Automated Material Testing System Launched : Dillinger, the German steel manufacturer, launches a unique operation system that will automatically inspect the surface of heavy plate for localised hard spots. The technology was developed to meet the new requirements coming from the oil and gas companies to find and remove hard spots on plate used for special pipelines transporting extremely corrosive medium called sour gas.
The steel plates used for these special pipelines are one of Dillingerâs core products; therefore the plates were first inspected for hard spots during a development phase using a trolley. The new system is fully integrated into the production flow and represents a significant improvement over the previous labour-intensive and time-consuming method of trolley inspections.
In addition, it requires no extra standby time for the inspection during production and the results are also becoming more precise by using highly advanced probes and exact documentation of the inspection, which simultaneously checks both surfaces of the plate. The delivery times are then shorter and the level of security for the customer is much higher.
During the process, the hardened areas are detected in a more reliable way and, since they have a thickness of only a few tenths of a millimetre, they can be removed with a light grinding. As a result, the new automated system ensures the delivery of plate that is 100% tested to be free of hard spots.
The technology is currently being validated by major oil and gas companies, which will lead to Dillingerâs approval as a supplier of this plate.
Dillingerâs aim is to incorporate this technology into the standards as the definitive method. To underscore its unique nature, a new brand was created for the introduction of the method: all Dillinger plate tested with this method is marketed under the additional DTECT brand.
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