Nondestructive testing equipment manufacturers and users are invited to join a task group developing a proposed new ASTM standard, WK20537, Practice for Digital Imaging and Communication in Nondestructive Evaluation (DICONDE) for Eddy Current Test Methods. The proposed practice, which will focus on test results storage and communication, will be based on a highly successful medical industry standard (DICOM), and will join similar ASTM standard practices efforts for ultrasonic, digital radiography and computed tomography test results. WK20537 is being developed by Subcommittee E07.11 on Digital Imaging and Communication in Nondestructive Evaluation, part of ASTM International Committee E07 on Nondestructive Testing.

According to John Hansen, senior staff engineer, GE Inspection Technologies, and chair of the WK20537 task group, the proposed practice is necessary to enable the transfer and storage of eddy current test results in an open, non-proprietary format. Equipment manufacturers will use the standard to produce data in the open format. Equipment users will benefit from the standard in a number of ways:

- Access to test results independent of the platform on which they were collected;
- Standardized data format leads to more accurate data interpretation;
- Data portability is improved;
- Equipment obsolescence issues hampering the ability to open archived data is eliminated; and
- Data fusion with other NDT methods (modalities) becomes easier.

The task group plans to present a draft of WK20537 for discussion at the E07 meeting in January 2009.

For technical Information, contact John P. Hansen, GE Inspection Technologies, St. Albans, United Kingdom (phone: 011-44-172-779-5509; john.p.hansen@ge.com). Committee E07 meets Jan. 18-22, 2009, in Plantation, Fla. For meeting or membership information, contact George Luciw, ASTM International (phone: 610-832-9710; gluciw@astm.org).

Release #8067/Sept08