The ND3 Training Advantage
Since our inception in 2006, ND3 has been synonymous with robust and reliable training. We understand that the quality of work performed by an inspector is directly linked to the training they receive at pivotal moments in their career. At ND3, we are committed to transforming complex topics in Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) into engaging, interactive learning experiences.
Our approach emphasizes communication with students, not just talking at them. We use innovative training techniques to help all students, even those who struggle, overcome challenging concepts. By fostering an environment that encourages curiosity and growth, our instructors do more than read from slides—they engage students, inspiring a genuine desire to learn and become better technical staff.
We cultivate a lively and supportive atmosphere, free from pressure, which naturally leads to success. Experience the ND3 difference for yourself. Contact us today and discover how we prepare today’s and tomorrow’s NDE technicians for excellence in their careers. We truly work to build confidence through competence for every student.
Please visit the training pages or contact support@nd3llc.com for more detailed information for each course offering.
NDE Training
Having independent third-party training says a lot about you or your company. Interviewing a prospective employee or being interviewed with a certificate issued by ND3 says a lot too. Our Clients, both company pay and individual pay, know that the NDE education that is provided by ND3 means something when translated to field assignments. Our graduates have confidence built through competence. Please click below to see general information for many of the classes that ND3 instructs. As always, we update each curriculum several times a year because, we too, learn something during our presentation and remain up to date in the technology and practice of NDE.
Radiography
Industrial Radiation Safety, Radiography, Transportation of Radioactive Sources, and Film Interpretation
Industrial radiography is a nondestructive testing technique using high-energy radiation to penetrate an object resulting in an image on a detector such as film, digital panel, or phosphorus plate. Before any worker can perform industrial radiography, many jurisdictions require completion of a minimum of 40 hours of industrial radiation safety.
Radiation Safety prepares the worker for a career in industrial radiography so that he or she can protect all radiation workers and the public from the effects of ionizing radiation. Our Industrial Radiation Safety Course has been approved by relevant agencies and has been developed over our more than 30 years of delivery to a lot more than just the jurisdictional minimum.
Industrial radiography technicians use the precepts learned in their Radiation Safety course to work safely while using these invisible dangerous rays of energy.
Industrial Radiography courses, either Level I or Level II, instruct the radiographer on how to produce radiographs of high quality using geometric principles of enlargement, image production, processing, and others.
In order to use the source at a temporary jobsite, you have to transport the device to the site. A class in Transportation of Radioactive Material is specifically how to safely, and within the provisions of the regulations, get that source from point A to point B and back again. The class meets the DOT requirements for the employer responsibility for formal training when the employer accepts the training from ND3.
Radiographic image interpretation teaches the candidate how to read the radiograph in whatever form it takes—conventional film or electronic image. Key to becoming a great radiographer is the ability to classify what’s seen on the radiograph and dispose of it correctly. Attend a film interpretation class and learn how to quantify and qualify the radiograph using proven techniques.
Industrial radiography is, perhaps, one of the most versatile and widely used inspection techniques because it produces a fixed image that is easily understood and widely interpretable.
Ultrasonics
Ultrasonic Testing
Ultrasonic testing involves the use of high frequency sound waves to determine the condition of a component. These high frequency sound waves, ultrasound, travel along very distinct paths and reflect from a surface back to the transducer allowing the technician to “see” inside the part being tested.
There are two primary modes of propagation for industrial ultrasonic techniques, longitudinal beam for determining thickness of the component or some material properties and flaws, and shear wave testing which projects a sound beam in at a refracted angle allowing for the detection of welding or material flaws.
Of paramount importance in ultrasonic testing is the operator’s ability to know where the sound is and to interpret the returned signal that would often indicate a flaw in the material or reduced thickness or could mean nothing at all. Our courses are designed to ensure that you can perform properly not only the system setup and examination, but can tell the difference between good and bad by fundamental interpretation of those blips.
Other ultrasonic modes exist but are instructed on an “as-needed” basis such as EMAT, time of flight diffraction, or guided wave ultrasonics, for instance.
Visual Inspection
Visual Inspection
Visual Inspection is the use of the eye to conduct an inspection. Some say that all inspection is, at its’ heart, a visual inspection. Methods such as Magnetic Particle or Liquid Dye Penetrant are methods that directly use the eye to determine the presence of a discontinuity by increasing the contrast between the inspection surface and the defect.
Visual Inspection should be performed prior to each application of another inspection method to determine, partially, if the inspection should continue. For instance, if, during a visual inspection, a crack on the surface is found, there isn’t much point in applying ultrasonic shear wave.
