In April 2023, a new phase for mobile phased array flaw detectors begins at KARL DEUTSCH. A new agreement on exclusive distribution for Germany has been signed with the Anglo-French company SONATEST. At the CONTROL trade fair in Stuttgart in May 2023, the PRISMA and VEO instruments were on display for the first time at the KARL DEUTSCH booth.
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 the phased array technology since 2009. This applied to system modules as well as to mobile testing equipment, which has conquered the market since 2014 on the base of the innovative TFM technology. KARL DEUTSCH was also a shareholder (35 %) of 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 instruments in Germany and Austria was discontinued by EDDYFI at the beginning of 2023.
After a comprehensive market analysis, old contacts were re-established. The Husarek and Deutsch families can look back on 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 through many joint conferences and trade fairs. The three family-owned companies SOFRANEL, SONATEST and KARL DEUTSCH share a similar way of thinking and working. Although they naturally compete in the field of conventional flaw detectors, the now agreed cooperation for PAUT equipment for Germany is beneficial for both sides.
SONATEST has two PAUT flaw detectors in its portfolio: The PRISMA is available in two hardware versions (16/16 or 16/64). The extremely powerful VEO3 with TFMi technology features a 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 generates high-resolution B-scans and allows precise characterisation of reflectors. With the VEO3, up to six inspection functions can be displayed simultaneously and up to four inspection functions can be superimposed (TFMiTM). Thus, the inspection results of different focusings or wave modes are evaluated together. TFMi^TM is unique in the market for PAUT testing instruments! KARL DEUTSCH is happy to demonstrate this new feature.