Training School standardises on GE ultrasonic instruments
20/05/2009
The South West School of NDT has now standardised on ultrasonic instruments from GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies as the preferred instruments used in the teaching of students at its Cardiff training centre. The school uses USM 33s for all its basic ultrasonic courses and Phasor XS for all phased array courses. In addition, eddy current training is carried out using GE's Phasec models.The South West School of NDT provides training and examination services meeting all national and international standards, including ISO9712, EN473, NAS 410, CP189 and ATA105. It operates to syllabi provided by the American Society of Nondestructive Testing and the aerospace requirements of PCN and also holds independent accreditation via The British Institute of NDT. Although courses and examinations are routinely conducted at the training centre, instructors and examiners often travel globally to client sites. Similarly, students from all over the world and from a wide variety of fields, from aerospace to medical devices, attend the school.
Courses are a combination of theoretical and practical modules and practical sessions involve the calibration and use of ultrasonic flaw detectors. It is important that this equipment is user-friendly as well as being reliable and well designed. As Colin Thomas, the Division Director responsible for the South West School of NDT, explains: "One of the main reasons we use GE instruments is that they have been designed for ease of use in the field and hence they are easy to use in the classroom environment. Moreover, they represent the state-of-the-art in the technology, especially in phased array.
"The reliability and stability of the GE instruments is also important. When you have a classroom full of students, we need to know that the equipment is going to work perfectly every time. This matters as much to us as it does to an engineer in the field.
"In addition, because of the close working relationship we have developed with GE, we benefit from the in-depth technical support provided by the GE team, which allows us to pass on tips and knowledge of instrument features, which might be overlooked. Of course, this keeps us up-to-date with the technical developments in UT and ET equipment, too."
The South West School of NDT is currently developing digital radiography and remote visual inspection (RVI) training courses using GE equipment for other aspects of the school’s wide curriculum.
