Inspection Trends

ASNT 2024 Breaks Attendance Record with NDE Event in Las Vegas

The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) hosted the ASNT 2024 annual conference on October 21–24, 2024, at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Nev. With more than 2100 guests, the event broke an all-time paid attendance record for the organization. Themed “Engage,” the conference featured advancements in nondestructive examination (NDE), innovative discussions, and celebratory moments.

The conference showcased over 200 exhibitors in the exhibit hall along with more than 100 technical presentations, open discussion sessions, and new events, like the Cool New Ideas competition, which involved six companies competing to decide who has the best new technology, and the AWS Visual Testing Competition.

The Annual Meeting of the Members, held on October 21, featured John Z. Chen, PhD, ASNT board chair, emphasizing ASNT’s strategic goals and ASNT CEO Neal J. Couture, highlighting the organization’s growing impact on the NDE profession. Other noteworthy events included keynote speeches from engineer Tamara Robertson and futurist Dr. Shawn DuBravac, panel discussions on digitalization in NDE and workforce development, and ASNT’s annual Ultrasonic Testing Competition, where Theo Young won first place.

The ASNT Foundation raised substantial funds through auctions, sponsorships, and a commemorative pin campaign. The gala event, ASNT Celebrates!, honored industry achievements with prestigious awards and featured the Las Vegas Raiders’ house band, Pop40, performing at the after-party.

ASNT 2025 is scheduled for October 2025 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla., where industry professionals will gather for another comprehensive NDE event.

AWS Sponsors First VT Competition

AWS held its first annual Visual Testing (VT) Competition on October 22 and 23, 2024, at the ASNT 2024 conference in Las Vegas, Nev. The competition assessed the visual testing skills of Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs) or Senior Certified Welding Inspectors (SCWIs) on welded connections.

Six CWI and SCWI competitors were provided weld samples, visual inspection gauges, and AWS D14.0, Machinery and Equipment Welding Specification, visual inspection requirements. Through a series of multiple-choice questions over three rounds, they were tested on their ability to interpret the code, measure characteristics of the samples, and analyze and evaluate indications to the acceptance criteria.

Lazarao Magaña Martinez from Ixtlahuacán, Mexico, won first place, and Danfer D. Carrasco from Lima, Peru, took second. Both VT winners were awarded a visual inspection gauge and mirror kit, wall plaque, and desk awards. The first-place winner was also shipped AWS’s complete Welding Handbook five-volume set.

AWS Hosts CWI Seminars at Headquarters

AWS held several Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) seminars at its World Headquarters in Miami, Fla., during the last two quarters of 2024.

A CWI seminar taught by Instructor John Yochum took place September 29–October 4. Yochum is a CWI and a construction, engineering, and inspection (CEI) inspector with more than 15 years of experience in the construction industry. His teaching experience includes more than 25 years as a welding and engineering instructor in South Florida public education and technical schools and state college programs.

The attendees of the CWI seminar were Nathanael Adler, Austin Blackburn, Kane Cortellese, Joshua Disher, Alexander Djassemi, Shawn Drummond, John Gusich II, Jeff Gutierrez, Rebecca Kanipe, Jacob Powell, Jacob Reese, Justin Spanos, Scott Thompson, Roman Titov, and Yusuan Valdes.

Additionally, instructors Rick Suria and Yochum held a nine-year recertification seminar from December 1 to 6. Suria is an AWS Senior Certified Welding Inspector (SCWI), Certified Welding Educator (CWE), and Certified Radiographic Interpreter with an ASNT Level III certification. He is also the owner of Industrial Technology & Inspection LLC, Cape Coral, Fla.

The nine-year seminar attendees were John Biggs III, Calvin Chan, Delbert S. Evans, Brian Fox, Garry Gilliam, Michael Jeeninga, Fabio Madeira Pereira, George Martin, Trenton G. Mauk, Arthur McFate, Michael Palin, Drew Payne, Igor Petrenko, Garrett Reynolds, Christopher Selvoski, Daniel Steele, Leland Tennant, Nathaniel D. Vanderhoof, Christopher Wimmer, Ryan Yoder, Billy Young, and Long Xiao.

Finally, a two-week seminar took place December 2–14 and was combined with a part B seminar on December 11–14. The instructors were Rich Campbell and Vince Casella. Campbell is a SCWI, CWB Level 2 Welding Inspector, ASNT Level III VT inspector, and a Bechtel Fellow. Casella is a CWI and CWE, ASNT Level II VT inspector, and welding instructor and ATF supervisor at Lincoln Electric.

