Ultrasonic Testing Devices

Compared to other technologies, ultrasonic testing devices allow the earliest possible detection of damages, long before they result in a downtime or system failure. Defects such as gas leaks, worn bearings or partial discharges most often generate ultrasonic sounds that are inaudible to humans. For example, small leaks create turbulences that are not audible before they get bigger, and a bearing's frequency changes before it cracks. Simply put, your equipment is talking to you long before failing, but you cannot hear it. This is where our SONAPHONE devices come to your help: They detect the ultrasonic sound emissions of leaks, failing bearings or partial electrical discharges and let you hear them, so that you can identify and repair the concerned components. Thus, implementing a preventive maintenance strategy using ultrasound gives you time to order needed parts, plan and execute repairs without being surprised by unexpected downtimes or costly system inefficiencies.

The use of ultrasound in preventive maintenance delivers reliable results even in the presence of industrial noise. Our ultrasonic detectors operate in the frequency range above 20 kHz, which is beyond the range of human hearing. In noisy industrial environments, this frequency range is less affected by typical industrial background noise, as most industrial noise is in the low-frequency range below 20 kHz. So what for humans is loud industrial noise does not impact our devices.

The earliest sound signals generated by defects are in the ultrasonic range - our sensors are designed precisely for these frequencies. Many ultrasonic measurements, for example in the field of bearing inspection, are also carried out by direct physical contact with the object to be examined, which further minimizes the influence of surrounding noise.