Many National and International visual inspection certifications exist which rely on the eyes of the inspector to find flaws in many different types of equipment such as:
- API 510 for Pressure Vessels
- API 570 for Pressure Piping
- API 653 for Above Ground Storage Tanks
- AWS CWI for Welding Inspection
Obtaining a good background in Visual Inspection is generally regarded as necessary to make inspection personnel the best that they can be, regardless of the method to be employed. Our visual inspection course generally focusses on welds and fabricated components but has been modified to meet the needs of many industries.
Dye Penetrant
Dye Penetrant Inspection
Among the most widely utilized non-destructive testing techniques is Dye Penetrant (PT) Inspection. PT inspection is an extension of the Visual Method in that the colored oil used in dye penetrant has high contrast with the inspection surface when performed correctly. Often, the PT method has the same acceptance criteria as the visual method.
This technique is primarily used to find surface breaking discontinuities that may not be detectable using other volumetric techniques such as radiography.
When testing a non-ferromagnetic material, the use of visible or fluorescent dyed oils, which (through capillary action) work their way into surface breaking discontinuities, only to be blotted out of the indication by a powder is the basic premise of Liquid Dye Penetrant Inspection.
Although not the most sensitive method available, dye penetrant inspection is very versatile and improves with the technique employed by the inspector. In addition to the how and what, ND3 focusses on technique and when to suggest another, more appropriate method if one is available, for instance when inspecting a coarse-grained casting.
Mag Particle
Magnetic Particle Inspections
Among the most widely utilized non-destructive testing techniques is Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI).
This technique is primarily used to find surface breaking discontinuities and, in the case of MPI, some subsurface discontinuities. MPI is, in many cases, an extension of the visual method and often uses the same acceptance criteria. Like the liquid dye penetrant method, the magnetic particle method relies on higher contrast than the visual inspection method.
Magnetic Particle Inspection of ferromagnetic materials relies heavily on the laws of magnetism, possibly first introduced by Aristotle in the mid 300’s BC. Using magnetic fields, small
ferromagnetic particles are attracted to leakage fields (defects) and are visible at the accumulation site.
Magnetic particle inspection can be highly sensitive when testing a ferromagnetic surface and is normally used within industry as a supplementary or stand-alone testing method.
Eddy Current
Eddy Current Testing
Quickly becoming a cost-effective alternative to Magnetic Particle Inspection, Surface Eddy Current Inspection allows for the operator to locate cracks and other surface and near-surface discontinuities without the need for costly removal of non-metallic coatings. Often, surface eddy current inspection is used to perform a survey and, if a discontinuity is found, the coating is removed, and Magnetic Particle Inspection is used to verify the presence of the break.
Other eddy current inspection techniques are used for determining the condition of heat exchanger tubes used primarily in refineries and chemical plants. In this arrangement, the Eddy Current Probe coil is most often positioned within the tube after cleaning. Using Eddy Currents, the operator can reliably determine the position of the indication, internal or external, and extent of damage.
Eddy currents are generated when a current conducts into a coil that, in turn, produces a small magnetic field around the coil. This magnetic field produces eddy currents in the metallic material, which can be measured and analyzed.
When the eddy current probe is brought into proximity to a defect, the eddy currents are disrupted causing a deflection of the currents noticed by the pick-up coil and display on the screen.
Rope Access
Rope Access Training
Having NDE skills is awesome and will certainly make a career, but when your new NDE skills are coupled with a Work at Height or Industrial Rope Access certification, you have truly brought your career to a new height. Our relationship with the premier rope access and work at height training provider in the country, AccessRULES, means that you can come to our facility, get trained in NDE and, seamlessly, transition to a rope access class.
Rope access certification is an important component to your career in NDE as being able to quickly and safely access non-traditional workplaces to perform inspections has become very important to industry. AccessRULES stands as the industry leader, providing the highest quality training in rope access with the same focus on engagement and care as ND3.
Whether you pursue a certification to the SPRAT, IRATA, or both schemes, your training will prepare you for your certification session and the fulfilling work that lies ahead.
Please consider enhancing your NDE skills by adding rope access to your repertoire by visiting the AccessRULES website.
Other Training
Whether you need help in authoring complete reports, determining the best system to implement for your company, or need a one-off course for positive material identification, OpenVision, or even if your other managers need to know what radiography is from a high level and how to manage radiography, or some other emerging technology, ND3 can, and has, delivered comprehensive training on the subject.
We’ve received the phone call asking “Hey, do you guys…” followed up with some unusual request for training and we’ve always been able to come through. We are subject matter experts in many areas and have diverse experiences and an open mind so that we consider all requests. So, whether you’re looking for traditional training or an on-off experience, call us, ND3 can.