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11 March 2006

Test House Offers On-Line, Client-Accessible Tracking Of Inspected Components

With the introduction of its unique EDITS system, NDT Inspection & Testing Ltd, one of the largest independent inspection service providers in the UK, can now offer clients on-line access to comprehensive, date- and time-stamped information on any of its components being inspected at any of its 3 test houses. This new electronic tracking facility, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, is further demonstration of the company's commitment to providing total traceability and accountability for all inspection work. Although the system is currently dedicated to the castings inspection sector, it can be readily adapted for other parts manufacturing applications.

EDITS is a Windows-based system which is centred on a massive data base containing every relevant inspection technique, specification, test parameter and acceptance standard. Information from clients can be supplied verbally, by handwritten note or in Excel format and this is then fed into the system's Access data base by a dedicated team at the company's Queensferry headquarters. All inputs conform to fixed reference data and nomenclature to minimise the possibility of transcription mistakes caused by human error. Each stage of the component's inspection is then recorded and stored, from initial receipt to final delivery. As a result, component-specific first indication responses (FIRs) and non-conformance reports (NCRs) are generated quickly and reliably and any corrective action taken noted, to assist in client quality control procedures.

Every action and parameter of the inspection process is logged by the system from part identification, part material and inspection technique to the film and exposure time of any X-ray inspection. For standardisation, the operator selects any defect found from a drop-down list.

Reports generated by the EDITS system can be in any form of statistical or graphical, Windows-based output and can include information such as key performance indicators and defect characterisation. Attachments to reports can be in the form of specific machine drawings, set-up jigs, photographs and, in the case of digital radiography, "as recorded", high resolution radiographic images. Clients have on-line, password-protected access to inspection data at all stages of the process using standard telecoms, while secure and fully auditable electronic archiving ensures long term traceability.

EDITS represents an invaluable manufacturing management information feedback tool to improve quality and production performance monitoring. Companies producing castings for the aerospace, automotive and power generation sectors will not only benefit from the easy accessibility of comprehensive and reliable inspection data allowing real time assessment by themselves and by third parties, if required, but also from the confidence that inspection outputs are based on high integrity inputs, so ensuring more efficient and accurate inspection.

NDT Inspection & Testing, which is UKAS & Nadcap accredited, is a centre of excellence for radiographic, advanced ultrasonic imaging and a wide range of more traditional inspection services using state-of-the-art solutions to inspection problems from its strategically located operating sites throughout the UK.

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