AGR kept busy at Materials Testing 2009
05/11/2009
The British Institute of NDT's 48th Annual Conference, combined with the Materials Testing Exhibition, was held in Blackpool in September at the Norbreck Castle Hotel. Blackpool being an integral part of the industrial and social history, the northern United Kingdom was a fitting backdrop to the premier gathering of NDT specialists, suppliers, interested parties and the curious for four days of intense discussion, learning, exhibition and no doubt a good measure of 'horse trading' as well.AGR Field Operations' booth was located in close proximity to the food and beverage area which was a good strategic decision because stand staff were kept busy by the delegates that congregated in this area for refreshments.
Owing to the fact that NDT seminar material in general has become more scientific, it was realised that a category aimed at the application level was needed to include those delegates with a more practical or basic interest in advanced NDT methods. In this category, AGR’s Mark Nel delivered the first paper on basic phased array ultrasonic technology as a precursor to a series of papers on various practical subjects. Several delegates visited AGR's booth later in appreciation of the simple but comprehensive lecture. One engineer said: "I am interested in pursuing phased array as a research subject and this is the first time it has been explained in a way that I fully understood it in an NDT context".
The social programme started with a meal at a local Blackpool restaurant where Steve Bennet, the UK's own 'rocket man' and founder of the Starchaser Company, gave a superb talk and film on the development of his space tourism ideas. The gala dinner was also a lively affair and proved to be fertile ground for networking with acquaintances and new business prospects.
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