GE Aerospace and Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business and market leader in non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions for industrial inspection, announced today that they have signed a joint technology development agreement (JTDA) to develop software and hardware inspection solutions for commercial aircraft engines.

The agreement is designed to advance and improve the efficiency, accuracy and quality of video borescope inspections and minimize costs for Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) shops and on-wing maintenance providers. GE Aerospace and Waygate Technologies will also pursue technology solutions focused on machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI).

Current borescope inspection can be labor intensive, requiring highly skilled manual visual inspection to identify nonconforming indications from a host of potential unserviceable conditions or defects. AI and ML offer the ability to assist inspectors with repetitive, reliable information, improving cycle time and consistency of inspections.

“With the growth of MRO demand, there is an increasing need for the highly skilled task of engine-level inspection, said Nicole Tibbetts, Chief Manufacturing Engineer for MRO at GE Aerospace. “We are excited about this collaboration with Waygate Technologies and are focused on solutions that will have a significant impact on quality, cost, and turnaround time for engine work scopes and on-wing maintenance.”

“This agreement is an opportunity to partner and work together with GE Aerospace, who has a vast amount of experience as an engine OEM and a maintenance provider,” said Michael Domke, General Manager Visual at Waygate Technologies. “It is a great pairing when you combine their capability with Waygate Technologies’ expertise providing state-of-the-art borescope solutions, advanced 3D measurement, and AI technologies connected to digital inspection data management. We are excited to continue our efforts and support in the transformation of the aerospace industry which can have a fundamental positive impact on our shared customer base and is a critical part of our overall business strategy.”