SPOTLIGHTw Robotic Inspection J U L Y 2 0 2 1 • M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N 699 Robotic PAUT Inspection System Magnetic Analysis Corp.’s automated Echomac® PA TW robotic phased array ultrasonic system monitors scarfing operations and detects weld zone defects in welded tubes and pipe during production. This system can be installed online in the hot zone with temperatures up to 252 °F (122 °C) for profile monitoring with immediate feedback to allow adjustment of the welding operation and stop production of defective material. Installation can also be in a lower-temperature area below 140 °F (60 °C) for inner diameter/outer diameter longitudinal flaw detection and profile monitoring after forming and shaping. The test operations are conducted without the need for mechanical movement or operator adjust- ment of the transducers and test head. Magnetic Analysis Corp. Elmsford, New York mac-ndt.com Smart Robotics Tool HEBI Robotics, a spin-off of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, is expanding its robotics offerings with MAPS, a new smart tool for indus- trial inspection. MAPS (Modular Absolute Positioning System) makes it possible to perform fully encoded nondestructive inspections on any complex surface, faster and more reliably than conventional methods. MAPS is a lightweight, portable, passive arm that continuously measures the full absolute position and orientation of a probe as it is moved along any surface. Thickness data from the probe is combined with positional data from MAPS to create fully encoded scans of complex surfaces like pipe elbows, tees, reducers, and nozzles. HEBI Robotics Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hebirobotics.com w Laser-Excited Acoustics Technology XARION’s unique laser-excited acoustics (LEA) technology enables noncontact ultrasonic testing (UT) of composite parts with high resolu- tion. The combination of ultrasound excitation by laser pulses and XARION’s proprietary ultrasound detector achieves the best of two worlds: it matches today’s standard liquid-coupled UT in sensitivity and resolution and it does not require water or coupling gel. The compact LEA probe is fully fiber-coupled and has been designed for robotic inspection from the start. Its robustness against misalignment and surface varia- tions ensures high signal-to-noise ratio over the whole inspection area, rendering costly manual retesting a thing of the past. XARION Laser Acoustics GmbH Vienna, Austria xarion.com