NDT Then and Now

NDT History | Definitions | Liquid Penetrant FAQ's | Magnetic Particle FAQ's

By definition, nondestructive testing is the collective name given to repeatable processes applied to components or structures to interrogate their integrity, in such a way as to not impair their ability to operate or perform.

At the turn of the twentieth century, such tests were crude, relatively insensitive and not widely used. There was eyeball examination aided by low power magnifying glasses. Also, hearing tests were performed by tapping metal parts with a hammer and listening for any difference in the ringing sounds produced.

In the early 1920s, x-ray, which had been used only by physicians, was shown to be applicable to inanimate materials. While radiography can detect subsurface or interior defects in metals, a reliable, inexpensive testing method was greatly needed to locate surface cracks and discontinuities in high quantities of machine and structural parts.

That method was Magnetic Particle Testing, based on the principle of using a piece of magnetized metal and applying magnetic particles to find invisible defects, without harming the part in any way. It was the foundation for the MAGNAFLUX Corporation, founded in 1929 by A.V. de Forest, a research engineer and professor at MIT.

Today, nondestructive testing and the name MAGNAFLUX are synonymous. Since the early 1930s, MAGNAFLUX solutions have been woven into the fabric of American manufacturing and innovation.

Name an important technological event in the last 70 years, and it's hard to imagine not finding a connection to MAGNAFLUX. From the factory floors that made aircraft during WWII to NASA test labs that put a man on the moon, MAGNAFLUX was there.

As the new millennium approaches, MAGNAFLUX will continue to play its part. To support the need to lower total manufacturing costs, MAGNAFLUX solutions are preventing the waste of time, materials, machines and manpower spent in finishing products that could otherwise be substandard.

To contribute to what could become the most important events and discoveries of the twenty-first century, MAGNAFLUX will be present to supply supercritical nondestructive tests for aerospace, the automotive industry, civil and structural engineering, the military, and others.

Wherever a desire exists to push the limits or to simply achieve a higher standard, MAGNAFLUX will be there to help improve the quality, reduce the costs and increase the output.