USL                     Ultrasonic Sciences Ltd

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World leading ultrasonic inspection systems and instruments

 

 

 

For more than 20 years we have supplied automated and semi-automated ultrasonic testing systems to meet the requirements of the most demanding customers throughout the world. These incorporate our highly versatile PC based ultrasonic instruments with an unrivalled combination of sensitivity, signal to noise ratio and immunity to external noise sources.

We design and manufacture the complete system, including mechanical scanning units, electrical / electronic control, ultrasonics and software. You can rely on us to ensure that whatever system you need, it will perform quickly and reliably to the highest standards. 

We can provide equipment designed to solve a specific inspection problem or suitable for general purpose applications. The systems can be used for generation of ultrasonic images of components using scanning mechanisms coupled with data acquisition electronics, or they can automatically sort materials into accept or reject categories.

Click on the "products" link at the top of this page to see a selection of the products we manufacture. The systems are divided into specific types - for example immersion systems, squirter systems and so on. You can see our latest Newsletter on the Download page.

 

 

 

LATEST NEWS FEBRUARY 2010

 

  •     Delivery - multi axis immersion system for inspection of complex geometries

An advanced immersion inspection system has been supplied to a UK manufacturer of aerospace components. Although this is a relatively small system, it is the most complex machine that USL has built in terms of the number of axes used during a scan and the amount of data acquired during the scan.

 

There are 12 axes in total - X, X1, X2, Y1, Y2, Z1, Z2, A1, A2, B1, B2 and R. These are used in combination to scan complex composite products which are held in a rotating fixture shown in the picture below. The principal scan axis is in the Z direction, with all other axes moving at the same time to maintain normal incidence and alignment of transducers on both sides of the part. Multi gate C scan data is acquired in both pulse echo and through transmission modes and full waveform data is stored simultaneously for processing later.

Pulse echo data is acquired in linear amplifier mode with DAC (distance amplitude correction) and through transmission data in logarithmic mode, giving an optimum combination of results for evaluation of the product.

 

This picture shows a calibration standard mounted in the rotating fixture to check for alignment of the manipulators on both sides

 

  •    January 2010    Two new orders

A steelworks in Austria has ordered a second immersion system from USL to be used for automated quality control checking of billet samples. The system will scan multiple cross sectional slices in a "step and repeat" mode, automatically adjusting the water path on each sample so that the results are comparable across all samples, even when the section thickness varies.

A second "ICAM" acoustic microscope will be supplied to a UK manufacturer of electrical components for routine inspection of brazed products. The system generates records of "% voids" at the joint interface by analysing C scan images using simple analysis routines. The original machine will also be upgraded to the current hardware and software standard. The systems will be used not only in the UK factory but also in a new factory recently completed in Shanghai, China.

  •     January 2010    Delivery - system upgrade

A laboratory scanning system at Oxford University has been upgraded with the latest USL PM30 Pulser Receiver and 250MHz analog - digital converter, together with our latest scan utility software. This enables researchers to generate multiple gate C scan images and to acquire and process full waveform data. The system was first supplied in 1993 incorporating an expansion crate with the ultrasonic, motion control and data acquisition electronics. These are now all housed in the desktop PC.

  •     December 2009    Major expansion at USL

We have doubled our production area by expanding into an adjacent building, giving us a total area of around 19,000 square feet. Combined with increases in staff levels, this will enable us to expand our capacity to meet the high level of current and expected orders during 2010 and 2011.

  •     Delivery - multi purpose inspection system

A multi-purpose system (shown below) has been installed at a UK aerospace manufacture, capable of performing a number of different inspection tasks on widely differing components, including:

1. Testing bonded joints on shafts up to 4m long located on a turntable, using a double through transmission method.

2. Testing electron beam welded joints from the internal and external surfaces, using pulse echo and through transmission modes.

3. Testing composite tubes on a roller system.

4. Testing forged and machined titanium alloy products.

In some of these applications the automated inspection replaces a laborious manual task, whilst in the bonded joints application the inspection time is reduced by a factor of about 10X in comparison with the previous method.

 

  •     Article in "Aerospace Testing International"

Read an article about some of the latest USL developments in the "Aerospace Testing International 2010 Review" at: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/2d772b66#/2d772b66/90 or alternatively get the article from our download page.

