Baker Hughes / Waygate Technologies (formerly GE / Krautkramer) USM Go+ — Review, Specs & Alternatives
The Krautkramer USM Go+ (now sold under the Waygate Technologies / Baker Hughes brand) is the pocket-form conventional UT flaw detector specified by rope-access technicians, wind-blade inspectors, and refinery rigging crews who cannot afford the bulk of an EPOCH 650. At 0.9 kg with 8-hour battery life, it is one of the lightest fully code-compliant A-scan instruments on the market — EN 12668-1, ASME V, AWS D1.1, ASTM E164 all supported. Tradeoff: smaller 3.5 in display, shorter battery life than EPOCH 650, slightly thinner DAC/TCG software depth. For inspectors who carry the instrument in harness for hours, the weight savings dominates [1].
Specs at a glance — Baker Hughes / Waygate Technologies (formerly GE / Krautkramer) USM Go+
Waygate USM Go+ — key specs (Baker Hughes datasheet, 2022) [1]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency range (pulser) | 0.5 – 20 MHz (–3 dB) |
| Pulser type | Square wave, 50/120/350 V |
| Pulse repetition frequency | 15 – 1000 Hz |
| Gain range | 0 – 110 dB (0.1 dB steps) |
| Display | 3.5 in (89 mm) color LCD, 320 × 240, transflective |
| Weight (with battery) | 0.9 kg (2.0 lb) |
| Dimensions | 171 × 121 × 51 mm |
| IP rating | IP67 dust/water |
| Battery life | ~8 hr typical (Li-ion) |
| Operating temperature | –10 °C to +55 °C |
| Storage | 500 MB internal + micro-SD |
| Connectivity | USB, RS-232 |
| Material velocity | 1000 – 15000 m/s |
| Compliance | EN 12668-1, ASTM E317, ASTM E164 |
What this is good for
Buyer matches use case to capability:
- Rope-access and wind-turbine blade inspection where weight in harness is the binding constraint.
- Refinery shutdown crews needing a backup or supplementary instrument to a primary EPOCH 650 fleet.
- Field thickness gauging and CUI surveys where the inspector walks miles of pipe per shift.
- Aerospace MRO line work where AWS D17.1 / ASTM E114 conventional UT on small components fits the screen size.
Where it falls short
Honest tradeoffs:
- Code-compliant phased-array or TOFD weld inspection — single-channel A-scan only.
- Forensic indication review where large display real estate matters — EPOCH 650 or X3 are better for that.
- High-volume shop-bench weld inspection where battery life and display size matter more than weight.
- Cloud-first inspection programs — no native WiFi.
Pros
- 0.9 kg pocket form factor — half the weight of EPOCH 650, transformative for rope-access and high-reach work.
- IP67 rating exceeds EPOCH 650 (IP66) — survives full submersion briefly, valid for marine and splash-zone work.
- AWS D1.1 scoring software included as standard — auto-rates indications without external spreadsheet.
- DGS/AVG and DAC curves native, with up to 4 curves stored — sufficient for ASME V Article 4 work.
- Transflective display works in direct sunlight without sunshade — practical advantage for tank-top and pipeline work.
- Operating temperature range extends to +55 °C — verified usable in Saudi Aramco summer field conditions.
Cons
- 3.5 in display is small for detailed waveform analysis — older techs with bifocals find it harder to read than EPOCH 650.
- Battery life of 8 hr requires a swap for full 12-hour shift — slightly worse than EPOCH 650 at 15.5 hr.
- Single-channel only, no PA, no TOFD, no encoder — pure A-scan instrument.
- Software UI uses joypad navigation, no touchscreen — fast for veterans but counter-intuitive for newer techs trained on touchscreens.
- Limited internal storage (~500 MB) versus EPOCH 650 (2 GB) — files fill fast on high-volume weld inspection days.
- Resale market is thinner than EPOCH 650; expect 50-60% retention at 3 years.
