100% pipe QC comes to the U.S. (Extrusion).

An ultrasonic pipe-gauging system introduced five years again Europe to provide 100% quality control for critical applications like gas pipe is just now coming to the U.S. Aurex ERS 36 from Inoex LLC, Lancaster, Pa., measures ID, OD, and concentricity of the entire pipe surface. It also detects holes, thin spots, and inclusions and provides a visual display of the size, shape, and location of such flaws. The device has a ring of up to 36 ultrasonic sensors that fire one at a time in clockwise order, at a rate of 6000 rpm. As each sensor fires, the sensors on either side "listen" for the reflected ultrasound waves, as does the sensor that fired the burst. This triangulated signal means that no part of the pipe wall goes unmeasured, and it pinpoints the exact size and location of flaws. The Aurex system is designed for use with Inoex's gravimetric extrusion control system, which continuously calibrates the ultrasonics.

There have been 150 installations of the Aurex ERS 36 in Europe over the past five years for applications from HDPE gas and hot-water pipe to PVC drain pipe. The first two systems in the U.S. will be installed this month at Coastline Plastics LLC in Yulee, Fla., on lines running CPVC industrial pipe. Tel: [phone], www.inoex.de