NDTec Audits NDT Services

In today's maintenance shop, eddy current, ultrasonic, X-ray, and other NDT technologies are becoming as commonplace as ratchet sets. As our reliance on these tests grows, we have to ask the question: how can we be sure our NDT tests are giving us the answers we need? One way to answer that question is to arrange for an in-depth capabilities audit by NDTec (www.ndtecinc.com). "NDT falls under what is called a controlled process," explained NDTec owner Hector Silverman. "It has very set procedures and practices that ensure that the company and individual doing the inspection are qualified and certified."

Silverman said that companies that contract out their NDT are responsible for obtaining verification that the service provider does indeed meet the standards set by either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the U.S. military. "Most of my aviation clients hire us to do audits on their in-house capabilities," Silverman said. "They either want to improve the quality of their NDT work or they want to be able to offer additional NDT services and they need the audit findings to help them qualify."

What does an NDTec audit consist of? Silverman explained that he looks at every part of the company that pertains in any way to its NDT services and capabilities. "I look at the QC [quality control] department, interview the people doing the NDT work, I review their qualifications and certifications and their procedures and policies," he said. "I'll spend time watching an inspector doing NDT work to see how he does it. I check to see that the equipment is calibrated properly and that they are using the right chemicals for their tests."

So what are the most common areas of non-conformance? "Not following written practice guidelines is a big one," Silverman admitted. "It's a procedure that the company has to have approved. It details exactly how the company is going to qualify and certify its NDT personnel and it has to be very detailed and specific, and companies cannot deviate from it." If a company doesn't comply with these requirements, the findings from any NDT inspections that they do are considered invalid and the tests have to be done over again by a complying company.

The next most common non-conformance he finds is errors in equipment calibration. "Here companies routinely let their equipment's calibration certification expire," Silverman explained. "Some equipment is required to be calibrated every six months and some needs it once a year. The date is written on the cal sticker but it just gets overlooked."

Not having written guidelines for the inspections themselves is another problem area. "If the procedures are not spelled out in a service bulletin or the NDT manual, the company must write their own procedures for the test," he said. "Without the guidelines you get non-standardized tests and inconsistent results, which make the NDT tests practically meaningless." Silverman said that each NDT audit is customized to meet the company's needs. Along with the audits, NDTec also provides NDT training, equipment sales, certification, and other specialized services.

For more information:

NDTec, Inc.
Phone: 305-378-4992
Web: www.ndtecinc.com