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Making the Most of Ultrasonic Test (UT) Equipment

Learn about ultrasonic testing equipment and what it can do for your business

By Elizabeth Gibson
Many industrial and manufacturing businesses use ultrasonic test (UT) equipment to develop its products. Ultrasonic equipment uses high frequency sound to detect flaws, take measurements and characterize material. Companies can utilize UT testing equipment for products such as bars and rods, tubing, wire, metal parts, plate and strip in many sizes and shapes; different materials such as steel, aluminum, titanium and other metals.

Ultrasonic equipment tests for imperfections in different products that could cause failure of the product or part. Such testing can save an end user from using a defective product, and can help a manufacturer identify possible errors in its manufacturing process.

Making the most of ultrasonic test (UT) equipment depends on determining what materials you need to test.

1. Evaluate ultrasonic testing equipment that detects flaws in tubing and piping.

2. Identify ultrasonic test equipment that looks for internal defects in metal bars.

3. Look at ultrasonic testing machines that perform multiple functions on various media.

 

Select UT equipment designed for detecting flaws in tubing and piping

Ultrasonic testing uncovers surface and subsurface cracks in the material. Some types of equipment detect short cracks, while others detect long surface defects such as seams. Performing a UT test with this equipment can detect imperfections in the walls of tubing or residual material left behind by the machining process.
Try: Magnetic Analysis Corp. manufactures a number of instruments designed to conduct ultrasonic testing on tubing. General Electric Company carries several ultrasonic testing instruments for piping and tubing using different methods of detection technologies.

Study ultrasonic inspection equipment with multiple functions

Other features of material must pass certain specifications with the aid of ultrasonic test equipment. UT testing can analyze uniform depth, uniform diameter, wall thickness, material hardness and heat treatment of material. Examples include car parts, piping, turbine shafts and aviation parts.
Try: QNet Quality Network manufactures ultrasonic systems for testing the integrity of car and aviation parts. Such instruments can test parts in situ without having to disassemble components and remove them to a laboratory. Landmark Industrial manufactures ultrasonic flaw detectors, leak testers, vibration analyzers and other instruments for testing metal, rubber and other materials to various specifications. Landmark makes both bench top and portable instruments.

Find ultrasonic test equipment that detects defects in metal bars

Some ultrasonic testing instruments detect internal and eternal defects such as longitudinal and transverse orientation flaws. Testers can reveal the type of material, the uniformity of the material, and the hardness of the material.
Try: Berg Engineering makes instruments for testing defects in metal bars. The company also supplies test blocks and other ultrasonic accessories. Olympus Corporation makes a bar inspection system designed for round, flat and square bars. The system can inspect small sized bars with rough and smooth surfaces.

 

  • Unique UT test equipment can perform ultrasonic testing on material already in place and in use. Such material can test for erosion, pitting, holes and fatigue cracks. Such equipment can measure long-term effectiveness of your own or another manufacturer's products that you use.

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