Borescopes help to Inspect Turbine Engines

Airlines are flying again and passenger levels are approaching records highs. All that flying means that there is more maintenance work. One area that is seeing a lot of growth is the engine side of the business, not just the big jobs like overhauls but smaller tasks like inspections and module changes.

At the front of this growing wave of work is a small Miami, Florida-based turbine repair shop called Complete Turbine Service.

CTS specializes in the kinds of jobs that large shops shy away from but that some airlines with limited in-house maintenance staffs find logistically difficult to arrange. Jobs like borescope inspections, hot-section inspections, engine runups, and module changes.

The owners of the engines, in many cases leasing companies, prefer doing business with an FAA repair station, according to Walter. There are plenty of consultants available to check records, he added, but when it comes to fixing something that they find wrong, then the owner of that engine is going to ask for quick service. And a company like CTS is able to provide that service.

"We saw in the engine shop," he explained, "that when you bring in work to the engine shop, it slows up work that makes you the most profits. We set up another shop and did hot-sections, gear boxes, fans, and field support."

CTS now employs 15 to 18 people, depending on the workload. Some are full-time and some work for aviation employment contractors. The amount of work varies, depending on many factors, but in an average month, CTS techs perform 15 to 20 borescope inspections plus module swaps, engine prebuy inspections, and teardowns for parts reuse.
To read more about borescopes using for turbine inspection got to this page 

What users say about applications of MEDIT borescopes:

I had borrowed scopes before. I use it to look into the cylinder bores on race engines to check for piston / bore damage, saves taking the engine a part to check. I also use it after draining the oil in race engines, to check for signs of premature wear of the crank. Also looking inside gear boxes and differentials. Really any mechanical part that is normally removed for visual checking, many can be visually checked with the scope.

Phil Wall Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.

I will be using the fibrescope during survey work looking for bats in crevices in walls, wood joints in old barns or just about anywhere the little critters can go.

In Europe bats are protected species along with their roosts. As such if you want to convert buildings or carry out work on buildings which may contain bats you have to have a survey done to check if any are present.
If they are present then restrictions on the works can be imposed by the planning authorities. It generally works okay, for the bats and the developers.

A colleague of mine bought one from you a couple of weeks ago, I have been a little put off from buying one from overseas because of the cost etc but after seeing and playing with his I knew it was what I wanted. At the moment the Provision is the usual make that is used by the initiated but quite frankly I have used the 30cm and the 91cm models and they are not a patch on yours. The recommended one for bat survey work is 91cm and 11mm diameter. It is over priced, not as flexible, picture
quality not as bright and just awkward to use.

Fibrescopes will be used more and more I anticipate; because of the ease of use and more accuracy of surveys, to that end are you perhaps interested in a UK agent for perhaps selling your fibrescopes? They will always be a small niche market for bat work, but my above mentioned colleague has been using his during some survey work for Great Crested Newts (Another European protected species) so the more people get used to fibrescopes at reasonable prices the more they will want.

To find more information about and shop for portable video bore scope, please click here

John Morgan.

You can find additional information and/or buy these devices here: http://www.fiberscope.net/

Why use Borescope and Fiberscope?

You will view the inaccessible areas with crystal clarity: MEDIT borescopes are high quality optical tools designed to penetrate places where your eyes can't go. They are self illuminating, and deliver a brightly lit, magnified image of the inspected area to the eyepiece.  You will speed up inspections: Even the toughest inspections will be done quickly. And there is no interpretation needed. Therefore, labor is reduced and equipment downtime is cut. You will improve preventive maintenance: You will do close-up interior inspections without the need for dismantling equipment. Estimate needed repairs. And identify potential problems before they become major headaches. You will cut manufacturing re-work: By examining new equipment interiors for signs of damage before installing them, you will cut re-work frequency. Maintain quality control levels. And improve vendor responsiveness. You will increase safety: With borescope inspections you will ensure proper operation of relief valves, rupture discs, piping, boiler flames, etc. Find corrosion, cracks, blockages, materials buildup and coatings early, before they cause serious damage. And view hazardous operations from a safe distance. The complete line of MEDIT borescopes includes rigid and fiberoptic borescopes, flexible fiber optic fiberscopes, video cameras for borescope and fiberscopes, Software Image and Video Recording systems.

Borescopes and Videoscopes: A Look at Modern Technology

During last years, there has been an increase of technology in the sphere of non-destructuve testing.

We now have the ability to see and inspect every inch of an aircraft. Prices start to come down. Some of the products are a little pricey right now, but they are on the downhill swing.

Borescopes and videoscopes allow a technician to see items from a remote location through a direct viewing system. This can be accomplished using borescope technology, miniature camera or a combination of both. Most models are adaptable for use with color monitors, if they are not provided already, allowing for a clear picture into the test area.

If you are looking to purchase this type of equipment, the first thing that you must do is to determine what you are going to inspect. We have seen shops purchase the highest priced piece of equipment, only to be disappointed by the performance. They did not purchase the right tool for the right job and this will make all of the difference in the world.

There are some very good multi-purpose devices on the market now. We, at Fiberscope.net, would like to offer you time-proved videoscopes for qualified maintenance technicians.

Case Studies: Making Quality Portable

Please look through this testimony how borescope can help:

General Automotive Manufacturing Co. LLC (GA, Franklin, WI) needed to find inspection tools that could be used inside deep bores and in small diameter holes. The company also needed to report defects and process problems more quickly to manufacturing teams in order to ensure on time delivery of orders with no incidents of defects. Burrs, sharp edges and other defects can be extremely detrimental, particularly in the case of mission-critical parts.
According to Gary Kosterman, GA quality manager, the borescopes fit in multiple work cells where necessary. Each cell is a self-contained manufacturing team that includes a visual inspection station. The inspection stations are equipped with a borescope, a portable or fixed-light source, and often a video monitor to allow the operator to view part images quickly and comfortably. This system provides immediate detection capabilities at the point of operation and allows containment of defects early in the manufacturing process.
Although the borescope’s primary function is to check machined parts, engineers also use them to diagnose the cause when an assembly line machine is experiencing trouble. GA engineers have found that the borescopes save them time and labor, as well as giving them the accurate images they need without slowing down production.
You can find a wide selection of inspection borescopes at www.fiberscope.net