NDT News

Creaform, a specialist in portable and highly accurate 3D measurement technologies, is extending its expertise in non-destructive testing (NDT) to the aerospace industry.

The company will partner with major aircraft manufacturers who will beta test a new surface inspection metrology solution to ensure it meets aviation maintenance requirements prior to its release in October 2017. With this expansion of access to its inspection solutions, the company believes airlines can more efficiently perform the evaluations of in-service aircraft safety, doing so more quickly and cost-effectively.

In May, Creaform announced it had seen its flagship HandySCAN 3D scanning series certified by aerospace giant, Airbus. It was added to the Airbus Technical Equipment Manual (TEM), which is referenced in the Airbus Structure Repair Manual (SRM). Airbus aligned with Creaform to apply the HandySCAN 300 and HandySCAN 700 models to a range of its aircraft, including the A320, A330/ A340 and A300/310.

Well-known for its NDT solutions for the oil and gas industry, Creaform is now stepping up its interest in supporting the aerospace sector.

“As predictive maintenance becomes more prominent, aviation maintenance professionals and aircraft MRO providers are increasingly on the lookout for innovative methods that enable quicker and safer decisions to be made on the outcome of part defects,” said Steeves Roy, NDT Product Manager at Creaform. “The mapping of external surface defects on aircraft parts, which can prove difficult to obtain using traditional methods – namely hail damage, bird impacts and lighting strikes on the fuselage and wings – can be assessed with 3D scanning.

“When paired with advanced inspection tools, such solutions cut down on the operator’s impact on measurements, shortens time to get the final report, and reinforces decision-making.”