What can i expect with my experience ?

Date 07-22-2008 13:55

If you have a passion for quality, I would look for a company who shares your same values.
However, you are living in a place where quality seems to always be replaced by profit and market share. I have seen some quality products from your country, then when they get up to full production, the quality falls quickly. The response from the supplier is always have to lower cost to give you good price.
If the company exist in China who will start demanding from its suppliers and provide to the market place a quality product, that company will dominate its industry. The work ethic of the Chinese worker amazes me. However they are limited by management who thinks lower cost, lower quality for cheaper price is what the world wants. The company management only looks at the bottom line and seems to want to sell Bratz dolls more than equipment which can compete.
Find that company if it exist in you country. If not, you may need to expand your horizion. You may need to develop some new skills, such as becoming a AWS/CWI to increase your value.
Welcome to the site and hope the forum will offer you guidance.
BABRT's

By hogan

Date 07-22-2008 14:23

It seems hard to believe that you could acquire all of those level II certs in one year. Making it difficult to recommend anything.

By ravi theCobra (**)

Date 07-22-2008 15:18

Have you considered ABS or Veritas ?

By raptor34 (**)

Date 07-22-2008 20:35

I dont find it hard to believe, i was level II in pt, mt, vt after 9 months and rt and utt after 1 year

By hogan

Date 07-22-2008 21:05

Raptor34,
Please see the following posts of chang

"I am wondering what can I expect to find as an inspector qualified in UT, MT, PT and VT level 2 according to ASNT"

"My experience is quite short, being only one year, doing mainly ndt supervision"

previous posts:

By chang Date 01-04-2008 09:22 Hello all !

I am posting for the first time but have been reading for a while. Thanks for all the tips ...

To introduce myself i do UT since recently and have been sent on my first assignements in China (where i live - originally from europe though). The last workshop i have been to, I had to witness a UT inspection. The inspectors had no calibration block and were using analogic machines. It was a bit of a test to me and they were trying to explain how they do it without calibration blocks.

From my understanding (not talking about a UT on a weld right now), they put the probe on the part, raise the BWE at 80% screen height and then add, depending on the size of the part, 30db up to 48db if it is a large one. After that, if any flaw is detected they would play along with the db adjustment, seeing how much db above the "calibration" it needs to reach 80% screen height and would make their calculation, also depending on the depth ... and so on ...

They showed me a little chart they use as a reference but its all dirty and old and in chinese so I couldnt read much ... this was quite a weird inspection and I dont know what to think about it. On one hand i can see what they are doing, approximately, but on the other hand, the whole process is so un-academic to me ...

I am asking you if this is a way to do an inspection without calibration blocks, and if there is anywhere i could find more details about it, as it would help me understand what they did, and also it could be handy i guess ...

Thanks in advance =)

By chang Date 01-06-2008 14:00 First - thanks for all the answers, I appreciate the help =)

Then to answer and clarify a bit the situation.

The inspections were on large cast steel parts (shafts, tyres, press rollers ...) using a straight beam probe and a analogic or a electronic device. In most cases it was the analogic and in these cases, especially for large parts, they were claiming they dont have big enough calibration blocks ...

About the standards, they knew the ones I was using as the company i was working for has been a regular customer and they have all the documentation in english and chinese.

As I have said, their judgement was based on a chart they have been using for years and years, telling them that a given % of the screen height peak and the depth of the flaw would be enough information to calculate the size of the defect. This method is way too different from what i learned and it is just impossible to cross check what they are doing. Some other inspector, foreign, with long experience, didnt seem to mind but i could never get the catch. I have asked other inspectors as well, and all give me answers like you are giving me.

I can speak a bit of chinese and what i have learned with the chinese guys doing the inspections is that their method is their own company's standard which is in accordance to China's standard ... although i havent cross checked that one as i wasnt using them.

So as for now, i know i was right ... hopefully the parts I have inspected didnt show any defect, otherwise it could have been an endless nightmare, debating the pro/against of their method with them with a possibility to reject the product in the end.

Thanks again and I will keep you posted if i can learn more about their methods.

Chang

By chang Date 07-19-2008 00:28 [quote]Are you using RT-2, 3, or 4? I am taking it that this is a Category B weld?[/quote]

I am not sure about that RT 2,3 or 4 ... im not a RT inspector, i am just checking the procedure.

The welds are category C. And indeed, UW-11 states it is not required to perform RT on these babies. Nevertheless, the code on this project also mixes with the customer's order specification and the drawings mention spot RT. It is a contradiction, but in this case, im usually going for the most stringent, so I can't be "wrong" in the end.

Thanks for your thoughts, im going to read more about that.

By chang

Date 07-22-2008 23:02

Hogan ... what is this about ? Anything personal ?

The second quote of my posts is my first post on this forum, first experience ... is this so hard to believe that you could need help when a situation like that occurs when you are just qualified with UT ?

Last quote is about RT, and as said, i am not RT qualified, i am just making sure the RT procedure is according to ASME.

Now, if you don't believe it, that is your own issue, i guess some people are too anal to give a chance to younger workers without as much experience.

That would not be the first time i have met a condescendant person in the inspection world, just because discrediting others make them believe they confirm their own ability.

By hogan

Date 07-23-2008 14:55

chang,
Nothing personal, I can see why you got a little annoyed. I'm sure you will be able to continue your NDT supervision work at many locations in your area.

By johnnyh (***)

Date 07-23-2008 18:24

You are probably right.

By soilschick (*)

Date 07-24-2008 01:41

I would rather see someone ask questions when they do not know or are unsure of the methods. It can make the difference between catching a small, possible problem to ignoring it and down the road it becomes a huge issue. I prefer a new person willing to learn and easy to train than someone who is stubborn and insist they are right, when they are not. Chang, with your passion for NDT and willingness to learn, you will have few problems. If you could find someone more experienced and ask if they would mentor you, if you want of course. Off the topic, what part of China are you working? I loved China and wish I could go back. But that will never happen due to current circumstances.