Shaun W. Lawson: About the Author
Mechatronic Systems and Robotics Research Group, University of Surrey

The basic approach to the inspection and repair procedure for welding has barely altered for three decades. The normal practice has continued to be to inspect a weld only after the welding programme is complete. Thus by the time a defect is detected, considerable time and money has been spent on completing the welding of a rejectable component. Furthermore, a large number of additional weld runs will generally have been deposited over the defect, thus increasing the cost of repair and decreasing the quality of the component.