Automating processes with UR cobots optimizes workflow

Non-destructive testing (NDT) are inspection methods used to identify cracks or defects in materials, or determine the elemental composition of materials without damaging it. Olympus has a wide range of NDT devices which are versatile and have a variety of measurement features that allow end-users to conduct inspections, detect defects, measure thickness or elemental compositions in a range of materials such as metals, plastics, ceramics, and composites used in diverse industries.

For example, the Olympus NDT equipment is widely used for aircraft inspection in Singapore, a regional aviation hub. Aircrafts are exposed to strong torque and forces, as well as in environments with extremes in humidity and temperature, all of which can affect surfaces and molecular structures that can directly impact performance and flight safety. Periodic inspection, using the non-destructive testing (NDT) method, is an essential part of ongoing maintenance program for aircrafts to ensure the integrity of the aircraft for crew and passenger safety.

Another major usage of NDT is the verification of precious metals. NDT provides immediate on-site elemental measurements for precious metals include gold bars, platinum, and silver using the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method, and ensuring that such metals are free from any inclusions with the ultrasonic method.

The business transformation

Today, NDT inspections provide high precision testing repeatedly as desired. In an aviation setting, operators may have to move components or probes across the entire aircraft to locate and size hidden cracks, corrosions, voids, disbonds, delaminations, discontinuities in welds, around the turbines and other structural components as part of the maintenance process. It is common to see dozens of human operators inspecting an aircraft using Olympus NDT devices at one time, especially for larger aircraft.

In the case of verification of precious metals, operators often have to perform such monotonous processes repeatedly. As they may be working in uncomfortable or even unsafe positions over extended periods of time, it escalates potential health and safety risks due to fatigue and repetitive strain.