Non-destructive testing (NDT) of bar stock is subject to constantly increasing demands concerning the quality of the test. This applies to bright precision steel and special bar quality (SBQ) levels as well as to hot-rolled black steel bar and wire, which often are used as a semi-finished product for cold-drawn bars.
Until the mid-2000s, eddy current inspection only was still sufficient to meet the quality requirements of the automotive industry. Today, non-destructive ultrasonic testing has become a standard method for most material qualities.
To avoid that the increased inspection requirements affect the profitability of the products, automated phased-array ultrasonic testing of long steel bar and wire stock became part of the standard inspection process.
In contrast to conventional test systems, ultrasonic phased-array inspection systems consist of fewer individual parts, since the direction of the sound is no longer generated by mechanical adjustment of probes, but electronically. This also eliminates the need to manually set the ultrasonic incidence angle, which requires a certain amount of operator skill and is time-consuming.
Phased-array test systems require significantly less maintenance, have a higher level of availability and, at the same time, place lower demands on the personnel than conventional ultrasonic test systems, since all settings of previously prepared data sets are made fully automatically and are reproducible.
Waygate Technologies' line of Krautkrämer ROWA™ Ux Industrial Automated UT systems are the most compact and simplistic solution for the full-body inspection of bars, billets and wire stock made from (stainless) steel alloys, aluminum, brass and titanium on the market.
The system is designed for the highest quality requirements and meets all common ultrasonic inspection standards such as ISO 18563, AMS2154 Class AA, NADCAP as well as the industrial standards of the automotive and aviation industries. The compact dimensions of the mechanics enable for the most cost- effective integration into existing or new inspection lines. The optionally available reference standard manipulator “RSM” also enables a fully automatic, 100% reproducible sensitivity adjustment without any operator influence.
Our Krautkrämer ROWA™ ultrasonic testing solution is trusted by manufacturers, certifiers, and auditors alike for proven reliability, performance, and detectability. Combining 20+ years of experience in phased array technology with a simple and robust design, Waygate Technologies developed the ROWA™ Ux 400 mini for small diameter steel bars in the 6-25mm diameter range.
Using industry-leading phased array technology, the ROWA™ Ux 400 mini now allows efficient inspection of such metal bars before they are further processed. The new solution reduces overall cost and offers greater productivity at consistent quality for the automotive, engineering, construction, power generation and chemical industries.
Its stationary mounted phased array probes are controlled by software and electronics only, eliminating manual intervention and allowing greater ease of operation. Employing a simplistic design without any rotating parts like probe holders, seals, and bearings – which typically need a lot of manual adjustment, care, and service – the ROWA™ Ux 400 mini requires lower maintenance, increases uptime and takes productivity to the next level.
The Krautkrämer ROWA™ Ux Series is the mostcompact full-body inspectionsolution for inspecting metal bars available in the market. Due to the compact dimensions of the mechanics, the ROWA™ Ux system can be seamlessly integrated into an existing inspection line or installed offline in a rolling mill manufacturing process for quality assurance purposes.
The Krautkrämer ROWA™ Ux software has been fully revised in accordance with the latest usability standards. Operators must simply follow the workflow that takes them through the whole inspection process from beginning to end:
Setup – Calibrate – Inspect – Analyze.
Krautkrämer ROWA™ Ux 's state-of-the-art USIP|xs electronics platform processes the gathered inspection data at very high speeds for fast on-line inspection with an exceptional probability of detection.
Its modular design with digital optic signal transmission between boxes facilitates robustness, easy maintenance, and enables the fast change of broken electronic parts. Because of this integrated box design, less spare parts are needed.
With newly implemented capabilities, the Krautkrämer ROWA™ Ux achieves up to 30% higher testing speeds.
Thanks to theautomatic calibrationandsystem checkswith the reference standard manipulator RSM, you can achieve maximum calibration repeatability without user intervention.
The Krautkrämer ROWA™ Ux meets ISO 18563, AMS2154 class AA, NADCAP, and all majorautomotiveandaerospaceindustry standards.
The Krautkrämer ROWA™ Ux has compact test mechanics with non-moving parts, no bearings, and no rotating seals due to Phased Array Technology. This results in overall system robustness, short changeover times, and minimum commissioning time.
The ultrasonic coupling is realized by a rotating water (ROWA) jacket, generated by tangentially flowing coupling water. It constantly expels dirt and prevents air bubbles from forming in the water. The bars are then fed into the test chamber one-by-one on linear tracks by a guiding and transport device. A lifting/shifting table is required for the installation of the test mechanism within the guiding and transport line.
Our team of field-trained experts will give you the kind of assistance you need, from simple troubleshooting to full application consulting on your new test requirements. You’ll have trusted support every step of the way with the 24/7 support of a global player.
- Test objects:
- Metal bars
- Test diameter range:
- Round D 6-260mm
- Test speed:
- Up to 120m/min
- Detection capability:
- Flat bottom hole D≥0.7mm
- Side drilled hole D≥0.3mm
- Surface notch t≥0.1mm
- Untested ends down to 30mm
- Deviating requirements on requests
