‘Experts’ Weigh In

For years, the Visual Eddy Test System has been slighted by so-called industry experts as “sub-standard and inferior” to the other eddy current test system.  The reason for the bashing is that the Visual Eddy does not have "cool" graphics in the software. It was said many times, “all you have to do is change the software to make the unit right". Nothing was ever commented on how the instrument functioned, its ease of use or accuracy.  These comments come from people who know very little about eddy current testing.  Unfortunately, "cool" graphics cannot make up for an instrument which cannot find flaws accurately.  Perhaps these so called 'experts' should stick to what they know best.

The Truth Is In the Testing

There are hundreds of aluminum cylinders rejected by inspectors using the Visual Plus III sitting in warehouse. In an effort to determine their disposition, side-by-side tests comparing the Visual Eddy to the Visual Plus III were conducted.  The Visual Eddy found every crack, every time and did not reject a single cylinder because of folds.  That's 100% accuracy, every time.  The Visual Plus III did not fare as well.  The Visual Plus III will reject/condemn on folds, find cracks which do not exist and miss critical cracks over 50% of the time.  Case in point ...  Not long ago, a fire department in rural Iowa had all their cylinders condemned by a hydrotester using a Visual Plus III.  Needless to say, the fire chief was not happy to find out that the cylinders had no defects.  This is still under investigation. 

Almost on a daily basis, perfectly good cylinders are being rejected using this faulty instrument. At a recent training seminar, it was stated that "you will get false positives 57% of the time".  The fact is that the industry knows that the Visual Plus III does not work all the time and still the instrument is being used.  Shame on the industry.  The instrument does not work and the end user's safety hangs in the balance. The Visual Plus III has a basic design flaw and all the software upgrades in the world will not fix this instrument.

Eddy Current In Aviation

Through the media, we have all been exposed to the recent Southwest Airlines incident.  An Airworthiness Directive was issued by the FAA requiring the owners and operators of the Model 737-300 series airplane.  The directive called for eddy current inspections. Those inspections were performed by highly qualified technicians using quality instrumentation giving accurate results all the time.  There is no room for instrumentation working 50% of the time on airplanes.  If perfection is demanded in the aviation industry, why is 50% accuracy acceptable when inspecting high pressure aluminum cylinders.

What Makes The Visual Eddy So Good

The Visual Eddy is manufactured by Centurion NDT, located in Streamwood, Illinois.  Centurion NDT has been in business for about 20 years designing, manufacturing and servicing non-destructive test instrumentation.  Its eddy current products are written into many aviation test specifications for organizations such as Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, Grumman and the United States Air Force.  Centurion NDT's mission is to provide the highest quality test instrumentation which is simple and easy to use, at an economical cost.  Precise quality, design, and performance standards are stressed in very instrument carrying the Centurion NDT label, and the Visual Eddy is no exception.  This instrument performs flawlessly because it was designed to and would not be sold if it did not meet the design criteria.

A Call To Action

It is time for this industry to adopt the same quality and safety standards as the FAA does in aviation.  There is simply no room for a test instrument which does not work all the time.  It is unfortunate that many dive shops and hydrotest facilities were hoodwinked into purchasing a test system because of some "cool" graphics on a computer.  The bottom line is that the Visual Plus III is defective, should not be used for qualifying high pressure aluminum cylinders. It should be recalled and or banned from the marketplace.

Look For The Visual Eddy Sticker

As a diver, firefighter or any end user of a high pressure aluminum cylinder, one should insist that the tank being used was eddy current tested with the Visual Eddy test system.  This is the only way to be certain that the best instrument was used to verify your tank.  Look for the Visual Eddy sticker on the side of the tank and if its not there, ask why not.  Take responsibility for your safety and demand that the tank be inspected with the right equipment.