Lack of Nondestructive Testing Alleged in Titan Implosion

Court documents filed in 2018 allege OceanGate allowed the Titan to perform dives without “nondestructive testing to prove its integrity.”

The filing further described that the Titan’s hull is made of carbon fiber, not metal, and was built to withstand certified pressure of 1,300 meters, but OceanGate planned to take passengers to 4,000 meters.

"The paying passengers would not be aware, and would not be informed, of this experimental design, the lack of non-destructive testing of the hull, or that hazardous flammable materials were being used within the submersible," the legal filing stated.

The filing further stated, "Non-destructive testing was critical to detect such potentially existing flaws in order to ensure a solid and safe product for the safety of the passengers and crew."

The complaint was filed by David Lochridge, a submarine pilot and underwater inspector, who worked for OceanGate and says he was fired by the company after he expressed concern about the safety of the submersible vehicle. OceanGate sued him for having breached his employment contract by disclosing confidential information with the OSHA when he filed a whistleblower complaint with the agency. The court filing described above was a response to OceanGate’s suit and alleges Lochridge’s wrongful termination for raising these safety concerns.

Alleged Lack of NDT on Titan Submersible ‘Stuns’ Many in Industry

“I was stunned to learn that the Titan submersible had supposedly not undergone any NDT testing,” said Greg Weaver, president of WeaverNDT, and an NDT professional with nearly 25 years of experience. “It was even more of a surprise to find out that company employees allegedly had concerns over the lack of safety, but that the Titan still proceeded to dive to deep depths with passengers onboard.”

Chuck Hellier, vice president of NDT Classroom Inc., added, “It is inconceivable that a critical submersible such as the Titan was not subjected to the most extensive nondestructive tests available.”

Both Weaver and Hellier cited ultrasonic testing and radiography inspections that could have potentially helped avoid the Titan’s fate. “These methods are used to ensure that the submersible is structurally sound and that it is free of any relevant defects,” said Weaver.

Both also suggested the new design and new carbon fiber hull material provided even greater reason for extensive testing. Weaver noted that carbon fiber has been an accepted material for manufacturing in many industries for several years and known NDT methods are being applied to its inspection.

“The Boeing Dreamliner is a great example where carbon fiber is being used for critical components. The Dreamliner’s fuselage structure is made of carbon fiber, and it is inspected using the NDT method of ultrasonic. This method introduces ultrasonic waves into the carbon fiber and the result is a C-scan image of the inspected area. These are usually very easy images to interpret, and the results are provided quite quickly,” said Weaver. “This type of inspection information is relatively easy to find. It requires only a quick internet search to discover the companies that provide this equipment and services.”

Even a new design and standard hull materials would have come with specific NDT inspection call outs, said Weaver. “They require these inspections and would not be skipped under any circumstance where a human life would be at risk,” he said.

Hellier mentioned the US Navy uses both UT/PAUT and RT for their submarines and these methods should have been used as a minimum [on the Titan], “to provide the utmost assurance that no critical discontinuities were present.”

“With the Titan, we have a new design, but also the use of carbon fiber as a new hull material,” said Weaver. “So, why didn’t the same NDT methods get used?”

Hellier also acknowledged David Lochridge. “I applaud David Lochridge, who was fired by the company after he expressed concern about the safety of the Titan submersible due to the lack of appropriate nondestructive tests,” he said. “I believe the implosion of the Titan may have been averted if the proper NDT examinations had been applied using qualified procedures and personnel.”

Both Hellier and Weaver recognized that NDT inspection is no guarantee. “Of course, there is no guarantee that every flaw can be detected with even the latest techniques due to the many variables such as technique sensitivity, flaw orientation and size, examiner qualifications and procedure used,” said Hellier.

Both also strictly acknowledged that they are observers, much like the rest of us. “With no firsthand knowledge of the manufacturing and testing program of the Titan, the statements made above are all based on secondhand reporting since the horrible incident occurred,” said Weaver.

ASTM International Releases Technology Readiness Report on AM In-Situ Monitoring

ASTM International has announced its Strategic Guide: Additive Manufacturing In-Situ Technology Readiness report. This comprehensive report is the culmination of the second Specialty Workshop series organized by the ASTM Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) and sponsored by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in collaboration with America Makes held in June 2022.

