World’s First Real-Time Welding Inspection
Almost every month we hear about a new innovation in welding. While this situation excites me a lot, I also wonder which of us will be able to catch this revolution.
InProcess, a spinout from the University of Strathclyde, has developed the world’s first real-time ultrasonic welding inspection system to detect defects instantly.
The system can detect welding defects as they happen, which could lead to significant cost savings for manufacturers by reducing the need for rework and preventing delays. The groundbreaking system leverages ultrasonic waves to ensure that flaws are caught during the welding process, rather than at the end, where corrections are more expensive and time-consuming.
The development of this innovative solution has garnered considerable attention, securing the top prize at the 2024 Converge Awards. The Converge Awards celebrate exceptional academic innovations in Scotland, and InProcess stood out for its potential to transform the manufacturing sector. The company was awarded £50,000 in cash and an additional £20,500 in business support, allowing it to scale its operations and commercialize its technology.
Momchil Vasilev, co-founder and CEO of InProcess, emphasized the importance of welding in sectors such as wind turbine manufacturing, where detecting defects during production can be challenging. Vasilev explained that currently, up to 20% of assets require repairs after production. The company’s new ultrasonic sensor addresses this issue by providing real-time detection, potentially saving millions for fabricators and encouraging the return of high-value manufacturing jobs to the UK.
Georgia2 Goodall
InProcess’s success at the Converge Challenge highlights its strong intellectual property foundations, commercial potential, and scalability. The real-time inspection system offers a much-needed solution for industries aiming to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and support sustainability goals, especially in the production of infrastructure for net-zero energy projects.
For those interested, Momchil Vasilev's article titled “Non-contact in-process ultrasonic screening of thin fusion welded joints” published in Science Direct in April 2021 can also be found here.
I will update you in the coming days when there are more developments on this story.
Discussion