Ultrasonic thickness tester make\model

The tester I had ordered from Amazon can't accurately check the thickness of cast iron so it went back, those that have one what brand\model gives accurate info?

Kobelco wrote:The tester I had ordered from Amazon can't accurately check the thickness of cast iron so it went back, those that have one what brand\model gives accurate info?  

When calibrated correctly (which is not necessarily the calibration method the manufacturer recommends), most brands these days can be very accurate.  I've tested a $1500 model against a $200 model and once correctly calibrated the readings between the two were basically the same.

I'm curious: which brand/model did you purchase that you did not find suitable?

I've got a cheap e-bay tester. Works for me pretty well. Sometimes you have to play with different setting for the material being used. Grey cast, nodular, ect to get it to read properly.

VVV-Group Please share what you use...

a UM 6500 works great for 130 bucks from Ebay. Come with 8mm probe but sell a 6mm for round stuff like cylinders for 56 dollars.

ED468 wrote:a UM 6500 works great for 130 bucks from Ebay. Come with 8mm probe but sell a 6mm for round stuff like cylinders for 56 dollars.

this is what i use.

like paul said calibration is key.
i dial mine in on a section of the block that i can measure with calipers and then use it on bores. it has presets. but just ignore those and dial it in on a known measurement. quite accurate.

also, i use glycerin based aloa rub for skin. its cheap and works fine, looks like green jello in the bottle

ED468 wrote:a UM 6500 works great for 130 bucks from Ebay. Come with 8mm probe but sell a 6mm for round stuff like cylinders for 56 dollars.

is there a part number for the 6mm probe... that would allow you to check cylinder wall thickness i presume??

dkp

There is a couple of the 6mm ones that show a pic of the UM6500. Honestly I beleive all the ones for cheap testers are the same. Says fits many models. Thought I read on one said UM6500 was one, but too many vendors to find which that was.

The very first sonic checker I bought decades ago was the TM-8812.  It is still available today for less than $200.  This is the model that was tested against two different, very expensive USA-made ultrasonic thickness measuring devices and found to be as accurate as they are.

In order to read cast iron cylinder blocks accurately with this model, forget about the standard that is affixed to the side of the unit, and also forget about the software presets (ie, iron, aluminum, steel, etc) that are selectable via the user interface.  Instead, use some calipers to physically measure a thickness somewhere on the cylinder block (I usually measure the deck surface between cylinders), then check it with the TM-8812.  To calibrate the machine to the known block thickness, select the "Velocity" setting (ie, the sonic frequency) and use the arrows to toggle the frequency Up or Down until the measurement/device's readout matches the physical measurement on the cylinder block.

The included probe works fine for the cylinders but is flat (not radiused) so you might need to rock it back-and-forth on the smaller bores in order to get a reading.  The thinnest readings on the 385 Series blocks are typically found about 1 inch below deck, and this is the most important area to measure and record.  I see a lot of people miss this, and record absurd wall thicknesses that I know to be impossible (they are recording a misleading measurement that was taken further down the bore), or record wall thicknesses relative to bore size that indicate to me they don't know how to correctly calibrate their sonic checker (regardless of brand).  Etcetera.

The new HFD website will include a tutorial video that describes more thorough and complete sonic checking in greater detail, because from a scientific stand point there is more to it than what I described here.  Because of its budget-friendly price point and because of the kind of enthusiast I presume will be attracted to the new website, I will be using a newly purchased TM-8812 and recommending it in that tutorial video.

I went on amazon and I find the TM8812 listed from at least 4 or 5 different vendors, pricing from 200 to 1500 bucks... There seems to be some question as to which sensor you get... at least i find that confusing.. the pictures of the product which I agree are notoriously not reliable seem to show two different types of probe...

https://www.amazon.ca/Landtek-Ultrasonic-Thickness-Metallic-Non-Metallic/dp/B00V7YJ8II/ref=sr_1_3?crid=256Z4X48PLUE4&keywords=tm+8812+thickness&qid=1677523994&s=hi&sprefix=tm+8812+thickness%2Ctools%2C171&sr=1-3

this one the picture seems to show the smaller probe. but i cant tell the difference when i look at the published specs vs this one which shows the larger probe and is less money???

https://www.amazon.ca/Landtek-TM-8812-Ultrasonic-Thickness-1-0-200mm/dp/B074DWM6BM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=256Z4X48PLUE4&keywords=tm+8812+thickness&qid=1677523994&s=hi&sprefix=tm+8812+thickness%2Ctools%2C171&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyODRaNzBMUEZQQU81JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTQ1NzI0MlJSQVdUVkQ1MEw4MyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTY1MDAzMVY5NU1PVjMyWUlLUiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

confused...