“The report embodies a comprehensive landscape assessment, detailed workshop analyses, targeted expert interviews, and crucial reviews by specialists, all meticulously orchestrated to create an insightful, high-value resource that the industry can tap into,” says Dr. Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs. “The strategic insights will also guide ASTM International and its members to bridge gaps in existing standards, and pioneer new standardization in the field.”

The report aims to shed light on the current gaps and challenges within the field of in-situ technology. By providing an in-depth analysis of the initial landscape and the outcomes of the two-day workshop, the report identifies potential solutions and offers actionable plans for key topical areas in in-situ technology.

“NASA was pleased to support this important effort,” notes Doug Wells, deputy technical fellow with NASA. “The insights from the workshop and the detailed analysis of the AM CoE captured in this report are significant. The report is influential in guiding the Agency in the development of methodologies and policies for the implementation of in situ monitoring technologies into the qualification and certification framework of additively manufactured hardware. We look forward to continuing engagement with this community to bring to fruition all the promise of in situ monitoring to revolutionize the use and acceptance of additive manufacturing in critical applications.”

Members can download this new resource at https://amcoe.org/research-development/publications/.

“The strategic guide that the team has compiled will serve as a beneficial resource for members of the AM community for years to come. The data and findings are a great example of collaboration to promote common understanding. They deliver an approach that advances our ability to leverage monitoring methods and digital data and analytics for AM qualification and certification,” notes Dr. Brandon Ribic, technology director with America Makes.

ASTM International welcomes feedback, suggestions, and information about ongoing initiatives that address the call to action outlined in the report. Future participation is welcome related to these topics, as member involvement will play a crucial role in furthering the advancements of in-situ technology in additive manufacturing.

“The release of this strategic report and guide represents a significant milestone towards the industries maturation,” said Seifi. “It consolidates the collective knowledge and expertise of industry leaders, paving the way for innovation and progress in additive manufacturing industrialization while suggesting tangible solutions to the industry’s core challenges.”

For more information, visit https://amcoe.org/research-development/ or www.astm.org.

QVI Announces Polidor as President, CEO

Quality Vision International Inc. (QVI®) has announced that Keith E. Polidor has been named as president and chief executive officer effective June 9th, 2023.

Keith has had 23 years of experience with QVI, most recently as chief operating officer (COO) since 2016 and as QVI’s corporate secretary since 2007. Prior to his role as COO, he led strategic and operational functions in manufacturing, quality, information systems, and marketing. His educational credentials include an MBA degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and a BA degree from Colgate University. He will be the third generation president of the company.

Keith is stepping into the roles being vacated by Edward “Tarry” Polidor. Tarry’s career with QVI has spanned six decades. He was the second generation company president for 46 years, assuming the role from his father and company founder in 1977. During Tarry’s tenure, the concept of video metrology was invented and introduced to the world, enabling manufacturers to measure their parts optically in new and revolutionary ways, which drove company growth. Under Tarry’s leadership, QVI is well positioned for the leadership transition. He will remain with the company, transitioning into the role of president emeritus.

Tarry commented on the change, saying, “Over the company’s 78-year history, technology introduced and offered by QVI has transformed the industry. Under Keith’s leadership, the tradition of innovation in dimensional metrology will continue.”

For more information, visit www.qvii.com.

131 Manufacturing Groups Press White House for Senior-Level Official to Coordinate Regulations

Following the launch of Manufacturers for Sensible Regulations, 131 state and manufacturing associations sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, pressing the administration that a senior level advisor be designated to coordinate efforts within the White House to ensure that federal regulators are implementing policies that align with the President’s promise to promote the growth of manufacturing in America.

As the letter states:

“President Biden has made strengthening the manufacturing sector a priority for his administration. Historic legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, key energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and the initial permitting reforms in the Fiscal Responsibility Act underscores the commitment that policymakers have made to our industry. However, the onslaught of new regulations, some of which are previewed in the recently released 2023 spring Unified Agenda, is chilling investment, curtailing manufacturers’ ability to hire new workers and suppressing wage growth, especially for the small and medium-sized manufacturers that are the backbone of the supply chain.”

According to the National Association of Manufacturers’ 2023 Manufacturers’ Second Quarter Outlook Survey, more than 63% of manufacturers report spending more than 2,000 hours per year complying with federal regulations, while more than 17% of manufacturers report spending more than 10,000 hours.

