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Non-destructive testing & specialist inspection — delivered where plant can't reach.
Conventional NDT methods — ultrasonic thickness, visual, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, airborne ultrasound and thermography — carried out by trade-qualified IRATA technicians so your assets are assessed in place, without scaffold and without downtime.
Assess the condition of an asset without damaging it or taking it out of service.
Non-destructive testing evaluates the integrity of materials, welds, structures and components without cutting, drilling or dismantling. It finds corrosion, cracking, wall loss and weld defects early — when repair is cheap and planned — rather than late, when failure is expensive and unplanned.
Most NDT providers need scaffold, an EWP or a shutdown to reach the test location. Highpoint's technicians are both inspection-qualified and IRATA-certified, so the inspector is the person on the rope. That removes an access contractor, a mobilisation and, usually, several days from the schedule — and it means rectification can be done by the same crew that found the defect.
Conventional NDT methods
We focus on the traditional methods that cover the majority of industrial inspection scopes. Advanced techniques are coordinated with partner inspection bodies, with Highpoint providing the access, rigging and supervision.
Ultrasonic thickness testing
A calibrated pulse-echo gauge measures remaining wall thickness from one side of the material. Used for corrosion monitoring on pipe, tank shells, pressure vessels, structural steel, chutes and hoppers — anywhere metal is lost from the inside or under insulation.
- Thickness mapping on a defined grid
- Through-coating measurement
- Minimum-thickness alarm against design
- Corrosion rate trended between surveys
Referenced to client specification and AS/NZS 2452 / AS 4037 as applicable.
Visual inspection — CVI & GVI
Close visual inspection (arm's length) and general visual inspection of welds, fixings, coatings, concrete and structure. The fast first pass that decides where to look harder, and the method that finds most defects in the field.
- Photographic defect register with severity
- Dimensional checks and gauge measurement
- Coating breakdown & corrosion categorisation
- Concrete cracking, spalling & carbonation
To AS 1554 (welds), AS 4100 / AS 3600 structural context, and client procedures.
Magnetic particle testing
Detects surface and near-surface cracks in ferromagnetic steel by magnetising the part and applying ferrous particles that gather at flux leakage. Fast, portable, and ideal for weld toes, lifting lugs, monorails, crane hooks and structural connections at height.
- Yoke technique for site work
- Wet fluorescent or dry visible particles
- Weld inspection post-repair
- Lifting equipment & monorail fixings
To AS 1171 and client acceptance criteria.
Dye penetrant testing
A liquid penetrant is drawn into surface-breaking defects by capillary action, then revealed by a developer. Works on any non-porous material — stainless, aluminium, non-ferrous alloys — where magnetic particle cannot be used.
- Stainless & non-ferrous welds
- Colour-contrast or fluorescent
- Machined surfaces and castings
- Pre- and post-weld repair verification
To AS 2062 and client acceptance criteria.
Airborne & structure-borne ultrasound
Ultrasonic detectors and acoustic imaging hear what infrared cannot see: arcing, tracking and corona discharge on switchgear and HV assets; bearing wear and lubrication faults on rotating plant; and pressure, vacuum and gas leaks. Complements thermography in any condition-monitoring program.
- Partial discharge on switchgear & HV
- Bearing & lubrication condition
- Compressed air leak surveys, costed per leak
- Steam trap & valve integrity
Existing page: /services/ultrasonic-surveys/ — unchanged.
Infrared thermography
Radiometric infrared inspection of electrical, mechanical and process assets by an ISO 18436-7 Category 2 thermographer. Our most widely used technology, and the backbone of most predictive maintenance programs we run.
- Electrical distribution, live and loaded
- Mechanical & rotating plant
- CUI screening and insulation breakdown
- Severity-classified findings
Full detail on the Thermal Imaging pillar.
SiloMap — thickness data you can actually read.
A UTT survey on a silo produces a few hundred numbers. In a spreadsheet they are almost useless to the person who has to decide what to repair. SiloMap, developed in-house, reads the field sheets our technicians already fill in and maps every reading onto the asset's real geometry — 3D shell, developed 0–360° map, plan view, per-drop profiles and a sortable table — on one colour scale with the minimum-allowable thickness drawn in. Each strake keeps its own nominal and material, cones and dished heads are modelled, and the client receives a read-only viewer file that works offline on any device. SiloMap visualises the measurements; the technician and the engineer still make the call.
Specialist inspection
Which method for which problem
| You need to find | Method | Material | Live plant? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall loss / corrosion | UTT | Steel, most metals | Yes |
| Surface cracks — steel | MT (or VT first) | Ferromagnetic steel | Yes |
| Surface cracks — stainless, aluminium | PT | Any non-porous | Yes |
| Hot connections, overloads | IRT | Electrical | Must be live |
| Arcing, corona, partial discharge | Airborne ultrasound | Switchgear, HV | Must be live |
| Bearing / lubrication faults | Structure-borne ultrasound + IRT | Rotating plant | Must be running |
| Wet insulation, CUI risk | MUI + IRT, UTT to confirm | Insulated pipe | Yes |
| Weld internal defects | UT / PAUT / RT (coordinated) | Steel welds | Usually |
Why inspection by rope changes the economics
A conventional UTT survey on a 30 m elevated pipe rack means scaffold design, erection, inspection, the test itself, then dismantling — often two weeks and five figures before a single reading is taken. The same survey by rope is typically mobilised in a day, tested in one or two shifts, and gone. The report is the same. The access cost is not.
- No scaffold design, hire or erection
- No plant shutdown for access
- Inspector and access technician are the same person
- Smaller footprint in live operating areas
- Faster mobilisation for outage windows
- Same-crew rectification where defects are found
Industries
Power generation, mining and minerals processing, oil and gas, manufacturing, cold chain, water utilities, ports and marine, and commercial high-rise. Prequalified through ISNetworld; SWMS, rescue plans and inspection procedures supplied for every scope.
NDT knowledge base
Plain-English answers to the questions asset owners and maintenance planners actually ask. Each is a full article on the live site.
UTT vs UT: what's the difference and which one do I need?
Thickness gauging and flaw detection are both "ultrasonic" but answer different questions. Ordering the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake.
NDT basicsMagnetic particle or dye penetrant — how do I choose?
It comes down to the material. One rule decides it, with two exceptions that catch people out.
CorrosionHow often should I be thickness-testing a corroding pipe?
Setting inspection intervals from corrosion rate and remaining life, and when to move from screening to full mapping.
AccessRope access NDT vs scaffold: a real cost comparison
Worked example on an elevated pipe rack — mobilisation, days on site, permit hours and what the inspection itself actually costs.
ComplianceWhat qualifications should my NDT technician hold?
ISO 9712 levels, AINDT, and what "certified" means on a report — with the questions to ask before you accept one.
Condition monitoringWhy pair thermography with ultrasound on switchgear?
Infrared finds resistance heating. Ultrasound finds arcing and corona. Each is blind to what the other sees.
Common questions
Are your inspections NATA-accredited?
Our thermography is delivered under ISO 18436-7 Category 2 certification. Where a scope requires NATA-accredited reporting for a specific method, we deliver it in partnership with an accredited inspection body and provide the rope access, rigging and supervision.
Can you test while the plant is running?
Usually yes — UTT, visual, MT, PT, ultrasound and thermography are all non-contact or light-contact methods. Live-plant work is planned against your permit system and exclusion zones.
What do we receive?
A report within one business day: readings or images per test location, a defect register with severity and recommended action, and photographic evidence of every finding — logged against your asset register so the next survey trends against this one.