An explosion of nondestructive testing

Trends in the aerospace industry, such as greater use of composites, increase the need for tests and simulations.

Increased market competition and the drive to cut costs are propelling a need for increased testing as companies strive to avoid the sorts of well-publicized delays suffered by leading U.S. and European airplane manufacturers. Such factors have triggered changes in the physical tests that assure that everything went well during manufacturing, as well as prompted many changes in simulation while creating a demand for testing in virtual-reality labs.

The changeover to lightweight composite materials is one of the biggest factors that is challenging the physical testing industry. Composites are manufactured, so they must be completely tested.