Alternatives to consider
If this unit does not fit:
| Make/Model | Why consider it |
|---|---|
| Olympus (Evident) EPOCH 650 | Larger display, longer battery, deeper software — but nearly 2× the weight. Better for bench/shop, worse for rope-access. |
| Baker Hughes / Waygate USM 100 | Same Waygate family with larger touchscreen, modern UI — heavier (1.5 kg) and pricier but better for fab-shop bench use. |
| Sonatest Masterscan D-70 | UK alternative conventional UT with strong DAC suite, mid-weight (~1.2 kg), competitive price. |
Certification & code compatibility
Documented use under:
- EN 12668-1:2010 — UT instrument characterization
- ASME BPVC Section V, Article 4 — manual ultrasonic examination of welds
- ASME BPVC Section V, Article 5 — UT of materials other than welds
- AWS D1.1/D1.1M — structural welding code UT (Section 6)
- ASTM E164 — contact UT of weldments
- ASTM E317 — UT pulse-echo system performance evaluation
- ASTM E797 — UT thickness gauging using contact pulse-echo
- API 5UE — pipe imperfection UT evaluation
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the USM Go+ still being produced under Waygate / Baker Hughes branding?
Yes. After the 2017 GE Oil & Gas spin-off and the subsequent renaming under Baker Hughes, the Krautkramer NDT product line is now sold under the Waygate Technologies brand. The USM Go+ remains a current-production model with full firmware support, calibration services, and probe ecosystem availability through Waygate authorized partners. New units typically ship in 4-6 weeks from Houston or Hürth (Germany) warehouses. If you see "GE Krautkramer USM Go+" branding on a used unit, that is the same hardware sold pre-2018 — Waygate honors firmware updates back to the original release [1].
How does the USM Go+ compare to the EPOCH 650 for AWS D1.1 fab-shop weld inspection?
Both meet AWS D1.1 Section 6 requirements and both include native scoring software. The EPOCH 650 has a larger display (5.7 in vs 3.5 in), longer battery (15.5 hr vs 8 hr), and slightly deeper DAC/TCG curve storage (6 vs 4). The USM Go+ is half the weight and IP67 versus IP66. For a fab-shop bench inspector who sits at a station, the EPOCH 650 is the more productive tool. For an outside-fit-up inspector who walks the entire structure with the instrument in hand, the USM Go+ weight savings is decisive. Many shops run mixed fleets — EPOCH 650 at the bench, USM Go+ for field walk-downs [1][2].
Can the USM Go+ do thickness gauging accurately enough for API 510 / API 570 inspection records?
Yes, when paired with a dual-element thickness probe (e.g. Krautkramer DA-301 0.5 in dia, 5 MHz) and properly calibrated to ASTM E797, the USM Go+ produces thickness readings accurate to ±0.025 mm on carbon steel, well within API 510 and API 570 record-keeping tolerance. Calibration on a step block per ASTM E797 takes 2 minutes. For corrosion-mapping C-scans, you need a separate encoded thickness gauge or a PA box, but for spot-thickness surveys at TML (thickness monitoring locations) per API 570 §6.3, the USM Go+ is fully fit for purpose [3][4].
What is the realistic delivered cost of a new USM Go+ kit in 2026?
A new USM Go+ kit with the instrument, two batteries, charger, hard transit case, and one calibration certificate typically delivers at $9,000-$10,500 USD from a Waygate dealer in North America. Add a 5 MHz, 12 mm single-element angle probe set (45°, 60°, 70° with wedges) for $1,800-$2,400. Add a dual-element thickness probe for $650-$900. A working starter kit lands around $11,500-$13,500. Used-market pricing through resellers ranges $5,500-$7,000 for 3-5 year old units with current calibration [1].
References & Standards Cited
- Baker Hughes / Waygate Technologies, USM Go+ Ultrasonic Flaw Detector datasheet, Rev. 2022 ↗
- Evident (Olympus), EPOCH 650 datasheet, Rev. 2023-04 (for comparative spec context)
- ASTM E797/E797M-21, Standard Practice for Measuring Thickness by Manual Ultrasonic Pulse-Echo Contact Method
- API 570, 5th ed. (2023), Piping Inspection Code, §6.3 Thickness Measurement Locations
- EN 12668-1:2010, NDT — Characterization and verification of UT equipment — Part 1: Instruments
Related on NDT Connect
Founder of NDT Connect and Atlantis NDT. 15+ years in industrial inspection across oil & gas, petrochemical, and offshore. ASNT Level III certified across five methods. Drives platform standards for the NDT Connect marketplace.