TUBE NEWS OCTOBER 2018
A recent test system supplied to a producer of titanium tubes for nuclear applications incorporates MAC’s (Magnetic Analysis Corp.) Echomac® FD-6A ultrasonic instrumentation with TACTIC’s (TAC Technical Instrument Corp.) ultrasonic transducer immersion tank, mechanical handling, controls, and “spin the tube” conveyors to provide a complete turnkey installation.
For this critical application, the ultrasonic test is conducted directly after the drawing operation to verify the tube meets the required specifications before more pieces are run. The Echomac® uses four test channels to verify the OD, ID dimensions, eccentricity, and ovality conditions, and two channels for flaw detection. Tube sizes range from 1/4” to 3” diameter. The immersion tank containing the transducers feeds directly to the FD-6A. The conveyor system consists of a 16’ inlet and 16’ outlet. TACTIC’s rollers maintain the correct helix as the tube is fed through the tester, a critical part of ensuring accuracy during the test.
The Echomac® FD-6A, Magnetic Analysis Corp’s latest UT instrument model, achieves a new level of improved signal-to-noise ratio, finer adjustments, improved thickness resolution, repeatability, and reliability. Featuring MAC’s user-friendly Echohunter® interface software and versatile intuitive operation, control of all key test parameters is on a single screen, and thresholds can be moved by selecting and dragging on-screen. A “Global” key allows parameters for several test channels to be adjusted at once or copied from one channel to another.
The 6A model has also received GE qualification for P3TF31, Class A & B, and P29TF82, Class A & B, a typical requirement for nuclear and aerospace applications. New installations or older ones that need to be upgraded can benefit from the use of the Echomac® FD-6A instrumentation.
Magnetic Analysis Corp., based in Elmsford, NY, and Östersund, Sweden, is celebrating 90 years of providing NDT systems to the metals industry, including ultrasonic, eddy current, and flux leakage test systems. TAC Technical Instrument Corp., based in Trenton, NJ, has been supplying tube producers since 1962 with immersion test systems to inspect cylindrical materials, including tube, pipe, and bars. TACTIC is now a subsidiary of Hatfield, Pa.-based Laboratory Testing Inc., a metals testing laboratory.