I really want to acquire one of these units to test blocks and roll cages but don't want to have to buy two or three times to get the right one.

dkp

Not to hi Jack this tread but does anyone know of ultrasonic checker for stainless steel. We have stainless pipes at on our cableveys that carries our peanuts to different locations in the plant. Looking for a ultrasonic checker to check the 90s before they wear through. Thanks for any input

bosshoss wrote:I went on amazon and I find the TM8812 listed from at least 4 or 5 different vendors, pricing from 200 to 1500 bucks...  There seems to be some question as to which sensor you get...the pictures of the product which I agree are notoriously not reliable seem to show two different types of probe...

https://www.amazon.ca/Landtek-Ultrasonic-Thickness-Metallic-Non-Metallic/dp/B00V7YJ8II/ref=sr_1_3?crid=256Z4X48PLUE4&keywords=tm+8812+thickness&qid=1677523994&s=hi&sprefix=tm+8812+thickness%2Ctools%2C171&sr=1-3

this one the picture seems to show the smaller probe. but i cant tell the difference when i look at the published specs vs this one which shows the larger probe and is less money???

https://www.amazon.ca/Landtek-TM-8812-Ultrasonic-Thickness-1-0-200mm/dp/B074DWM6BM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=256Z4X48PLUE4&keywords=tm+8812+thickness&qid=1677523994&s=hi&sprefix=tm+8812+thickness%2Ctools%2C171&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyODRaNzBMUEZQQU81JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTQ1NzI0MlJSQVdUVkQ1MEw4MyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTY1MDAzMVY5NU1PVjMyWUlLUiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

confused...  

I really want to acquire one of these units to test blocks and roll cages but don't want to have to buy two or three times to get the right one.

dkp

The probes in both links above all look the same to me except for one picture--the probe in the default pic of one of the listings looks different.  Often that's how budget mass produced stuff is--whatever accessory is available and as long as the rating is correct is all that matters, like a transformer used to power an electrical device, for example.  By the way, one of those listings ships from Canada, the other ships from China.  If that matters, then this eBay listing says it ships from Florida:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164911264140?hash=item26657a318c:g:iPoAAOSwAIxgxjq2&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4GTrcpDLbLX0zIfAAVHhruKn%2Fno6V0M8lpond%2B60Sk7vXL%2F59uvP3UldthCKkRi4%2FcmAIqWOEJTRNeNICQu0KVDm03J8N6csUrrVPZRAjCqyYcPdH%2BdX4nPeCQ%2F860hWGUjnJvcpyoEOaofar1MeJjBWt%2FbxGkalSa3VWco7brM1SZXKJ%2FZsPqFeW1ou4DhUMJAxHaaQ1M9owX1cXi72PlMgGBi1mfnW%2Fdq20mHiMwQZNfYyoKQ54D3eFfqsiAdCT1eADN5R9r%2BC%2FM1bf2RRGotXGrVZp8dl%2FReacOMF%2BpGH%7Ctkp%3ABFBM1u_7oNNh

^^^I don't know anything about the seller or from where the unit actually comes.^^^

If you take into account retail pricing of cylinder block sonic checking, it could be said the device pays for itself after mapping out just two cylinder blocks, so no-one should whine if the $200 device burns out somewhere further down the road--just buy another one.  Or, spend $1500+ up front for a top shelf unit.  I think what's most important is understanding how to correctly use any device to get accurate results.

Thanks Paul

I purchased the TM8812 from Amazon for under $200 works very well on flat surfaces, in cylinders I move the probe back and forth to get a reading it is not very consistent in the same spot. Most of my cyl walls are 3/8" certain areas a bit thicker some thinner. The probe it came w is 10mm wide that concerns me there is a lot of gap between it and surface. I use the wal mart sun burn gel works good.