 Annual DGZfP Conference on Nondestructive Testing Bamberg, SEP 7-9 1998, |
Introduction The 1998 DGZfP annual conference was attended by nearly 500 participants, just 100 less than the average. This time the ECNDT conference took place in May 1998, the same month that DGZfP events are usually held. The theme "70 Years of NDT of Welding" was chosen in order to emphasize that since the first trials 70 years ago, testing welding with x-rays has become a standard, routinely applied procedure. The panel discussion "Inspection Audit / Welding Audit - in collaboration or in competition" chose this subject as its special focus. The more or less informal main topic of this event was the May '98 train accident which called worldwide attention to the ultrasonic testing of railroad wheels. Despite the best efforts of the organizers to confine discussion to the officially posted topic, the the question of Deutsche Bahn AG's performance was a popular subject for most attendees. Although the technical topic of NDT of railroad wheels was not part of the professional program, in his opening speech, Mr. Schnitger brought up the role of the Internet and NDTnet. Although names were not mentioned, it was very clear that the main concerns expressed referred to material published on NDTnet. While technical subjects are usually our main emphasis, I really would like to call the attention of all readers involved in any kind of NDT work to the "NDT Politics and the Internet" page within this report. By becoming more informed, each of us can do his or her part to help ensure that we keep all the benefits we enjoy through the Internet.
Rolf Diederichs |