Industry 4.0 and NDE – AutosonicTM mini + Auto: Automatic system for periodical inspection and test of seamless aluminum-alloy gas cylinders (ISO 18119)

Abstract

The Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) is a fundamental process when high safety standards for the tested component are required. The evaluation may imply a combination of methods to achieve the highest Probability of Detection (POD) resulting in several data available which must be properly collected, processed, and stored for future reviews and for traceability reasons. All these requirements imply a sophisticated digital infrastructure and the usage of the most advanced Information Technology (IT) solutions to achieve computation speed, safe data processing and accessibility of the information. The Industry4.0 revolution is the result of the combination of digital technology to industrial processes for rethinking the performances in terms of automation, integration, crosslinking, availability and sharing of information. These principles can be applied in the NDE process as several products on the market are tested and monitored during the whole lifetime. The tracking of data, the secure data validation, and the need to avoid misuses and manipulations are new additional requirements for the NDE 4.0. Block chain technology, mainly known for crypto applications, is a promising technology for storing digital identity and test records offering traceability, safety and availability of the data. The present paper wants to present the Swiss Safety Center AG approach for a specific application case (retesting of gas cylinders according to ISO18119) where the guidelines and trends of NDE 4.0 have been successfully integrated in a fully automatic system, first in class for this application. The paper wants also to provides some insights about future trends and potential developments which may not be limited to this specific case but can be applied for other similar applications, e.g. in railways, manufacturing industry, automotive, aerospace and more in general in the NDE applications.