NDE 4.0: What to Expect Next

Just a few years back, when the term “NDE 4.0” was introduced at the ASNT Annual Conference, it was also mentioned it would become mainstream by the mid-2020s. At the recently concluded WCNDT 2024 in Korea, over half the presentations featured significant digital content—a trend similarly observed at ASNT 2024. As manufacturing is now rapidly undergoing digitalization, quality control must also follow suit. Life-cycle operating cost is already driving data-driven predictive maintenance. Advancements in information and communication technologies are now making NDE 4.0 a serious value proposition, improving speed, reliability, and cost, all at the same time.