Ultraoptec presents the Luis system to the world.

BOUCHERVILLE, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 1995-- UltraOptec, a Canadian company specialized in optical instrumentation and advanced electronics and whose headquarters is in Boucherville (Quebec), has just announced that it will launch its LUIS system onto the world market.

The LUIS is a unique inspection system which uses laser-ultrasonics to inspect parts made from composite materials. The system's major effects will not only be felt in the fields of aeronautics and aerospace, but also in the automobile and transport industries in general.

The LUIS (Laser Ultrasonic Inspection System) was recognized by the United States Air Force as the inspection technology, and therefore acquired a LUIS for their base in Sacramento California. Now available on an industrial level and mainly destined for the aeronautics field, the system can be adapted according to needs, for production and/or maintenance of planes; that is wings, parts of the fuselage and other parts made of composite materials.

The market for composites has seen significant growth in the past few years. Composite materials are particularly well adapted for the military aeronautics field, because of their low weight and their strength, as compared to the metals used so far. It is expected that, within the next few years civil aviation and the transport industry will follow the military's lead and gradually start integrating composite materials into their equipment and vehicles.

Offering a wide variety of possibilities, laser-ultrasonic technology can be profitable in production environments, that is in quality and production control, in detached parts inspections and in inspecting intact airplanes.

Contrary to conventional ultrasonic inspection systems, laser-ultrasonics can save much time and money as no particular preparation is needed prior to inspection. Furthermore, since parts to be inspected do not need to be sub-merged in a liquid, risks of damaging or corroding the parts are eliminated. The laser-ultrasonic technique also offers much more flexibility and maneuverability.

The system is controlled from a distance with the help of a light beam, therefore no physical contact with the part is needed. With conventional systems, the transducer or sensor used to generate and detect ultrasound must be made to contour the part which considerably lengthens the inspection time for large parts. When using the conventional ultrasonic methods, it is quite common for a simple assembly of parts to take hours to prepare, sometimes days, without even beginning the inspection.

The LUIS can inspect parts from 5 by 5 centimeters, up to structures of 12 by 4 meters. It can also inspect composite material parts that have very complex geometries. Generation and detection of the ultrasound accomplished with the help of a light beam. The results acquired from this beam are independent from the orientation of the beam and the shape of the inspected surface.

The LUIS has the capacity to display three dimensional views of the inspected structures or parts which greatly helps interpret the results. The system is entirely automated; using it requires no expertise or specific knowledge in the fields of optics and lasers. It is user friendly in that it has a high performance software platform coupled with a data analysis and archiving software.

Among the LUIS' future applications is the detection of corrosion in metal structures. We know that in the field of aviation corrosion is a constant preoccupation, and that agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration subjects airlines to material control. Conscious of the importance of this problem, UltraOptec in collaboration with the Industrial Materials Institute of Boucherville (Canadian National Research Council) is studying the detection and evaluation of corrosion.

Laser-ultrasonics technology is working towards new and promising perspectives for industry in general. We estimate that companies can profit by incorporating the LUIS system.

Thanks to its flexibility, the LUIS has brought a breath of fresh air and vitality to inspection methods on materials of today and of tomorrow.

CONTACT: Jocelyn Lavoie, [phone]

[phone] (fax)