The fundamental value of touchscreens in NDT equipment lies in physically and logically integrating the actions of “display” and “control,” thereby simplifying human-machine interaction and enhancing operational efficiency and fault tolerance in complex environments.
Below is a detailed functional analysis:
1. Parameter Setting and Real-Time Adjustment: This represents the core and most practical function of touchscreens.
Traditional Methods: Rely on physical knobs, buttons, and encoders. When parameters are numerous, complex panels make locating specific function keys time-consuming and prone to accidental touches.
Touchscreen Application:
Intuitive Input: Inspectors can directly input key parameters via the on-screen virtual numeric keypad or adjust them using sliders. Examples include:
- Gain, sound path, and delay for ultrasonic testing
- Frequency, phase, and gain for eddy current testing
- Voltage, current, and time for radiographic testing
Real-time Fine-tuning: While observing inspection signals (e.g., A-scan waveforms), operators can directly adjust parameters in adjacent fields with a finger swipe. This “what you see is what you adjust” capability significantly reduces parameter optimization time, which is crucial for rapidly establishing inspection procedures on-site.
2. Inspection Process Guidance and Navigation: NDT inspections typically follow standardized steps.
Traditional Approach: Reliance on paper work instructions or operator memory, prone to omissions.
Touchscreen Display Application:
Step-by-Step Interface: The screen clearly displays the current inspection step (e.g., “1. Calibration → 2. Scanning → 3. Data Analysis”). Operators simply follow on-screen prompts by tapping “Next.” This greatly aids standardized operations and new employee training.
Quick Mode Switching: On the same hardware platform, the touchscreen enables rapid switching between different inspection modes or applications. For example, transitioning from ultrasonic A-scan mode to B-scan imaging mode, or switching from weld inspection to forging inspection applications, requires only tapping different icons or tabs—no device reboots or module swapping needed.
3. Quick Review and Preliminary Interpretation of Inspection Results: Field personnel often need to rapidly view and filter data.
Traditional Method: Manually scroll through data lists using directional keys or view incomplete images on small displays.
Touchscreen Application:
Gesture Controls: For generated B-scan and C-scan images, use two-finger pinch gestures to zoom and single-finger swipes to pan—just like navigating a phone gallery—enabling rapid magnification of suspicious areas for detailed inspection.
Quick Page/Data Switching:
Swipe the screen to rapidly cycle through stored inspection files, switching between previous/next data points to enhance review efficiency.
Advantages of Touchscreens in NDT Equipment:
Simplified Equipment Structure:
Eliminates numerous physical buttons, knobs, and encoders, reducing hardware complexity and potential failure points.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Integrates display and control functions, minimizing operator eye movement and attention shifts between screens and panels.
Flexible Interface Adaptability: The same screen area can support entirely different functions across various modes, enabling powerful device capabilities without panel bloat.
Enhanced Environmental Adaptability: Compared to physical buttons, high-quality touchscreens (especially industrial-grade resistive screens or capacitive screens with glove support) offer superior sealing protection in humid, oily, or dusty environments, requiring only periodic screen wiping.
On NDT equipment, touchscreen functionality is far from superficial. It centers on the core inspection workflow—from parameter setup and process navigation to signal interaction and result review—delivering a more intuitive, efficient, and compact human-machine interface. Replacing the complex, fixed, and unintuitive physical button arrays found on traditional equipment, it directly enhances field efficiency and user experience for inspectors. This makes touchscreens a crucial component of modern NDT equipment's user-friendly and intelligent design.