Olympus announced the launch of the Olympus Industrial Research Chair on Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing with the Quebec engineering school, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS).

Pierre Bélanger, ETS Professor, was joined by his team and representatives from Olympus, the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of nondestructive testing equipment, to outline the challenges they will tackle over the next five years. These include simplifying the interpretation of data obtained through ultrasonic testing, designing novel ultrasonic transducers for harsh environments, and engineering innovative ways to test materials without causing damage or dissembling them.

Fabrice Cancre, President of Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas (OSSA), stressed the importance of what he calls “staying in touch with research.” Being a physicist himself, he believes that the chair will play a leading role in revolutionizing NDT practices by “providing new ideas and new technologies.”

“Innovation is crucial because, while current methods used in nondestructive testing are efficient, there are definite limitations,” said Cancre.

“Interpreting results is so difficult that results can vary considerably from one inspector to the next. It’s highly dependent on the user, which is why one objective of this research chair is to simplify the interpretation of data obtained through ultrasonic testing,” added Bélanger.

For more information, visit www.olympus-ims.com.