The mechanical engineering department at KARL DEUTSCH develops and designs state-of-the-art testing machines, mostly for the metal-producing and metal-processing industry. Metal plants and suppliers to the automotive industry, such as forges and foundries, as well as manufacturers of ball bearings are important customers. Safety relevant parts for railways and aerospace are also examined with NDT.

We developed an immersion tank testing system (ECHOGRAPH TTPS) for a renowned German customer. In a kick-off meeting, the following goals were set for the design:

• Test parts: Aluminium billets with diameters from Ø140 mm to Ø700 mm
• Length: 500 mm to 2000 mm
• Straightness deviation of the billets:
• max. 1 mm/m
• Inspection task: 100 % volume inspection with short inspection time
• Rotational and linear speed can be adjusted separately with high precision
• Movements are synchronised to enable gapless helical ultrasonic inspection
• Adherence to time and cost schedule

After defining the tasks, the focus was on developing the best solution for our client. The search for ideas required creativity and innovative thinking. In this phase, the team thought about the immersion tank, the horizontal support and the positioning of the rotating rollers. Within the team, solutions were quickly presented. This resulted in many ideas and approaches that now had to be evaluated in the decision-making process. An effectice design has a large influence on the costs. This initial phase is therefore extremely important. Before different versions are evaluated, the corresponding evaluation criteria must be established, compared and weighted. Once a concept for the immersion tank had been agreed upon, the detailing phase began. The status was discussed at regular intervals with the project manager, the in-house production division and the customer. This ensured that all wishes could still be taken into account during the design phase. After the individual parts, assemblies and drawings including parts lists were created and handed over to the work planning department, the project went into the next phase. For the design team, however, the work is not over at this point of the project. Our designers are always available for queries, whether for our suppliers, for the production or for the service engineers during commissioning. For us, the job is only finished when the system is running successfully and the customer is satisfied.