Industry Leading Non Destructive Testing

We are one of the leading Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) companies. Our services are extremely thorough and we provide individual and detailed reports for each method of NDT testing in Manchester.

Our work typically addresses weld integrity for carbon steels, stainless steels, alloys, components, all structures and vessels. We work precisely to customer specifications and test raw materials as well as components – from large gas silos, bridges and staircases to small aerospace components, floor claddings, overlay build-up on corroded surfaces and hard facing build-up on digger buckets. Liquid dye penetrant testing, magnetic particle testing and many more NDT methods are available.

What is Non-destructive Testing (NDT)?

Non-destructive testing as the name suggests is any technique used to examine damage on welded appliances and structures without compromising their structural integrity. Quality, durability and cost-effectiveness are features of Non-destructive Testing methods.

There are several other terminologies used to describe the same procedures. Elsewhere, you may come across terms such as NDT inspection or NDT investigation which are the same as Non-destructive Testing.

NDT testing procedures are cost-effective as no damage results from the test and therefore quality is maintained and the durability of appliances heightened. Non-destructive investigations are widely used in aerospace, the medical field and art, to test and guarantee the functionality of carbon steel, stainless steel, alloys, apparatuses, all structures and containers.

At code a weld, we specialize in all forms of NDT procedures across the UK and our workers have gone through the best training for quality NDT inspections. As if that is not enough, we have a wide range of NDT examination techniques backed up by the latest Non-destructive Testing equipment for high tech services that include Eddy Current Testing appliances.

Our Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) services include:

Visual Inspection (CSWIP and PCN)
Liquid Dye Penetrant Inspection
Portable Hardness Testing (Not UKAS Accredited)
Magnetic Particle Inspection
Ultrasonic Inspection
Positive Material Identification (PMI) (Not UKAS Accredited)
Radiography (Not UKAS Accredited)

In-house and on-site Non-Destructive Testing Methods

Our Non-Destructive Testing services can be carried out in-house as well as at customers’ sites, with our team of NDT technicians able to travel nationwide with all the equipment needed to carry out the required tests from liquid dye penetrant testing to magnetic particle inspections.

Visual Inspection (CSWIP and PCN)

Procedure

Visual inspection is a popular weld quality inspection method and is one of the most common Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods. It involves a visual testing of welds and is capable of detecting surface-breaking defects, as many welding flaws are on the surface and can easily be detected via this Welding Procedure and Welder Qualification Testing procedure.

Visual inspection equipment and consumables enable the test to be carried out correctly. These include a digital camera, measuring rules and tapes, torch, markers, weld profile and undercut gauges, mirrors, borescopes and photometer. Complex equipment like fibre optic connectors can be used for close visual inspections, where the device is used to access small holes or channels.

Visual inspection reveals flaws that may or may not be detrimental to the quality of the weld. However, an inspector’s aim should, at all times, be to find and report all significant flaws.

For effective visual inspection, an inspector needs perfect eye-sight along with specialist knowledge of the method, and as with any test method, visual inspection requires adequate training of personnel to ensure that it is performed by competent personnel who are familiar with the procedures and application standards.

How You Benefit

By enforcing quality control, you are demonstrating high standards in terms of quality and safety.
Access to our three decades of experience in NDT.
Early detection of welding defects- usually, visual inspection carried out by adequately trained inspectors can alone reveal most of the weld defects.
Highly effective- visual examination remains the most common and one of the most effective methods of inspection despite advancements in inspection technology. Although visual examinations involve surface-only checks, these checks are able to reveal the most damaging defects.
Compliance with legal and government regulations.
Our guarantee of quick turnaround times without having to compromise on accuracy.
Precise data acquisition carried out by our well-trained inspectors.

Ultrasonic Inspection

Procedure

Ultrasonic Testing (UT) or Ultrasonic Inspection (UI) is a popular method of Non Destructive Testing. This method is most commonly used for the following purposes:

Thickness checking to check for laminations in parent material and to detect extremely minute flaws within welded joints.
Thickness checking example would be detect internal corrosion on service pipelines.
Lamination checking example would be parent materials are often checked prior to welding in case there are any defects present.
Welded join testing example would be when welded joints are in a butt weld or T-butt weld configuration, UT is carried out to examine the parent metal / heat effected zone and weld metal for any volumeric defects.

The procedure for UT involves putting the object being inspected in contact with an ultrasonic transducer connected to a diagnostic machine. This causes beams of mechanical waves (vibrations) of short wave length and high frequency to be transmitted through the object. These waves are then measured and compared with existing standards to verify the object being inspected.

The pulse waves, when able to transmit through an object, can reveal the thickness of the object as well as any internal imperfections.

How You Benefit

By enforcing quality control, you are demonstrating high standards in terms of quality and safety.
UT’s deeper penetration for flaw detection or measurement makes it superior to other NDT methods.
You only need access from one side when using the pulse-echo technique.
Minimal preparation or set-up time is required before carrying out the examination.
The electronic equipment provides instantaneous results.
Our three decades of experience in NDT.
Compliance with legal and government regulations.
This procedure can be used for thickness measurement, flaw detection as well as other purposes.
Our guarantee of quick turnaround times without having to compromise on accuracy.

Limitations:

Ultrasonic Testing is not the quickest NDT method, because you are trying to inspect something that you cannot see internally, and with all the various calibration checks and all the various probes to be used, it takes a lot longer than MPI for instance.

Get In Touch

Please complete the form below

Testimonials

Our Other Services:

Radiographic Testing

Procedure

Radiographic Testing is an NDT examination technique that we offer. This method uses radiation (gamma rays or x-rays) to view the internal structures of a component. RT is often used to inspect specialized assemblies such as pressure valves for structural flaws and flux leakage. Moreover, RT can be easily used to inspect weld repairs.

Compared to other testing routines, Radiographic Testing is more convenient as it’s highly reproducible, abundant in material and data collected can be saved for later analysis. RT requires very little surface preparations and is portable. This implies its use in the field where other NDT equipment is rarely used.

Acoustic Emission Testing

Procedure

Acoustic emission refers to the ability of a flaw to generate transient elastic sound waves as a result of redistribution of stress in a material. This kind of test requires ultrasonic testing of materials.

In any case, a structure is subjected to external factors, there is a subsequent production of energy which is picked up by sensors. With the right equipment and set up, waves which are in the smallest measurable unit can be detected. Acoustic emission in structures can be due to cracks, fiber breakages, fault lines, melting and dislocation. AE tests have been successfully carried out on wood, polymers and concrete among other materials. AE tests only give qualitative analysis and whenever quantitative analysis is needed, other NDT methods can be applied.

Eddy Current Testing

Procedure

Eddy Current Testing instruments are run by magnetism just like relay speakers and electric motors. Eddy current tests are run on thin metal appliances, especially in aerospace and other manufacturing and service environments to check for structural flaws or any quality-related problem. Additionally, eddy current tests can be used for various metal thickness measurements such as identifying rust and corrosion under jets skin. Both portable and fixed system instruments are available to meet the varying test needs.

At the same time, eddy current works best on electric conductors and thus cannot be used on plastics or wood. In some cases, eddy current and ultrasonic testing are used side by side as complementary techniques. Eddy current has an advantage for quick surface testing and ultrasonic having better depth penetration.

Depending on the type of industry you are in, there exists a wide range of NDT testing methods that will fit your needs. Always keep in mind that the quality and durability of structures depends on how often you test them for flaws. If you are not sure of which NDT technique best suits your need, call us now for more information.

We have a wide variety of customers, here are just a few of them: