The Fourth Revolution of Non-Destructive Evaluation: Networking, Feedback, Digitization and Integration into Digital Factory

Historians divide the Industrial Revolution into three phases: the invention of the steam engine (mechanization), electricity (mass production), and the microelectrical revolution (automation). A similar development occurred in non-destructive material testing: tools such as lenses and stethoscopes allowed the human senses to be sharpened; the conversion of waves makes the invisible visible, thereby offering a “view” into components; and finally, automation and reconstruction. Throughout industrial development, NDT has played a decisive role in ensuring the quality—and thus the success—of manufactured goods.
In industry, there is now talk of a fourth revolution: the informatization, digitization, and networking of industrial production. As in the past, NDT will be crucial to the success of this fourth revolution, as it provides the data foundation required for feedback in a networked production environment.
This will lead to a transformation in NDT. Inspection results must be made available to a networked production environment in a way that allows them to be evaluated for feedback loops; testability must be taken into account during the design phase; and the reliability of inspection findings will become increasingly important.
This publication outlines concepts for how NDT can be integrated into Industry 4.0 landscapes. The Industry 4.0 Reference Architecture Model (RAMI 4.0) enables the localization of a digital component; the Industry 4.0 management shell serves as the interface between Industry 4.0 communication and the physical device; OPC-UA is the communication protocol currently establishing itself as the standard; DICONDE is a communication protocol and data format for test and metadata; AutomationML is a data format for plant planning data; and the Industrial Data Space Initiative ensures data sovereignty.