Better Weld Inspections with Dye Penetrant [Case Study]

About the Customer

Our customer is one of the largest engineering and fabrication companies in the UK.

They employ around 600 staff across 14 divisions, operating in many different industries including aerospace and defense, oil and gas, nuclear, mining, and automotive.

Within their Fabrication Division, they carry out non-destructive testing using visible red dye penetrant to check for defects associated with welds.

Challenges

The customer had some concerns about the current visible red penetrant that they were using--it was running off the inspection area and not allowing any defects to be detected.

They needed to find a visible red penetrant system that met their technical requirements and that they could source locally. They wanted to evaluate the equivalent penetrants from many UK suppliers, including Magnaflux.

Solution

Our direct product equivalents to what they were using were SKC-S (solvent-based cleaner and remover), SKL-WP2 (solvent-removeable and water-washable penetrant) and SKD-S2 (solvent-based developer).

We sent aerosol samples of all three products, along with the applicable Product and Safety Data Sheets, to our customer to support their evaluation process.

Magnaflux has a comprehensive distributor base within the UK, so we gave our customer the choice of two geographically-close distributors from whom they could purchase our products.

Results

Our customer carried out a side-by-side evaluation of several visible red penetrant systems from different suppliers.

While the results of the testing were not completely dissimilar, the results obtained with the Magnaflux range of products, including SKL-WP2, were significantly better.

Specifically, SKL-WP2 showed red indications on welds which exhibited surface breaking defects. The use of SKD-S2 solvent-based development enhanced the visibility of these indications, allowing decisions to be made quickly on any identified faults.

“We have been impressed with the level of service and support provided by Magnaflux, including product advice/recommendations, provision of samples/product documentation to follow up support.

We have now extended the use of Magnaflux products to magnetic particle inspection consumables within a second facility in the UK.”

This customer is now sourcing Magnaflux products through a distributor that is 50 miles from their plant and have no issues in obtaining stock to meet their demand needs.

Safety is a make-or-break factor in a technician's world – we list details around hazards, storage, recycling, and shipping of NDT aerosols​ here.

Published December 19, 2017