GE Inspection Technologies Now Offers Three Inspection Modalities At Its US Applications Lab

Billerica, MA, USA – March 15, 2007 – With the incorporation of its X-ray Applications Laboratory from Cincinnati into its Lewistown, PA, facility, GE Inspection Technologies can now offer three modalities of non-destructive testing in one uniquely equipped, in-house location. GE has invested more that $350,000 in 2006 alone in its Lewistown laboratory and is committed to the continuous development of the resource’s technology and equipment.

Newly installed in Lewistown is a large vault which contains a 450kV Isovolt Titan, a 225kV Titan, a 160kV microfocus tube and two 9-inch Tri-field image intensifiers, one with an 8-bit CCD camera and one with a 12 bit CCD camera. Other X-ray equipment includes an X-Cube compact with a 160kV Titan, a 320kV Titan and a number of workstations using Rhythm data review, management and archiving software, with digital X-ray (DXR) panels, computed radiography (CR) plates and scanners and film digitizers.

This state-of-the-art X-ray equipment complements the comprehensive portfolio of existing ultrasonic and eddy current equipment and systems at the laboratory, which includes ultrasonic flaw detectors, thickness gauges and corrosion monitoring systems, as well as eddy current flaw detectors, crack detectors and conductivity meters.

As Dane Hackenberger, Global Application Centre Leader at GE , comments, “Having X-ray, ultrasound and eddy current technologies in one laboratory allows us to investigate customers’ inspection problems more thoroughly and come up with truly optimum solutions, applying the modality best suited to each specific task. Our in-house technologies are utilised by a team of highly skilled engineers, technicians and specialists, with over 500 man-years of experience between them. I am convinced that we can continue to improve our reputation as practical problem solvers, applying existing techniques in new ways to solve real problems.”

GE Applications Labs are located throughout the world, providing knowledge and experience across many industry segments to help customers solve their inspection problems. Typical applications include detection of internal flaws and lack of fusion in welds, location of surface bearing cracks in bearings and aircraft wheels and inspection of metal turbine blades. The Lewistown Applications Lab has particular expertise in developing custom-built ultrasonic and eddy current probes and fixtures and in investigating problems which could cause risk to customers’ plant or personnel.

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