  •     2009    System acceptance - complex geometry squirter system for composites

Factory acceptance trials on a 17 axis complex geometry squirter inspection system have been successfully completed at USL. The system will now be  partially dismantled for transport and installation at BAE SYSTEMS in Samlesbury, UK, joining two other similar systems on the same site. The system has 10 simultaneous scanning axes, 5 programmable motorised fixture axes and 2 "axes" which actively control the pump speed for the squirters.

The acceptance trials included not only functional tests on representative composite parts, but also EMC testing together with PUWER and CE certification assessment by an accredited third party. 

 

  •      2009 Delivery - immersion system upgrade

USL has installed an upgraded ultrasonic, data acquisition and motion control  system on a Krautkramer scanner at a UK aerospace R&D laboratory. The upgrade provides a comprehensive ultrasonic capability, with software for multi-gate C scan imaging together with full RF acquisition and processing.

 

  •       2009 New orders - immersion systems

Recent orders have been placed for three immersion systems by two different UK customers. One will be used for automated thickness monitoring of diffusion bonded fan blades, with two way links with the customers CAD system. This will upload the optically measured surface profile, which will be used to modify pre-programmed ultrasonic scan routines so that they will perfectly match the component. The thickness measurement data will then be downloaded back to the CAD system for analysis.

Two special purpose systems have also been ordered for an engineering application. These are 4 axis systems incorporating a bubbler probe, with the capability for programmed contour following of roto-symmetrical parts.

 

  •      2009    Installation and acceptance - immersion inspection system for composites

A 5 axis immersion system for composite inspection has been installed at BAE SYSTEMS. This has two separate functions, depending on the type of part to be tested. For complex geometry components, it uses a single transducer to follow surface contours. For flat and single curvature parts multi element phased array probes are used to achieve high speed inspections. For example with a 128 element array probe scanning at a 1mm inspection pitch, a throughput of 1 m2 per minute can be achieved, thanks to a recent development of USL's PHASYS array electronics.

 

 

 

 

 

  • 2009 New Orders - 2 complex geometry systems for composite inspection

Contracts have been signed with two new customers in China and Malaysia for the supply of complex geometry squirter inspection systems for composite materials. These companies are major suppliers of composite parts to Boeing, Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers. These systems will be the 9th and 10th systems of this type supplied by USL in recent years.

 

In common with other systems of its type, these will perform the following functions simultaneously in the same scan:

        A.    Contour following of complex shapes at high speed.

        B.    Through transmission inspection using a logarithmic amplifier.

        C.    Pulse echo inspection from both sides using a linear amplifier.

        D.    Full RF waveform acquisition.

 

 

Double click on the picture to see a video

(This is NORMAL scanning speed, and is not increased to make it look better!)

Machines with this configuration are currently in operation in UK, Netherlands and China with further systems in manufacture for UK and Denmark.

 

  •   2009 Delivery - 3 upgraded systems for inspection of titanium fan blades

A third upgraded immersion system has been delivered to Rolls Royce for C scan inspection of bonded titanium alloy fan blades. Previously two separate inspections were necessary, but using our advanced ultrasonic capability we are able to combine the two tests into a single scan. We can carry out C scan inspections using a logarithmic and linear amplifier at the same time and using the same probe.

In addition to upgrading the ultrasonics and data acquisition, an additional rotary motion axis has been added, together with special fixtures to hold and rotate the blades during the inspection.

The systems were originally manufactured by Meccasonics with entirely analogue control and acquisition - it is now fully digital. A third system will be upgraded in the near future.

 

 

 

  •   Acceptance - 12 axis combined squirter and immersion C scan system

Acceptance has been completed of a combined squirter and immersion system at the National Aerospace Research Centre (NLR) in the Netherlands. This comprises a 12 axis scanner with a 3.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 metre scan volume and a turntable, together with a motorised removable immersion tank.

 

The system design allows very versatile operation including:

Squirter inspection using through transmission (TT) and pulse echo (PE) techniques

Immersion inspection, also using TT and PE

Squirter and immersion inspection using a turntable

Scanning of complex geometry components

Click on the link below to see a video produced by NLR.

http://www.nlr.nl/smartsite.dws?l=&id=10671

 

  •     Installation - Propeller blade inspection system

A new 6 axis immersion system has been installed at a UK manufacturer of composite propeller blades. This is the second system of its type at this customer, the first having been in continuous production use for more than 9 years. In common with the earlier unit, the new system will store the full RF waveform during scanning over the blade profile and following the surface contours, with B scan images being viewed offline while a new scan is taking place