On-Line Eddy Current For ERW Welded Tube

The InspecTech® Eddy Current System is a good on-line non-destructive testing system for weld-line inspection of thin wall tubing and can be used on fast operating mills.

InspecTech's Eddy Current Equipment is compact enough to fit on most mill beds, or can be mounted on the floor.  Rotary stands are available to handle extremely large weld line skews.

On-Line Flux Leakage Weld Testing For ERW Tube & Pipe

The Flux Leakage method of testing tubular goods has been used for many decades for full body inspection. Using this method to test weld seams in small diameter (12mm and up) tubes has, up to now, not been practical because of the difficulties in obtaining uniform magnetic fields with minimal pole piece spacing. InspecTech® has refined the Flux Leakage method, using advanced signal processing.  InspecTech remains the only test equipment manufacturer to offer Flux Leakage weld testing equipment for tube producers, to be used directly on the tube mill.

I.B.I.S. B-Scan Weld Flash Removal Monitor

The InspecTech® I.B.I.S. (InspecTech B-SCAN Inspection System) is an ultrasonic device that is especially useful to the welded tube industry. The I.B.I.S. scans the weld zone and monitors the quality of the inside and outside flash removal process.

The I.B.I.S. is primarily a scrap reduction tool. It displays the weld profile in engineering units and in real time on a video display. Broken, worn or chipped flash cutting tools or mismatched weld edges are easily detected and alarmed. The I.B.I.S. is also used to monitor weld profile to make sure that the overall weld thickness is within tolerance.

Installing an I.B.I.S. unit on the tube mill close to the welding station can give early warning of problems and play a significant role in reducing scrap.

On-Line Ultrasonic Inspection Of ERW Tube & Pipe Welds

InspecTech® Ultrasonic Test Systems have been at work in tube mills around the globe for over 30 years. Ultrasonic testing of welded tube is a universally recognized method, offering equal sensitivity to both inside and outside defects regardless of material thickness. Codes of practice such as ISO, API and CSA all take ultrasonic testing of welds as an acceptable, or even mandatory, method.

Depending upon requirement, InspecTech can supply systems with 2, 4, 6 or more transducers to test various material thickness ranges and also to test HAZ (heat affected zones) and monitor material gauge.

Off-Line Ultrasonic Testing of ERW Tube & Pipe Welds

InspecTech® Off-Line Ultrasonic Test Systems are specially designed and configured to inspect the entire length of a weld seam in a tubular product. This form of testing is normally required for code compliances such as API and ISO.

Testing is similar to InspecTech's On-Line Test System, but the test head is configured differently and more mechanization is required. This literature describes a test unit that uses an overhead test carriage, which travels above a stationary pipe.  This arrangement is the usual method of choice.  An alternative method, involving a stationary test head with the pipe being conveyed underneath is also available.

Full Body Eddy Current

Full body Eddy Current testing of tubular product is commonly an off-line (off the tube mill) process. It is most useful in cold draw operations to test the finished product before the ends are cropped. However, from time to time, the full body test is used as an on-line tool, mainly when small diameter (<25mm) tube is to be tested. InspecTech manufactures full body test equipment for both on-line and off-line use.

InspecTech Demagnetizer

InspecTech® has developed demagnetizers for tubular products that operate at variable frequency and are therefore extraordinarily efficient; requiring a fraction of the power or kVA normally needed by line frequency demagnetizers.

Ultrasonic Strip or Plate Monitors for Lamination Defects and Gauge Compliance

The InspecTech® Ultrasonic monitor for pipe skelp or strip material is a multi-channel unit that measures and records material gauge as well as checking for laminations and segregations in the material.

The monitor is used in pipe and tube manufacture as well as in plate and strip mills. In addition to locating defective areas in the material, information is gathered relating to gauge variations and data can be stored for maximum, minimum and average wall thickness.