Introduction
Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), also known as Non-Destructive Test (NDT) can provide you with 95% accuracy when compared to physical destructive testing of spot welds. The value of using NDE is that it is much quicker, safer, and easier than destructive testing. This requires that you have the right equipment; advanced systems make it easy for the test technician to get consistently accurate results. There is still a need to train you operators to make sure they are aware of how the equipment works and how to identify issues that need to be resolved.
The right equipment
Make sure you choose a good NDE system that measures the thickness and average diameter or area of a weld nugget. Advanced systems allow you to program acceptable limits for a spot weld and automatically determine if the weld meets your requirements. The system should also log the information for each weld to allow you to analyze the welds and determine if anything needs to be modified with your weld equipment and weld parameters.
Training of the test operators allows you to have full confidence that the system is providing accurate results. It is best to have standardized training and evaluation to make sure your test operators are using the equipment effectively and safely.
Some companies choose to do destructive testing to verify that the accuracy of the NDE system so they can make corrections as they need. With time, you should find that destructive testing to verify the accuracy of your test equipment becomes less important.
Conclusion
With the right equipment and training, you can reduce or eliminate the need to do destructive testing of spot welds. Advanced NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) systems make it easy to evaluate spot welds. The right system combined with good training of your operators can give you confidence that the results are 95% as accurate as a physical destructive test of your spot welds.