At Aluminij we are using an ultrasonic testing, which is an indispensable component of quality inspection for aluminum extrusion billet and forging stock. Depending on the application, fully automatic linear or helical stations are available to be integrated in the production flow or installed as stand-alone installations, as required.

Testing of cast billets for center cracks and cavities has been standard practice in aluminum cast houses for many years, however, usually with portable hand-held UT equipment, which means only random checks are made. For the production of highly stressed components, particularly for the aircraft and automotive industries, reliable examination of all billet material used is mandatory. Ultrasonic testing should be performed directly after casting to avoid costly further processing of faulty material.

For quality control of billet surface Hertwich has developed a billet surface inspection using ultra sound technology for every billet in order to reliably detect even smallest surface defects on aluminium billets caused by the casting process and if any detected it is removed automatically.