Engineers and technicians across major manufacturing industries use fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI), a non-destructive testing method utilizing black light and a dye penetrant, to identify surface flaws in materials li...
The new Met‐L‐Chek website, www.Met‐L‐Chek.com, will launch on October 3, 2022. Some valuable new features of the website include: Batch Certification Lookup Lab Service Overview Updated Product Pages Industry Specif...
ASTM E-1417 states (Paragraph 7.3.4.2) that “Hydrophilic post emulsifiable penetrant shall be removed with a water Pre-rinse, application of the hydrophilic emulsifier and then a post-rinse.” There is an unanswered question a...
We frequently get questions concerning the shelf life of our products. Shelf life is a term that can be defined differently by different manufacturers, and we explain what is the practice for Met-L-Chek. This information is a...
Penetrant Viscosity It is easy for some of us to speak about “old times” in the penetrant business. In the early days, which implies something like 30 or 40 or 50 years ago, one of the requirements of the QPL was to list the ...
We get a wide range of questions, from the sublime to the ridiculous. But we always understand that the question, no matter how “far out” it might seem, is an important one for the person who has asked it, and we treat it tha...
Hydrophilic Emulsifier We probably do not say enough times that the subjects that are addressed in this publication originate with those folks who use penetrants. The last issue featured information about hydrophilic emulsifi...
Here again, there is a lot of common sense involved. One should simply see that junk- oops, foreign material – does not get into the penetrant. But it does happen. There is the obvious poor practice of people throwing stuff i...
We do not know to what extent this subject is a problem for anyone in the USA, but it seems to have come up in Europe. There is a lot of common sense involved in this subject, and probably most, if not all, of our readers wil...
Hydrophilic Emulsifier Concentration This subject comes up from time to time and it is time to discuss it again. The hydrophilic emulsifier is used in method D post emulsifiable penetrant inspection. It is supplied as a conce...
We have often looked to other NDT practitioners for input for Penetrant Professor articles. In this case we are basing the article on the newsletter put out by two knowledgeable French friends, Patrick Dubosc and Pierre Chemi...
Is Water Washable The Same As Water Based? We recently had a customer call who was being pressed by an auditor to prove that the level 3 water washable penetrant he was using, (Met-L-Chek FP-923), was not a water-based penetr...
What Is The Smallest Crack You Can Find? The proof of the pudding that this newsletter is driven by its readers is much more obvious to us than perhaps to the readers. But a sterling example has just occurred, as a reaction t...
Pesky Penetrant Contaminants Although the major components of penetrant inspection products usually cause no problems with the metals with which they contact when used correctly, there are some minor contaminants that can cau...
Indication Brightness In the last issue of this newsletter, we discussed the work being done at Iowa State University with regard to penetrant inspection. To reiterate the place where you can get all of the detailed informat...
One of the services that Met-LChek provides to the NDT community is the writing, updating and editing of the various specifications and procedures related to penetrant inspection. This includes the ASNT Penetrant Handbook, wh...
This subject was discussed in our 2nd anniversary issue of the Penetrant Professor in 1995. Funny how time flies but the questions remain the same. Every penetrant manufacturer is asked about what temperature their penetrant ...
A Few More Thoughts On The Evolution of Penetrant Specifications The past two issues of the PENETRANT PROFESSOR have concentrated on the historical path of the relevant qualifying documents and the journey to develop a method...
Penetrant Application & Sensitivity How is the best way to apply penetrant, and does the method of application have any bearing on the sensitivity of the process? This is a question that arises from time to time. It is no...
How Much is Enough? We often get this question. A person will phone and ask about how much penetrant (or remover or developer) will be required for a job that needs to be inspected. Often the person does not have any data abo...
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