, even if a flaw is not actually a defect, you still want to be able to detect and evaluate them.

Nondestructive testing (NDT) is the most important industry you’ve never heard of. That’s how I typically start a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) demonstration.

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.” 

When I was 19 years old, my first paying job in the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry was inspecting a weld repair on a water intake pipe at the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant in New Hampshire.

An important element in ensuring the quality of finished parts is nondestructive testing (NDT). NDT is the inspection of material or parts without impairing their future usefulness.