inspect: With the breakaway from General Electric, GE Inspection Technologies became Waygate Technologies. What has changed in the company since then, apart from the company name?

Mike Domke: We rebranded as Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business in 2020. Creating an independent brand was an important step in the further development of the business. We offer more premium non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions than any other brand and have expanded that portfolio over the past two and a half
years, for example by adding an inspection ­robotics unit. We also continue to enhance our customer centricity and drive the developments of inspection software and data management solutions.

inspect: Can you give an example of some recent key innovations?

Domke: We have brought a number of new products across our core technologies to market in recent history. With regards to remote visual inspection, we among others added artificial intelligence to our industry-leading video borescope Everest Mentor Visual iQ. Suitable for use in all industrial environments it features a HD camera head combined with built-in connectivity options for better detection and shared decision making without delay. The major software upgrade this year also added AI-enabled assisted defect recognition (ADR), analysis and measurement capabilities. The Everest Mentor Visual iQ, like all our visual inspection devices, is manufactured in the US.

Brian Finken: Looking to our other segments, Waygate Technologies for example introduced the Phoenix Power scan HE, the industry’s fastest high energy CT scanner for parts of up to 1 ton and 2 m in height and diameter. The 9 mega electron volts high-energy CT scanner is able to scan large, complex parts and assemblies with high speed, precision, and ease of use. It can scan and measure internal features of critical, high-density components and assemblies for a variety of industries, such as aviation, space exploration, automotive, oil and gas and batteries. The first model of the Phoenix Powerscan HE is located in our largest Customer Solutions Center (CSC) in Cincinnati, USA.

Last but not least, we focused on the software side and significantly enhanced Inspection Works, our agnostic platform for inspection data management. It allows our customers to combine data from multiple NDT tools and efficiently acquire, store, analyze, and act on the data obtained across the entire lifecycle of their products.

inspect: What role does the North American market play for Waygate?

Finken: Waygate Technologies has long been established in the North American market. Our parent company Baker Hughes is headquartered in the US and a staple in the North American energy technology sector. Waygate Technologies and a number of our legacy product categories are similarly well established across a range of industries. Powerhouses in the Silicon Valley, large brands in the aerospace and aviation industries, and the defense sector carry particular weight in our US operations. One rapidly growing industry that is certainly unique to the U.S. market is Space Exploration. Besides the famous Nasa, other newer big players in the industry are also among our customers.
inspect: What points of contact does Waygate have in North America?

Domke: First of all, there is our main manufacturing hub for visual inspection solutions in Skaneateles (NY).

Secondly, we own two major Customer Solutions Centers (CSC) in Cincinnati (OH) and in San Jose (CA). Cincinnati is home to our largest global CSC. It features our latest X-ray, CT, ultrasound, and RVI technologies, as well as a climate-controlled laboratory for precise 3D metrology with CT. The focus of the facility is on the growing aerospace, electronics, and additive manufacturing industries, as well as the oil and gas, automotive and energy sectors.

Our CSC in the heart of the Silicon Valley, in San Jose, features a variety of in-house inspection services that combine radiographic expertise with access to powerful X-ray and CT inspection technology. Our team there helps major players from consumer electronics, automotive and aerospace industries to ensure the safety, quality and consistency of parts and products, improve production, meet the industry’s quality standards, and accelerate research and development.

Thirdly, we are operating a Technology Solutions Center for measurement, sensing and inspection hardware in Pasadena, Texas. With its 30,000 square feet, it is specialized on big projects and on energy, chemicals and oil and gas customers.

inspect: In which industries are CT systems and borescopes from Waygate Technologies primarily used?

Domke: Many of our non-destructive testing solutions, including our CT systems and borescopes, are used in manifold industries. But some industries rely on these technologies heavily, especially strictly regulated sectors such as aviation, aerospace, automotive, and energy. Next to this, the batteries (including EV) and electronics sector uses X-ray inspection and CT for quality assurance in its R&D labs and mass production.

inspect: In which industries has there been the greatest growth for industrial CT in recent years?

Finken: Industrial CT is a market segment that is characterized by growth. The growth in the electronics sector, use of 3D printing, the need for faster inspections and cost savings in the aviation sector, and higher precision and reliability requirements in the aerospace industry are driving growth in this market. But the fastest growing area in this technology segment for Waygate Technologies at this moment is battery inspection for EV.

inspect: What are the biggest technological developments in industrial CT in recent years?

Finken: More complex parts and cost pressures in manufacturing industries drive the demand for solutions that offer high resolution CT at production speeds. That is certainly a key development. We are meeting this demand with our Phoenix Speed scan HD cabinet system for production line industrial CT. This high-performance micro-CT system combines a high degree of automation for inline use with high resolution and high throughput. It is particularly suitable for the increasing inspection requirements in the electronics and automotive industries. Its high degree of automation enables the inspection of large product quantities as well as system utilization 24 hours a day. Based on the broadest industrial CT portfolio in the market, we also offer other high throughput CT solutions to enable customers to be prepared for the mass inspection of turbine blades or large light metal castings such as cylinder heads.

inspect: What are the upcoming innovations that the readers of inspect can expect from Waygate Technologies?

Domke: Our teams are working on some exciting solutions that will advance digital inspections, drive down costs and increase connectivity, efficiency and ease of use. Stay tuned.