FLEXIBLE BORESCOPE Flexible borescopes are used in the aerospace, automotive manufacturing, energy and wind-generation industries
South African technical industries are showing interest in the new Gradient Lens Corporation’s Hawkeye V2 flexible borescope to conduct nondestructive testing and inspections of machines, products and components, says local reseller GP Agencies sales manager Lesley Scott.
The flexible borescopes have video displays and videos and images can be captured for documentation. The images and video feeds can also be shared between inspectors or engineers, and the video displays have USB ports. The V2 flexible borescopes are available in 4 mm and 6 mm diameter sizes and can be up to 6 m in length, allowing for detailed inspection of even large equipment pieces.
The borescopes are used extensively in production and manufacturing environments in South Africa for quality and maintenance inspections. They are also used by maintenance and technical support teams serving, among others, the mining, petrochemicals and construction industries in the field.
Gradient Lens Corporation’s borescopes are well known in many local industries, though mainly for their rigid borescopes, which are used by automotive manufacturers, in a variety of engineering applications, for quality assurance and by arms manufacturers.
“Large-scale industry is showing growing interest in the flexible borescopes, including in the aerospace, energy and wind-generation industries. We are also seeing increasing use of flexible borescopes in most of the industries we typically supply to,” says Scott.
The borescope equipment is rugged and suited for use in the field and in production environments, she says, adding that most of the borescopes tubes can be submerged in water and in certain noncorrosive oils, though this might necessitate more robust cleaning afterwards. The electronic components, such as video displays, and eye pieces are not submerged during inspections.
“With a length of 6 m, there are few applications that the longest new flexible borescope cannot reach. Gradient Lens Corporation can make longer custom borescopes, but we encounter very few such applications,” she says.
However, the company will not make custom borescopes that degrade the image quality beyond certain parameters, as the company is set on maintaining a high level of image quality suited to industrial uses, Scott adds.
The Hawkeye borescopes are competitively priced for the quality of image and resolution that they provide and are, therefore, in demand locally, she says. Additionally, maintenance is easy and most of the components can be individually replaced, with many components interchangeable among the borescopes.
“The borescopes adhere to Gradient Lens Corporation’s goals of maintaining its high quality imaging and user-friendliness. GP Agencies also provides advice for industries on what borescopes are best suited for their applications,” she concludes.