Krautkramer Branson

Krautkramer is the world's largest designer, manufacturer, and marketer of high technology ultrasonic instruments and transducers. These instruments utilize ultrasound to examine the internal integrity of metals, plastics, and composite materials. The Krautkramer instrument product line includes flaw detectors, thickness gauges, hardness testers, and inspection systems.

Our products are used mainly to test materials such as steel or plastic for cracks and defects, and to measure material thickness either as part of a manufacturing cycle or during the life of a product or component.

Each of our flaw detectors and thickness gauges requires a piezoelectric transducer to convert electrical impulses to acoustic energy. The resultant sound wave propagates through the material under test until reflected by a crack, inclusion, disbond or the boundary of the part under test. The reflected acoustic wave is reconverted to electrical energy by the transducer. The lapsed time and amplitude of the reflection yields information about the thickness and/or integrity of the part.

Ultrasonic flaw detection and thickness measurement have applications in most industries. Typical uses include:

• Primary Metals Manufacture In line inspection or prove up for defects and wall thickness of tubes, pipes, bars, billets.
  
• Welding in all industries, including nuclear, construction, and automotive. Inspection for defects, both to test a new weld, and to retest a weld after service.
  
• Aerospace (Airframe and Engines, Military and Civilian) Inspection of critical components during manufacture, and as an in-service inspection to check for fatigue or corrosion defects.
  
• Chemical and Petroleum Monitoring of thickness in pipework to insure that corrosion or erosion does not lead to a dangerous situation. Monitoring software is also available.