WheelScan 5 Completes Successful Pre-Launch Trials At Dunlop Aerospace

Huerth, Germany, March, 2005

The WheelScan 5 Automatic Wheel Inspection System, which was recently introduced by GE Inspection Technologies to provide faster eddy current inspection of aircraft wheel hubs, has already been successfully proven in rigorous commercial conditions. At the same time it has helped Coventry-based Dunlop Aerospace Services, (DAS), to maintain its competitive edge and win new business.

Dunlop Aerospace Services is the repair and overhaul business unit of Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems, a Meggitt group company, and agreed to carry out commercial trials of the WheelScan 5 system some two years ago. As Robin Evans, Aerospace Segment manager at GE Inspection Technologies explains, DAS greatly assisted us in proving the value of the system and ensuring that we could meet all the criteria necessary for its success when it was eventually launched into the market.

However, the benefits of the trial period were not enjoyed solely by GE Inspection Technologies. DAS, too, have gained considerable commercial advantage, both from the project itself and from the sophisticated technical features offered by the new inspection equipment. Everyone who has been to see the rig in action, including visitors from the regulatory authorities, has been most impressed, says Andrew Pawson, Wheel Cell Team Leader at DAS. Moreover, WheelScan 5 has helped our company to win significant new business over the two year trial period.

WheelScan 5 has several merits:

• It can cut inspection times by half compared to other commercially available wheel inspection rigs.
• It can store and instantly retrieve up to 100,000 wheel records digitally, eliminating paper printouts and the risk of human error linked to manual re-keying.
• It represents an invaluable and immediately accessible wheel archive.
• The rig is sturdier and easier to use than the previous equipment, and is very easy to set up and operate.
• It can test the full range of aircraft wheels currently on the market.

GE Inspection Technologies prides itself on solutions that deliver productivity, quality and safety, and on offering clients an individually tailored sales service, including comprehensive operator training and a responsive after-sales team. The development of WheelScan 5 in close collaboration with DAS demonstrates the success of this approach.

About GE Inspection Technologies
GE Inspection Technologies is a global leader in technology-driven inspection solutions that deliver customer productivity, quality and safety. The company designs, manufactures and services radiographic, ultrasonic and eddy current equipment to test materials without deforming or damaging them. Its products are used in a wide range of industries, including Aerospace, Power Generation, Oil & Gas and Automotive. The company has 9 application centres around the globe and offers a range of services including repair, calibration, training and upgrades. GE Inspection Technologies has 1,000 employees at more than 25 facilities in 25 countries worldwide.