For more information, visit https://www.nam.org/2023-second-quarter-manufacturers-outlook-survey/

Innovate for Excellence 2023 Summit

The Innovate for Excellence 2023 Summit will be held on October 26-27, 2023, at the NIU Naperville Campus (1120 E. Diehl Road, Naperville, IL 60563) in collaboration with the ASQ Innovation & Inspection Divisions and Northeastern Illinois Section & the Chicago ASQ Section (Consortium) the Phoenix of the Chicagoland Fall Quality Conference.

The Summit is targeting approximately 8,000 professionals from entry level to the C-suite, for two days of thought provoking conversations, ideas and learnings in innovation, risk, quality and inspection with unparalleled access to experts in a wide range of industries, domains and technical communities.

The Consortium is asking individuals and organizations to sponsor, speak, attend, contribute and/or volunteer. Connect and support the local and global power of the Consortium and gain unique access to knowledge, experience, know-how, and experts by becoming a sponsor for the 2023 Innovate for Excellence Summit.

For more information, visit https://my.asq.org/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=75edeb33-9d3e-4c3e-be9b-01881ae34b08&CommunityKey=c0ed0533-adfb-455f-bdf0-17c2d7e41ccf&Home=%2Fcommunities%2Fcommunity-home%2Frecent-community-events&hlmlt=ED

For sponsorship details, email Nik Porfyris (NPorfyris@MemberLeader.ASQ.org) or Ali Negahi (anegahishirazi@memberleader.asq.org).

The CAPTURE 3D Innovation Conference & Expo Returns

CAPTURE 3D, a ZEISS company and provider of innovative 3D digitizing solutions in the U.S., is hosting the CAPTURE 3D Innovation Conference & Expo October 3-5, 2023, at the ZEISS Quality Excellence Center in Wixom, MI. Typically a biennial event, this year’s conference is the first in four years and brings together a community passionate about digital transformation within product development, quality control, manufacturing and production. With expert presentations, training and breakout sessions that focus on solving industry-specific challenges with advanced 3D metrology technologies, in addition to a reception and dinner event, the CAPTURE 3D Innovation Conference & Expo is both an educational experience and networking event.

Event highlights include:

• Guest speakers: Hear from industry-leading companies using advanced 3D metrology technologies to drive success now.
• Training courses: Sharpen digital engineering skills with easy-to-use techniques to measure and analyze faster and more accurately.
• Breakout sessions: Workshops on topics for managers and engineers to strengthen strategy and abilities.
• 3D Expo with the latest technology and software: See technology demonstrations and hear about current and upcoming innovations from the developers and engineers creating them.
• Networking opportunities: Collaborate with a community of like-minded professionals who share similar goals and challenges.

The conference features live presentations from guest speakers leading the way in product development, quality control, manufacturing, and production. Attendees will learn how these companies apply 3D metrology technology to modernize processes and overcome challenges. Each presentation shares insights from real-world experiences, detailing success stories on topics critical to modern manufacturers, such as implementing automation successfully and strengthening digital transformation by establishing a single source of truth with accurate data. Presentations will also dive into how accurate data from advanced 3D metrology solutions reduce rework, waste, and unnecessary costs to achieve greater sustainability through lean manufacturing. Past conference speakers include Rolls-Royce, General Atomics, NASA, the Department of Defense, Honda, General Motors, Made in Space, and metrology experts from CAPTURE 3D and Carl Zeiss GOM Metrology.

Training and breakout sessions are designed to help attendees succeed in their work by applying 3D metrology trends and best practices. Each session is taught by a CAPTURE 3D or Carl ZEISS GOM Metrology expert. Topics include GOM Software training, metrology trends and automation strategies for managers, new automotive and aerospace metrology techniques for engineers, Virtual Measuring Room (VMR) automated digitalization and dimensional analysis for engineers and more. Attendees will leave understanding how to increase process repeatability, throughput, and productivity with automation strategies that increase profits and deliver a competitive advantage. They will also understand how to leverage intelligent data visualization to make better decisions faster.

At the 3D Expo, attendees will experience live technology demonstrations of the latest 3D measurement technologies, including innovations that will be launched at the event. Technology on display includes blue light 3D scanners, handheld laser scanners, automated metrology solutions and connecting software. Attendees will also tour the state-of-the-art ZEISS Quality Excellence Center, exhibiting the full array of high-tech 3D metrology solutions the ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions portfolio offers.

The event also includes a welcome reception and an offsite dinner networking event, among other networking opportunities. Repeat attendees look forward to this highly popular event to gain knowledge, skills, and relationships that help them thrive in modern manufacturing.

