Liquid Penetrant

Liquid penetrant inspection offers exceptional versatility as a method for detecting surface cracks in parts made from any of a wide variety of materials.

Parts undergoing liquid penetrant inspection are first thoroughly cleaned to be free of oil, grease or other contaminants. After cleaning, a penetrant material is applied to the part’s surface where it remains, or dwells, for a specific length of time. At the end of the dwell time, the penetrant is carefully removed with water or solvent and a developer is applied to draw any penetrant trapped in cracks to the surface where it will be visible. Parts determined to be defect-free are cleaned again to remove the developer.

Liquid Penetrant Inspection at Hammitt & Associates

We have the flexibility and capacity to perform liquid penetrant inspections on a wide range of parts in both low and high volume applications. Because we serve the automotive and aerospace industries where reliability and safety are primary concerns, we use only type IV penetrants. The increased sensitivity of these penetrants helps us in locating small, tight surface defects that lower grade penetrants might not reveal.

Liquid penetrant inspection in the field is conducted by highly skilled and qualified technicians using portable liquid penetrant equipment. Our service area includes the entire Midwest.