Eddy current testing uses electromagnetism rather than sound. A coil carrying alternating current induces small circulating currents in a conductive material; a crack or a change in the material disturbs those currents, and the instrument detects the disturbance. Nothing touches the flaw, and no couplant is needed.
Its most useful characteristic in practice is that it can work through paint and protective coatings. That single property often removes the most expensive part of an inspection — stripping and reinstating coating simply to look for cracks that may not be there.
What Eddy Current Testing Offers
- Inspection through coatings — surface crack detection without removing paint in many applications
- No couplant — nothing to apply, clean off, or dispose of afterwards
- Immediate response — indications appear as the probe passes, with no processing delay
- High sensitivity to fine cracks — particularly tight, surface-breaking fatigue cracks
- Works on non-magnetic metals — stainless steel, aluminium, copper alloys, and titanium
Where We Apply It
- Weld toe inspection — fatigue crack screening on painted structures and offshore members
- Heat exchanger and condenser tubing — detection of wall loss, pitting, and cracking in non-ferrous tubes
- Structural and fatigue-critical joints — periodic in-service crack detection
- Aluminium and stainless components — where magnetic particle testing cannot be used
- Conductivity and coating thickness checks — material verification and coating measurement
What It Cannot Do
We would rather set expectations correctly than oversell a method. Eddy current testing is limited to conductive materials, and its depth of penetration is shallow — it is a surface and near-surface technique, not a volumetric one. For flaws buried well inside a weld, ultrasonic or radiographic testing is the appropriate method. Interpretation also depends heavily on the operator, which is why the qualification of the person holding the probe matters as much as the instrument.
Why Work With Us
- Personnel qualified and certified in accordance with ASNT SNT-TC-1A and ISO 9712
- Approved service supplier for ABS, BKI, BV, RINA, ClassNK, KR, DNV, IRS and LR
- IRATA-certified rope access technicians who also hold NDT qualifications
- Calibration on reference standards representative of the material and coating thickness
- Based in Batam, close to the yards and facilities we serve
Request a Quote
Phone / WhatsApp: +62 813 7202 1412
Email: info@htmarineinspection.com
Office hours: Monday – Friday 08.00 – 17.00, Saturday 08.00 – 14.00