spring2022 - 14

FEATURE
The
Nortec
600 is
portable
and
weighs
just 3.7
pounds.
Nortec 600 Looks for Flaws on Earth -
and on the International Space Station
By Rebecca Kanable
T
he latest advancements in eddy current
flaw detection can be found in the
Nortec 600 from Olympus Scientific
Solutions Americas Inc.
The device was put to an extreme test
when astronauts used the device to inspect
cracks on the International Space Station.
As Ghislain Morais, product leader, Eddy
Current Product Line, wrote in a Jan. 28
Olympus InSight Blog, " Going into space is
arguably the most extreme environmental
test there is. "
The rugged device has a protection rating
of IP66 and a battery life of up to 10 hours. A
bright, 5.7-inch VGA display produces visible
eddy current signals in any lighting condition.
The Nordtec 600 is used for surface
inspection, wheel inspection, bolt hole testing,
conductivity and coating thickness measurements,
and weld inspection.
For surface inspection,
the NORTEC
600 includes all the standard features for
medium-high frequency surface inspection,
including impedance plane views, 10x10 grid,
sweep (strip chart), multiple alarm configurations,
automatic lift-off, and others. New
features include fine (expanded) and web
grids, and the automatic internal balance
circuit (for BNC connector).
For wheel inspection, wide gain range
(0 -100 dB) and state-of-the-art electronics
deliver signals, without requiring a
preamplifier.
For bolt hole (rotary scanner inspection), the
Nortec 600 has predefined factory settings.
The flaw detector's filters are set by default to a
14 e-Military Product News For Aviation * SPRING 2022
" figure 6 " signal shape, the typical shape of the
rotary bolt hole application. A " figure 8 " signal
shape can be selected if needed. Fitter settings
also can be selected automatically according to
scanner speed settings.
For conductivity and non-conductive coating
thickness, the Nortec 600 can measure
thicknesses of up to 0.64 mm (0.025 inches)
on non-ferromagnetic materials.
For weld inspection a pre-defined setup
helps simplify instrument preparation and
calibration.
James Bittner, an NDT applications engineer
and technology specialist with Olympus,
said eddy current is used to inspect metallic
aircraft and, to a lesser extent, composite
aircraft, as well as engine components and
subcomponents.
Olympus
spring2022

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