The 12 attendees of the two-week seminar were Ankit Awasthi, Ronnie Blount, Alexis Castillo, Joseph Costello III, David Decker, Silvino Guijosa-Bernabe, Heath Knight, John Mi, Jose Miro Mendoza, Joshua Rupert, Joseph Shinault, and David Vlasyuk.

The part B participants were Kyle Benson, Jarrad Brayford, Alberto Camargo, Kyle Daggett, Melvin Djojosentono, Thomas Farmer, Avinash Girdhari, Michael Goglia, Kenneth Grant, Joe Hernandez, Matthew Holliday, Robert May, Stephen Miller, Alex Momo Atemkeng, Johan Puchi Molina, Brandon Rawlins, Porter Ritchie, Thomas Smith, Kyle Yoho, Kathleen Reidl, and Vernon Bernier.

Industrial Welding Inspection Expands NDE Services to Long Beach

Industrial Welding Inspection, a provider of welding inspection and nondestructive examination (NDE) services in Mesa, Ariz., is expanding its NDE offerings to Long Beach, Calif., and neighboring cities.

The company’s expanded services in Long Beach include a wide array of NDE techniques, ensuring comprehensive quality control for welding projects of all sizes. The company’s AWS Certified Welding Inspectors are equipped to perform visual, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, ultrasonic, and radiographic testing.

“Our goal is to ensure that every weld we inspect meets or exceeds the required standards,” said Matthew J. Behlen, owner of Industrial Welding Inspection. “We understand the critical role that welding plays in the safety and reliability of structures and equipment. Our expanded services in Long Beach allow us to contribute more significantly to the region’s industrial safety and quality assurance.”

As Industrial Welding Inspection establishes a stronger presence in Long Beach, the company is poised for further growth and expansion. Plans are underway to increase the local workforce, invest in additional advanced NDE company equipment, and develop partnerships with local educational institutions to nurture the next generation of welding inspectors.

TRIGO ADR Americas Partners with NDT Solutions and NDE Labs

TRIGO Aerospace, Defense, and Rail (ADR) Americas, Auburn Hills, Mich., the American subsidiary of TRIGO Group, has partnered with NDT Solutions, New Richmond, Wis., and NDE Labs, Benbrook, Tex. This collaboration enhances TRIGO’s portfolio by integrating advanced nondestructive examination (NDE) capabilities to address critical needs in North America's infrastructure sectors.

The partnership leverages NDT Solutions’ and NDE Labs’ specialized expertise in NDE for high-stakes components across aerospace, defense, and space exploration, along with NDT Solutions’ testing technologies. The goal is to provide comprehensive services, including training, consulting, auditing, onsite inspections, and testing equipment. These services support lifecycle reliability and regulatory compliance for key industries.

“Our partnership with NDT Solutions and NDE Labs significantly strengthens our position in the aerospace, defense, and rail sectors, alongside with our capabilities and responsiveness in NDT,” said Steffen Spell, president of TRIGO ADR Americas. “NDT Solutions holds specialized qualifications, making them a valuable partner as we broaden our reach in high-stakes quality management cases.”

Together, the three companies will expand audit and inspection services, ensuring suppliers meet stringent quality standards across production and operation stages.

The three companies will expand audit and inspection services, ensuring suppliers meet stringent quality standards across production and operation stages.

Conair Increases In-House NDE Capability, Critical for Safe Aerial Firefighting Operations

Conair Group Inc., Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, has expanded its in-house ability to perform nondestructive examinations (NDEs) on its fleet of over 55 aerial firefighting aircrafts.

This expansion mitigates the need to rely on third-party providers, enabling the company to schedule and complete inspections between fire season contract periods, ensuring bird dog lead planes, air tankers, and water scoopers are available to government agencies when needed.

“NDT [nondestructive testing] is split into surface and subsurface techniques,” said Alfred Modino, Conair’s Component Shop Level 3 NDT Technician. “Conair is now fully equipped to support the fleet using both technique types, performing inspections utilizing eddy current, ultrasonic, liquid penetrant, and magnetic particle testing.”

The company employs six accredited NDE technicians and a two-person team dedicated to executing inspections performed to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards.   

“In the future, we plan to develop the NDT program further, performing inspections on our U.S. subsidiary’s fleet, located at Aero-Flite in Washington state. And we are investigating adding digital x-ray capability,” Modino said.

This essential service is necessary to secure the continued airworthiness of the aerial firefighting fleet, ensuring safe missions and ongoing response. Each Conair aircraft undergoes a thorough period of heavy maintenance once a fire season contract with a government agency has closed, typically taking four to six weeks to complete.