Warning: got talked into composite bond testers instead of manual tap testing for a job last month

I picked the ultrasonic bond tester over the old hammer tap method for a batch of 12 panels on a 737 and wound up chasing ghost delams for 3 days straight. The thing flagged every minor variation as a defect. Has anyone else had this machine just scream at you over nothing?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles72017d ago

Try a 50% threshold on the sensitivity setting. That fixed it for me.

olivia_white9317d ago

Oh jeez, I gotta push back on that a little. A 50% threshold is way too high for most setups, it's going to cut off a lot of the actual signal you want to pick up. That setting mostly works on really clean audio with zero background noise, but in a real room with fans or people moving around you'll lose half your words. I'd start closer to 25% or 30% and work up from there until the static just barely disappears. That way you're not sacrificing clarity for silence.

marybutler17d ago

Charles said it fixed it for them, but man, 50% threshold makes me feel like my mic got a sudden case of stage fright. I mean, I tried that once and it felt like my voice was getting cut off mid-sentence every time I paused to sneeze or breathe. It's like my own echo was ghosting me. Usually I start at like 20% and slowly creep it up until I'm not picking up the fridge hum, but also not sounding like I'm stuck in a silent movie. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather my words get a little muddy than have my mic go all "you didn't say the magic word" on me.