“Our purpose is to change the way people experience measurement by developing innovative technology so our customers can succeed. Our technology brings together people from different backgrounds to create a community of thinkers and achievers. Most importantly, our community cares about the future of manufacturing, and we challenge the status quo to see beyond toward a better and more sustainable future for the generations that follow. We’re excited to celebrate this community at the ninth CAPTURE 3D Innovation Conference & Expo,” said CAPTURE 3D General Manager Richard White.

Guests can purchase an all-access ticket or tickets to training sessions or the conference separately. While prices vary, CAPTURE 3D customers are eligible for free admission for a limited time. For more information or to register, visit www.c3dinnovate.com.

ETQ Announces Winner, Finalists of 2023 Innovation Excellence Awards

ETQ, part of Hexagon, a quality management system (QMS) provider, announced the 2023 winner and finalists for its annual ETQ Innovation Excellence Awards. ETQ customer, Trane Technologies, was selected for the winning project submission, followed closely by submissions from finalists Varian Medical Systems and Nutrien.

The Innovation Excellence Awards were presented during the company’s annual Quality Vision customer conference, which took place live at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.  The awards program spotlights customer ingenuity in using ETQ Reliance® in unique, creative and innovative ways to address challenges in quality and health and safety while unlocking significant business value to the organization.

“It’s one of the toughest decisions of the year to try to name a winner among many outstanding customer implementations of ETQ Reliance, since most customers take advantage of the system’s flexibility to configure to their specific requirements,” said Jamie Fernandes, chief product officer, ETQ. “Our judges were impressed by Trane Technologies’ use of ETQ Reliance to minimize the financial impact of nonconforming materials. And, they were equally impressed with Varian Medical Systems and Nutrien’s ability to optimize and tailor the solution to help meet key safety and compliance quality goals.”

Through their innovative projects outlined below, Trane Technologies, Varian Medical Systems and Nutrien demonstrated significant achievement in the award criteria, including:  

• Very high relevance to ETQ’s core quality and safety markets
• Measurable and meaningful return on investment (ROI)
• Demonstrated expertise in maximizing Reliance’s configurability and integration capabilities

Trane Technologies Builds a Better Nonconforming Materials Solution

Trane Technologies is one of the world’s leading climate innovators, and through its portfolio of environmentally responsible products and services, it brings efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes and transportation. The business was looking for a better way to recover money due from suppliers as a result of nonconforming materials (NCM).

To enable better visibility across internal functions and its suppliers, Trane Technologies reimagined its NCM process and integrated core enterprise systems to its ETQ Reliance NCM application. The team can now quickly identify issues, as well as better manage financial transactions in order to reach its goal of realizing 100% financial recovery. The application has allowed it to compress standard cycle times, improve its recovery method, realize faster and more consistent return revenue, all while enabling better overall supplier communication and engagement.

Varian Medical Systems Ensures Compliance with Field Action Management

Varian Medical Systems, a Siemens Healthineers Company, is a leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions. As a global life sciences company, it must adhere to FDA regulations and those of other regulatory bodies around the world. In order to enable better compliance, it knew it needed to streamline core field action processes.

Varian developed a Field Action Management module for ETQ Reliance to digitize and standardize key processes, such as field action determination, reportability assessment, and action Items containing reports, communications with regulatory agencies and others. Implementing the module in ETQ also enabled it to integrate with other quality records, such as meeting records or complaints and risk assessments, to more easily gather information supporting the field action.

Nutrien Meets Transportation Safety Goals with ETQ

Nutrien, a global agriculture company and the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, operates across 800+ retail locations throughout the U.S. As a U.S. carrier, an integration between the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database was needed to reduce the time spent documenting and reporting roadside violations and corrective actions. Nutrien centralized the DOT Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) workflow in ETQ Reliance to enable comprehensive quality data and insights for improving driver safety.

This initiative has eliminated the need for manual processes, streamlined workflows and disciplinary actions, and supports the company’s goal of safety excellence. Nutrien estimates that the integration can eliminate up to 15 percent of the time previously spent documenting roadside violations and tracking associated data.

In addition to Trane Technologies, Varian Medical Systems and Nutrien, ETQ received submissions for innovative uses and customizations of ETQ Reliance from world-class customers in a variety of industries such as life sciences, healthcare, agriculture and consumer packaged goods.

For more information, visit www.etq.com.