In April 2023, a new phase for mobile phased array testing began at KARL DEUTSCH. A new agreement for the exclusive distribution for Germany could be signed with the English-French company SONATEST. At the CONTROL trade fair in Stuttgart in May 2023, the PRISMA and VEO type instruments will be on display for the first time at the KARL DEUTSCH trade fair stand.

KARL DEUTSCH‘s start into the Phased Array technology was a funded project with the BAM research institute in 2007. Afterwards, the French company M2M had been our exclusive partner for all applications of phased array technology since 2009. This applied to system engineering as well as to mobile testing devices, which have conquered the market since 2014 on the basis of the innovative TFM technology. KARL DEUTSCH was also a shareholder (35 %) in M2M from 2009 to 2018. In 2018, the majority shareholder TECNATOM (core business: nuclear testing services) from Spain sold its shares to the Canadian company EDDYFI. KARL DEUTSCH then also sold its shares to EDDYFI – now a 100 % owner of M2M. The contract for the exclusive distribution of M2M’s PAUT devices in Germany and Austria was terminated by EDDYFI at the beginning of 2023.

After a comprehensive market analysis, old contacts were re-established. The Husarek and Deutsch families may look back to many years of cooperation. Vladimir Husarek’s (1922 – 2016) company SOFRANEL was KARL DEUTSCH’s exclusive distributor in France from 1973 to 1984. In 2011, his son Pierre Husarek bought into the English company SONATEST.

Pierre Husarek and Wolfram Deutsch know each other well based on many joint meetings and trade fairs. The three family businesses SOFRANEL, SONATEST and KARL DEUTSCH share a similar way of thinking and working. Although they naturally are competitors in the field of conventional test equipment, the now agreed cooperation in PAUT equipment for Germany and Sweden is beneficial for both sides.

Two PAUT units are in the sales portfolio of SONATEST: The PRISMA instrument is available in two hardware versions (16/16 or 16/64). The extremely powerful Veo3 testing istrument with TFMi technology features 32/128-channel hardware and the unique TFMi technology.

The TFM technology has become widely accepted in the field of mobile PAUT, although defect sizing is still carried out by following traditional standards (e.g. DGS/DAC). TFM technology produces high-resolution B-scans and allows precise characterisation of reflectors. With the Veo3, up to six test functions can be displayed simultaneously and up to four test functions can be displayed superimposed (TFMi^TM). The inspection results of different focusings or wave modes are thus evaluated together.