Industrial Ultrasound & NDT Coaxial Cable

Non-destructive testing (NDT) ultrasound uses the same core micro coaxial technology as medical imaging — individually shielded 50 Ω elements with ePTFE dielectric and silver-plated conductors — but in environments medical cables never see: refineries at 85°C ambient, nuclear plant containment zones, offshore platform decks with salt spray, and automated production lines running 24/7.

Our NDT cable assemblies are manufactured on the same production lines as our medical ultrasound probe cables — same 40–44 AWG ePTFE micro coaxial elements, same TDR phase-matching process, same 100% electrical testing. The difference is in the outer construction: industrial PUR/FEP/PTFE jackets, LEMO push-pull connectors, IP68 sealing for immersion, and ASME/ASTM phase-matching documentation rather than FDA/IEC medical documentation.

This shared manufacturing heritage means our NDT cables deliver medical-grade signal performance — per-channel shielding > 40 dB, phase matching ±1%, impedance control 50 Ω ± 2 Ω — in an industrial-rated package.

NDT Application Categories

Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT)
Multi-element probe bundles (16–256 elements) for weld inspection, corrosion mapping, and flaw detection. Each element requires individually shielded 50 Ω cable for independent pulse/receive control. Phase matching ±1% for accurate beam steering and focusing.
Cable spec: 40–44 AWG, 16–256 elements, ePTFE, phase-matched ±1%, LEMO EPL multi-pin connector.
Instruments: Olympus OmniScan X3, Zetec TOPAZ, Sonatest Veo+, GE Mentor UT.

TOFD (Time-of-Flight Diffraction)
Matched transmitter/receiver cable pairs for crack sizing per BS 7706 / EN 583-6. Cables must have precisely matched propagation delay for accurate time-of-flight measurement. Single-element 50 Ω construction.
Cable spec: 36–42 AWG, ePTFE, 50 Ω, length-matched ±2 mm (±1 mm premium), LEMO 00 connectors, matched pair shipping.

Conventional UT (Contact Probes)
Single-element probes for manual thickness gauging (corrosion survey) and flaw detection. The most common NDT cable application by unit volume. Requires robust, field-serviceable cables that NDT technicians can terminate and repair on-site.
Cable spec: 36–42 AWG, PUR/PVC outer jacket, LEMO 00 or BNC connector, 3–6 mm total assembly OD.

Immersion Testing
Automated scanning in water tanks for production inspection of aerospace components, pipe, and plate. Cables must maintain stable 50 Ω impedance while continuously submerged. IP68 connector sealing mandatory.
Cable spec: 38–42 AWG, PE outer jacket (low water absorption), IP68 LEMO 00 or custom sealed connector.

Pipeline In-Line Inspection (ILI)
Smart pig inspection tools carry 64–512 transducers inside pressurized pipelines. Cables must withstand hydrocarbon exposure, vibration, and pressure cycling. Long service intervals between cable replacement.
Cable spec: 42–44 AWG, 64–512 cores, PFA jacket (hydrocarbon resistant), phase-matched ±1%, custom pig connector interface.

Aerospace Composite Inspection
Automated scanning of CFRP/GFRP structures at 10–25 MHz. High frequency requires lowest possible cable attenuation. Phase matching critical for detection of delamination and porosity at specific depths.
Cable spec: 42–44 AWG, ePTFE, phase-matched ±0.5% (aerospace grade), 10–25 MHz verified, ASME/ASTM documentation.

Corrosion Mapping (Automated)
Large-area corrosion surveys using crawler-mounted PAUT probes on storage tanks, pressure vessels, and ship hulls. Cables must be flexible, lightweight, and abrasion-resistant for crawler deployment.
Cable spec: 42 AWG, 32–128 elements, PUR jacket, phase-matched ±1%, LEMO EPL, 5–10 m cable run.

Industrial Jacket & Environmental Ratings

Connector Options for NDT

We stock LEMO 00, LEMO 01, LEMO EPL 32-pin, and BNC connectors for fast turnaround on standard NDT cable orders. Custom or high-pin-count connectors (EPL 64+, Hypertac) may add 1–2 weeks for connector procurement.

PAUT Phase-Matching Documentation

Our PAUT cable documentation package is designed to satisfy ASME Section V and ASTM E2491 requirements for ultrasonic examination system qualification:

Per-channel TDR certificate: Propagation delay (ps/m) and impedance profile for every element, referenced to a calibration standard traceable to NIST.

Phase-match summary: Statistical summary showing mean delay, standard deviation, and max/min deviation across all channels. Confirms compliance with ±1.0% or ±0.5% specification.

Impedance uniformity report: Per-channel impedance at 50 MHz, confirming 50 Ω ± 2 Ω across all elements.

Certificate of Conformance: Material identification, lot traceability, compliance declarations.

This documentation directly supports the "System Performance Demonstration" requirements in ASME V Article 4 and the "Electronic Examination Equipment" requirements in ASTM E2491 Section 6.

Medical-Grade Signal Performance in Industrial Package

The performance difference matters most in PAUT and TOFD Applications where channel-to-channel consistency directly affects defect detection capability and sizing accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are your cables compatible with OmniScan X3?

Yes. OmniScan X3 uses LEMO EPL multi-pin connectors at 50 Ω impedance. We supply PAUT bundles with EPL 32-pin and 64-pin connectors, phase-matched to ±1%. Standard lengths (1.5 m, 2.0 m, 3.0 m) are available from stock; custom lengths or element counts require 4–6 weeks.

Can you supply cables for Zetec TOPAZ or Sonatest Veo+?

Yes. Same electrical specification (50 Ω phase-matched PAUT elements). Connector interface varies by instrument — share your instrument model and we will confirm the correct connector configuration.

What is the MOQ for custom PAUT bundles?

5 assemblies for custom configurations (non-standard element count, length, or connector). Standard 32-element and 64-element bundles with LEMO EPL connectors: 1-unit minimum from stock inventory.

Do you supply pre-terminated TOFD pairs?

Yes. TOFD matched pairs with LEMO 00 connectors, length-matched within ±2 mm (standard) or ±1 mm (premium). Stock lengths: 1.0 m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, 3.0 m. Custom lengths on request (2–3 week lead time). Each pair ships with a match certificate documenting the measured length difference.

How do your cables handle high-temperature NDT?

Our FEP and PFA jacket options are rated to +200°C continuous. For Applications adjacent to welding or in high-temperature process environments, PFA is the standard choice. ePTFE dielectric is inherently rated to +260°C — the jacket is always the limiting factor, not the cable core.

Can you supply IP68-rated cables for immersion testing?

Yes. IP68 assemblies use PE outer jacket with sealed LEMO 00 connectors (rated for continuous immersion to 3 m depth). We verify IP68 compliance per IEC 60529 on production samples. Standard immersion cable lengths: 1.5 m, 2.0 m, 3.0 m.

Need PAUT bundles, TOFD pairs, or pipeline ILI cables? Share element count, connector type, and operating environment — engineering quote within 48 hours.

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