TPAC introduces Explorer, a new standard in ultrasonic inspection
During the ASNT 2025 conference, one of the equipment that generated the most attention among attendees was the Explorer, a phased array ultrasound instrument presented by Gavin Dao, director of business development at TPAC (The Phased Array Company). Headquartered in Houston and with a team of 75 people, the company has positioned itself as a major player in the nondestructive testing (NDT) market thanks to its modular, portable and highly technological approach.
What is TPAC and what solutions does it offer
TPAC is a US company specialized in the development of advanced industrial ultrasound solutions, such as phased array, full matrix capture (FMC) and total focusing method (TFM). Its mission is to create affordable, accurate and powerful tools that can be easily adapted to different environments and operational needs.
The Explorer: compact and powerful technology
One of the focal points of the discussion was the presentation of the Explorer, a device that combines different ultrasonic imaging techniques (such as FMC, TFM, plane wave imaging and phase coherence imaging) in a unit weighing less than five kilograms, ideal for operating in demanding industrial conditions.
The Explorer was designed with portability and performance at its core, having a compact housing that does not compromise on power, it can be configured in 64:128 or even 64:256 channel versions, maintaining performance comparable to larger equipment. In addition, it transmits data at 1GB per second, allowing fast inspections to be performed without loss of quality.
Integration with robotics and field applications
One of the most differentiating features of the instrument is its ability to integrate with robotic systems, demonstrated during the ASNT show, where the company presented the equipment mounted on scanners or crawlers, a type of vehicle commonly used in inspections of complex structures.
The advantage of this design is to keep the transducer cable as short as possible, which significantly improves signal quality, avoiding the use of long and fragile cables, which besides being expensive tend to be easily damaged in hostile environments.
The Explorer acts as a data acquisition node directly on the inspected structure, while transmission to the host computer occurs via a robust data cable. This facilitates the inspection of large or difficult to access components, such as towers, tanks or industrial pipelines.
Modular approach and intuitive software
The Explorer is not a closed device, but a platform designed to adapt to different environments and applications through a flexible structure that can be expanded or modified according to customer requirements. In addition, the company has invested heavily in the development of operator-friendly software, which allows the equipment to be learned and used quickly, even by technicians unfamiliar with complex digital environments.
TPAC presence and projection
The participation of The Phased Array Company at the ASNT 2025 event shows the value of companies that are committed to focused, powerful and adaptable solutions. The Explorer is not simply a new product in the nondestructive testing market, it represents an evolution in the way ultrasonic inspection is performed in complex industrial environments, thanks to its small size, its ability to integrate with robotic systems and its high performance data acquisition.
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Source: Inspenet.
