Dye Penetrant Inspection

Make the Visual Inspection More Vibrant

Dye Penetrant Inspection uses dyed oil to make those hard to see visual discontinuities (a break in the object) easier to see by providing a higher level of contrast.  It is a fairly simple method but, because of its simplicity, is mis-applied or poorly processed leading to a low probability of detection.

Using the physical phenomenon of capillary action, dye enters any surface breaking discontinuities.  Excess surface penetrant is cleaned off the part and a powder is applied that coaxes the penetrant from the discontinuity making the discontinuity visible.  So, dye penetrant is an extension of visual inspection for defects that are surface breaking and may not be readily seen using the eye because of similarity of color, for instance.