12 Aug Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc. Receives NAVAIR Phase II.5 SBIR Contract Award for Enhanced LASLAT Projection Thermography Development
PRESS RELEASE
July 29, 2019
Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc. Receives NAVAIR Phase II.5 SBIR Contract Award for Enhanced LASLAT Projection Thermography Development
Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc., Ferndale, MI, USA; www.thermalwave.com
Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc. (TWI) has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II.5 contract from NAVAIR for further development of its Large-Standoff, Large-Area (LASLAT) system, which performs Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) of large aircraft structures using active thermography. Unlike conventional NDI techniques, which require a sensor to be in direct contact with the aircraft, LASLAT operates at a 10-15 ft. standoff distance, decreasing inspection time by operating at rates as high as 8 sq. ft./min. The first LASLAT unit, delivered to NAVAIR FRC-E (Cherry Point, NC) in January 2018, has reduced V-22 proprotor blade inspection time by 80%. Further development under the SBIR Phase II.5 contract will be performed in cooperation with NAVAIR FRC-SW (North Island, CA) to improve detection capabilities across a wide range of aircraft structures on the E-2 and F-18 platforms and to provide more streamlined integration with existing maintenance workflows.
Dr. Steven Shepard, President of Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc. commented, “LASLAT is proving to be a real breakthrough technology, providing high-resolution NDI of large parts to our aviation and space customers. We are excited to be extending the capability even further with NAVAIR.” Maria Frendberg Beemer, Technology Lead on the LASLAT program, added, “We’ll be using this opportunity to make significant improvements to LASLAT detection capabilities, speed and workflow, and address specific NDI capabilities across a wide range of NAVAIR platforms.”
About Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc.
Thermal Wave Imaging is the leading innovator and the premier solution provider in the field of thermographic Nondestructive Testing (NDT). TWI pursues the most challenging NDT applications for the world’s leading companies and research institutions in the aerospace, power generation and automotive industries, also serving industries ranging from automotive, marine, electronics, and sporting goods. Since 1993, TWI has played a pioneering role in moving the technology from the laboratory to the “real world” of manufacturing and maintenance. TWI products are known as the worldwide standard of excellence in thermography, used in the most demanding manufacturing, in-service and research applications.
Building on a physics-based approach to signal processing, dedicated hardware development and application-specific algorithms and procedures, TWI has deployed state-of-the-art inspection solutions for the field, factory floor and large-scale advanced manufacturing around the world for over 25 years. TWI’s patented Thermographic Signal Reconstruction (TSR) method, introduced in 2001, has been widely recognized as a breakthrough in the field of thermography and has played a significant role in the growth of thermography in manufacturing and in-service inspection applications. In addition to flaw detection, the quantitative nature of TSR enables material characterization, including precise measurement of thickness, defect depth and thermal diffusivity in a wide range of composites, metals, polymers, ceramics and advanced materials.
For More Information
Dr Steven Shepard, Principal Investigator
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