Company History
Vibrant NDT is a partnership formed between Johnson and Allen Ltd and Vibrant Corp in the USA.
Vibrant NDT was formed to promote the use of PCRT in the aerospace,power generation and other industries, after obtaining the UK license to utilise the technology from Vibrant Corp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
PCRT is revolutionary. It is an NDT technique that can determine entirely, if a component is structurally sound and fit for service.
PCRT - “A sound green option for the NDT world”
History - Various forms of resonance based testing have been in use for over 100 years, dating back to the practice of striking metal components with hammers to check for "ringing" of the component that indicated a lack of resonance deadening cracks.
The current state of the art resonance based testing began to take shape in the late 1980's when scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory began to combine advanced computing power with precision frequency generation technologies to carry out analysis on the effects of manufacturing variations on the resonance signatures of metallic components. This raw but promising technology was licensed by the Quatro Corporation in the early 1990's, and was spun out as a company called Quasar International in 1993. Quasar focused the technology development on the automotive market, spending 10 years and nearly $10M dollars in the development of a high speed automated NDE system called Process Compensated Resonance Testing (PCRT) for Tier 1 suppliers to the Big Three auto makers. Today, more than 100 PCRT systems have been installed world wide, where they test more than 150,000,000 parts per year.
In 2003 Mechtronic Solutions, Inc. (MSI www.m-s-i.com) began working with PCRT to tailor the technology for the needs of the aerospace and power generation industries. In 2005 MSI licensed the technology and formed the Vibrant division to pursue the new markets. Working closely with the scientists and engineers of Quasar, Vibrant has developed PCRT applications focused on the lower manufacturing volumes found in the aerospace industry. These applications bring the power of PCRT to bear on new production quality control and leverage the unique life management capabilities of the technology. Vibrant is now an independent Corporation carrying out pilot projects with several major aerospace manufacturers and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) firms.
In 2007 Vibrant Corp (www.vibrantndt.com) with Johnson & Allen Ltd (www.johnsonandallen.co.uk) met under a R&D scheme hosted by The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC http://www.amrc.co.uk) with Boeing . The AMRC are a multi-million pound partnership combining the scientific excellence and cutting-edge research of the University of Sheffield's faculty of engineering with the expertise and technological innovation of the world's leading aerospace and advanced manufacturing companies. The AMRC identifies, researches and solves advanced manufacturing problems. Researchers work with individual companies on specific projects, and collaborate on generic projects for the benefit of all members. R&D topics at the AMRC are determined by the board of industrial partners. This ensures that work is focused on industrial commercial requirements, and provides lasting value to members.
The Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future as pictured above, is the 2nd phase development of the AMRC aimed with the primary purpose to develop and apply new manufacturing technologies , initially for the aerospace sector with subsequent spin-outs into other lucrative industrial markets.
In 2008, realising the two companies were perfectly matched , Vibrant NDT Ltd was formed as a separate entity to promote and utilise PCRT systems within the United Kingdom. Vibrant NDT Ltd operates from the Factory of the Future, with technical support from the Vibrant Corporation and Johnson & Allen Ltd.