From ensuring the safety of new spacecraft and lightweight vehicles to supporting the growth of alternative energy and improving manufacturing efficiency, NDT will play a central role in the industries which drive future economic growth.
While the UK is a world leader in NDT the industry will be required to develop new capabilities to meet these challenges. A recent report by the UK Research Centre in NDE has identified key challenges for the UK NDT community:
- developing faster, cheaper and more sensitive inspections methodologies with improved performance and reliability
- finding ways to test new materials and engineering designs
- increasing the use of automated inspection, especially for hard to access and hazardous areas
- better integration of NDT data with that from other engineering disciplines to inform decisions on structural integrity
- reducing disruptions by replacing in-service NDT with inspection at manufacture and structural health monitoring
- extensive use of online monitoring and smart structures supported by precision-targeted NDT.
According to the Technology Strategy Board, significant long-term research will be required. However, its report – A Landscape for the Future of NDT in the UK Economy – suggests this could be challenging in an industry consisting largely of SMEs with strong technical skills but limited resources.
R&D Tax Credits are a tax incentive from the UK Government designed to encourage companies to meet challenges like these by making it easier through tax relief to invest in innovation. For the UK’s NDT industry to retain its lead, it is critical that companies ensure they are claiming their full entitlement. However the rules are complex and it is best to get expert advice in each case.
Do you recognise any of these situations? Or have a project that may fit the bill? If so, speak to a specialist adviser as interpreting the rules correctly and using the right terminology is crucial to success with any claim.
