Tough /təf/ adjective

(of a substance or object) strong enough to withstand adverse conditions

Succeeding as a professional in the NDT industry is TOUGH. It requires attention to detail, perseverance, and dedication, which isn’t for everyone. After all, keeping the world safe is in our hands, and it’s often a dirty job.

It’s not unusual to have to inform a welder, a manager, or a customer that your inspection has indicated a problem and that a process needs to be altered or even a job site or manufacturing run has to be temporarily shut down.

No one wants to hear that - and no one likes to be the bearer of bad news. But that is the responsibility of the NDT professional; NDTers are some of the toughest people in the world.

In the face of many pressures involved with making the right technical and business decisions to ensure operational efficiency and quality, all while trying to avoid failures, NDT is often a thankless job that relies heavily on the integrity of the inspectors. On top of that, many projects require hard manual labor in the blazing heat and humidity of the Gulf Coast, the frigid cold of Alaska, and everywhere in between.

There is tough, and then there is NDT tough.

What is NDT tough?

At Comet X-ray, we know the job of NDT isn’t easy. We also know it is integral to the safety and well-being of everyone.

As a way of acknowledging the contributions of all NDT professionals for diligently performing a job that often goes unnoticed until there is a problem AND creating a movement to help raise the profile of the NDT industry, we invite all of our peers in the NDT industry to join us in proudly identifying as being NDT tough.

Coinciding with introducing one of our latest products that makes your job easier (don’t worry, you’ll still be plenty tough), we will launch a series of events to recognize and celebrate our peers for being NDT tough.

Our kickoff event will be held at the @NDTMA 2023 Annual Conference on February 7-9 in Las Vegas. With limited-release NDT tough pins for you to wear as a symbol of your dedication and professionalism and an NDT tough photo backdrop at the exhibit hall entrance, we invite you to show off your Toughness by lifting the ECO, our new portable system weighing in at only 35 pounds, and posting your photo on social platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook. Be sure to tag @Comet X-ray and use the hashtag #ndttough.

Here is the NDT tough page, hosted on the Comet X-ray website, for updates and more information: 

NDT tough gallery

Together, we will raise awareness of NDT and show the world what it means to be NDT TOUGH!