Handheld X-Ray for MRO Featured at Farnborough: Videray PX Range

Procurement decisions around non-destructive testing (NDT) equipment rarely make headlines, yet they sit at the center of an MRO operator’s cost structure. In fact, every hour an aircraft spends grounded for inspections is an hour it is not generating revenue. Aberdeen-based Inspectahire has built its business around that calculus for more than forty years, and its appearance at the Farnborough Airshow this month offers useful insight into how the company positions itself within that market.

Videray PX Range

The central component of Inspectahire’s exhibit this week is the Videray PX range, developed in partnership with Videray, which directly targets the high operational cost of conventional radiographic inspection. In the past, this film-based process has required dedicated darkroom processing and, in many cases, partial disassembly of the aircraft to gain access to the area being inspected. Both of these criteria carry both explicit and implicit labor and downtime costs.

The PX Range consists of two devices addressing distinct inspection scenarios. The PX1 is a single-sided, 140keV handheld backscatter imager intended for on-aircraft use, which is capable of producing high-definition digital images within seconds via its Infinity Detector, along with a 7-inch, 700-nit touchscreen interface. Supporting features include a 4K camera, line lasers, a dedicated focus mode, and image-stitching functionality for composite imaging of larger inspection areas.

The second device, the PXT, is described by the company as the first handheld transmission X-ray unit brought to market. Operated in conjunction with the wireless MTP+ detector panel, the PXT produces full through-thickness radiographs of components up to 30mm of steel in thickness, making it usable for removed parts, castings, welded assemblies, and other dense structures that can be accessed from both sides.

From a fleet-management standpoint, the intended applications span several inspection categories relevant to sustained airworthiness: sub-surface corrosion and water ingress detection on airframe structures, internal assessment of turbine and engine components for cracking or blockage, evaluation of composite assemblies for disbond and delamination, and detection of foreign object debris within enclosed structures such as wing cavities and control surfaces.

Cailean Forrester, Managing Director at Inspectahire, characterized the value proposition in terms of operational throughput, “X-ray inspection used to mean film, darkrooms and taking aircraft apart. With the Videray PX range you get real-time digital images in seconds, from a device you can carry to the flightline.” She added, “For maintenance teams that means defects found sooner, less disassembly and aircraft back in service faster.”

In addition to the Videray PX Range, Inspectahire’s stand will present the company’s wider aviation NDT offering, including remote visual inspection borescopes and videoscopes, ultrasonic testing systems, and pulsed eddy current equipment. Attendees can meet with Inspectahire throughout the show at Hall 4, Stand 4238C, or by visiting www.inpsectahire.com.

About Inspectahire

Established in 1981, Inspectahire has developed into one of the United Kingdom’s principal suppliers of remote visual inspection and NDT services and equipment. The company’s business model combines equipment sales and rental services with an in-house R&D function and a dedicated technician workforce. This arrangement is designed to reduce the burden on customers who may otherwise need to build this expertise internally.

This structure has positioned Inspectahire as a long-term technology partner for various aviation MRO firms, rather than solely being an equipment vendor.