Ultrasonic Testing - Turntable Axis Scanning
This SOP provides instructions for starting a simple operation of the sdi Ultrasonic Testing Equipment
Conestoga College - SMART Centre
05/29/2025
Ultrasonic Testing - Turntable Axis Scanning
This SOP provides instructions for starting a simple operation of the sdi Ultrasonic Testing Equipment
Safety Precautions
- While machine is operating don't have any limbs past the wheel guides. - When scanning and moving ensure that you don't hit the turn table or the walls. - When removing your hand from the water, avoid letting it drip over the electrical box. - Check if water is clean and clear of air bubbles.
Incase of emergency hit the E-Stop located on the left side of the system by the electrical box of the machine.
Setup Procedure
NOT GENRALY NEEDED as this should usually be on by default.
1. Turn the E-Stop clock-wise until it pops outward. 2. press the reset button (the light to the left of the button.
1. Turn on the computer under the desk. 2. Open up the UTwin software.
Starting a Simple Turntable Scan
1. Press 'File'. 2. Press Open Project. 3. Select QNDE PROJECT_TT SCAN_UTwin.pro (This is an already set up template for the XY scans). 4. Select 'Save Project As' to make sure the default settings don't change for the XY axis scans. 5. In the textbox write the file name you want it to be saved as. 6. Press 'Save'.
1. To move the arm select the remote diel icon. 2. This opens the motion controller which controls the movement when there isn't a scan in progress. 3. 'X' positive moves the arm away from the electrical box and 'X' negative move it closer to the electrical box. 4. 'Y' positive moves the arm away from the side wall closet to you and 'Y' negative move it closer to the side wall closet to you. 5. 'Z' positive moves the sensor and 'Z' negative move it down. 6. 'G-A' rotates the sensor axis up and down. 7. 'G-B' rotates the sensor axis left and right.
1. Put the sensor in the water and wipe the bottom to clear any air pockets. 2. Move the sensor so that it is above the turn table. 3. a) Open 'Receiver Settings'. b) Set 'Delay' to 0, 'Width' to 100, and 'Gain' to 10. 4. The first spike you see is the residual noise created by the sensor. You can get rid of this by inputting a delay in the receiver settings or using the arrows at the bottom of the graph. 5. Use the 'G-A' and 'G-B' to rotate the scanner until the spike is at its tallest. This indicates that the sensor is now perpendicular to the turn table. 6. Enter 90 to the 'G-A' text box and uncheck all of the boxes other than the 'G-A'. 7. Press 'GoTo Position' to turn it 90 degrees.
Shake the part under the water to get rid of any air bubbles sticking to it as it will cause some interference when scanned. Set the part on the chuck under the water and tighten the jaws separately. It should be as close to center as you can get. Move the scanning arm until you get the highest peck. now the sensor should be dead center on the cylindrical part.
1. Move the sensor so that it is positioned in front of the part. 2. Change the the gain so that the top of the tallest peak is at around 60%-70% to the top. To see the information of the scan we need to 'gate' the different spike areas (some spikes can be ignored as they're reflections). 3. To add gates open the 'Receiver Settings' and press the 'Gate' tab. 4. Press the 'Setup for Gate #' and select 'Gate 1'. 5. Press 'Enable' to enable the gate (There can be up to 4 gates). 6. The gate can be moved around and change its size by click and holding it or using the 'Start' and 'Width'. 7. The gate detection can be changed in the 'Detection Threshold(%)'.
1. Move the sensor so that it is positioned lowest point of the part that you want to scan. 2. In the 'Motion Controller' press 'Set Position' -> 'As Home' -> 'As Start'. 3. Move the sensor to the top of the part. 4. In the 'Motion Controller' press 'As End'. 5. In the 'Motion Controller' press 'GoTo Start' to return to the point that was set as the start from step 2.
1. Go to the 'C-Scan' page (The C on the bar). 2. Press the 'C-Scan Settings' button (which looks like a fish tank) to change the c-scan settings. 3. Ensure that the scanning axis is Z and the index axis is T, as The X and Y axis are for the turntable. The speed of the scanning and the resolution can also be changed here. 4. To start the scan press the 'Start C-Scan' button (looks like a traffic light). 5. Press 'Start Test'
Evaluating the Scan
1. Go to the Review page (The R on the bar). 2. On this page you can see the wave forms captured on the different point on the piece, review any imperfections captured, etc. 3. In the 'File' the graph data and the scanning data can be saved.
Source: Conestoga College - SMART Centre (Community Member)