Signal Technology for Ultrasound and NDT Applications

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)

Aging structures, airframes and materials, especially when exposed to harsh environments, require non-destructive testing to ensure material integrity, airworthiness and overall safety for humans as well as the environment. Signatec's data acquisition, signal processing, waveform recording and playback products offer extreme advantages to applications where it is cost critical to get tested components back into service in the quickest manner possible.

Medical Imaging

Ultrasound delivers high-speed outputs that other imaging techniques, such as diagnostic imaging, can't achieve. However, in the current form, high-speed ultrasound imaging systems first acquire and digitize data which must then be processed and mapped into rectangular coordinates, stored in buffered memory, and sent to the video and audio encoders. However, this model falls short, given that the human body is an ever-changing environment. For example, static digital images are used to map a surgical process for an operation scheduled still later than the original image was captured, yet a lot has changed over that timeframe.

The Solution

Signatec's high-speed signal systems. Signatec PCI-based products deliver industry-leading performance and market-leading affordability.

As stand alone products, the data acquisition signal waveform digitizer boards, with deep buffered onboard memory, are capable of acquiring or triggering on signals continuously without any break in the analog record and no data loss. Simply add additional DAQ boards to create a simultaneous multi-channel acquisition system.

Signatec's parallel digital signal processing board offers 72 GIPS of processing power, over 2000 MB/s of concurrent onboard I/0, three external communication interfaces and an onboard operating system to make parallel processing programming easier than ever before. DSP based programs that would otherwise take months to develop can now be completed in days.

Our upcoming next generation arbitrary signal waveform generator and playback DAC board provides four 16-bit digital to analog conversion (DAC) channels to accurately produce output signal frequencies up to 400 MHz, with each 16-bit converter capable of outputting up to 1000 megasamples per second. Its deep memory and easy interface to DSP functionality makes for a powerful waveform playback device.

Combined as a fully integrated system, Signatec's real-time signal waveform recording products deliver the ability to continuously stream real-time data at rates up to 400 MB/s to any location within your PC system. The advanced high-speed ultrasound NDT and Medical Imaging systems you provide will deliver an unbeatable value proposition for your customers.

Use our powerful Maestro System Software for manipulating Signatec products at the board or at the system level. Maestro can be used to setup all hardware settings, record data from arbitrary data acquisition boards, recreate analog signals, view large amounts of signal data, run DSP applications, and much more. In addition each Signatec product comes with the following software at no charge:

    ● Product installation software
    ● A complete Library of functions for developing user specific applications
    ● Source code for the Signatec function library
    ● Source code examples that illustrate how to use the function library for building applications
    ● Diagnostic executable programs for verifying product functionality
    ● Signatec's Integrator software for application development and debugging (DSP Products only)

When you factor in all of Signatec's performance capabilities, and note the comparable low cost of our boards in relation to other products with lesser abilities, Signatec delivers exceptional value for a wide range of ultrasound and non-destructive testing applications. We encourage you to contact us and discuss your application in more detail with our engineering team. Signatec can provide tailored custom hardware and software solutions to meet your specific application needs.

We welcome your comments on our existing products or possible future products. Thank you for your interest in Signatec. We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.