Free Digital NDT Reporting Software

A useful NDT report lets a reader identify the item examined, understand the examination scope, locate the recorded results and follow the basis for the reported disposition. The appearance matters because it helps people navigate that evidence. A logo or polished table cannot supply information that was never collected. Begin with the job requirements and your actual inspection records, then use this free reporting workspace to assemble a readable client document.

NDT Connect provides an online editor for company and client details, specifications, personnel references, equipment notes, result tables and conclusions. You can bring in a supported Word or Excel template, review its extracted structure and continue entering data. The PDF generator lays out the current information with report identity, repeated table headings and page numbers. Use the resulting document within your organization’s review and release process; the tool does not inspect the component or decide whether a result is acceptable.

If you already have a customer-approved reporting template, make a working copy before importing it. Remove previous customer results and make sure you are using the intended revision. The upload control accepts modern .docx and .xlsx documents. Microsoft identifies these as Office Open XML formats; older .doc and .xls files use different formats and should first be saved as supported copies. Microsoft’s format guide explains the file extensions.

You can also start directly in the editor. Choose the NDT method and add a starter result table with suitable labels. UT, PAUT, TOFD, MT, PT, VT, RT and ET have different suggested columns, and an Other option supports a custom examination. These are editing aids, not qualified procedures or mandated report forms. Change the headings to match your job, add the missing fields and check that the layout captures the evidence your customer actually requested.

A spreadsheet can contain several worksheets, decorative headings and instructions above the actual result table. The import preview lets you choose a worksheet or Word table and select the row that should become the column headings. Inspect the rows displayed in the preview. If the first row contains a company name instead of field labels, choose the actual header row before adding the table. Data above that chosen row will not become part of the result table, so transfer relevant details into the report’s project or specification fields.

Adding a table preserves the existing result tables. Replacing the current tables is a separate action that asks for confirmation. This distinction is useful when a template includes several examinations or when you have already entered part of the report. Review warnings about merged cells, unsupported structures or values requiring attention. The import creates editable content rather than reproducing every original Word or Excel design choice. Keep the source file available while checking the converted report.

An Excel cell may contain text, a number or a formula, and those are different kinds of information. Microsoft’s description of SpreadsheetML document structure distinguishes the cell formula from other stored values. This reporting tool does not run spreadsheet formulas. Formula cells are left for review rather than being presented as newly calculated inspection results. If a calculation belongs in the report, obtain and check its result using your controlled calculation process before entering it.

Check dates, decimal conventions, units and identifiers after import. An identifier with leading zeros must still identify the same component. A value copied from a thickness worksheet needs its measurement unit and location reference. A cell that looks empty may have been deliberately left for a reviewer. Resolve these cases with the source record rather than assuming that every blank is zero or that every numeric value is a measurement. A short import reconciliation can prevent a much longer client clarification later.

Enter the inspection company and client as separate parties. Include the names and contact details that belong on this particular report, rather than copying an old project header unchanged. The editor offers a logo slot for each party and accepts PNG or JPEG images. It resizes uploaded logos for the header. Use images you are authorized to place on the document and check that small lettering remains readable in the exported PDF.

The company logo identifies the report’s presenting organization; the client logo provides customer context. Neither establishes accreditation or technical approval. If a contract controls how the client’s mark may appear, use the approved image and placement requirements when reviewing the finished document. A simple, legible header is usually more useful than a large image that competes with the report title. Check both logos together with the company names so the reader can tell which party performed the work and which party commissioned it.

Use the project, inspection location, asset and reference fields to connect the report to the physical work. A city alone is rarely enough to locate an examined item. Add the site designation, equipment identifier, line or structure reference and the drawing or work-order information needed by the intended reader. Keep these identifiers consistent with the result table and any separately retained images or acquisition files. If a drawing changed during the assignment, identify the revision actually used.

For a multi-site inspection business, distinguish the customer’s mailing address from the place where the examination occurred. A Houston office may administer a different project location, and a Canadian contractor may report readings from a site with its own asset naming convention. The tool does not infer those relationships. Enter the actual examination context and describe any boundary that would otherwise be ambiguous. This preparation also makes a saved report easier to recognize when the same customer has several similar assignments.

Use separate fields for the governing code or client specification, its edition or revision, the procedure identifier and the acceptance-criteria reference. This keeps the basis for the examination distinct from the basis for evaluating its results. A short method label such as UT does not explain the required scope, technique or disposition rules. Enter the references applicable to the actual contract and have the responsible technical person resolve any conflict before the report is issued.

The scope and limitations fields should describe what was examined and what was excluded or inaccessible. For example, an illustrative report might distinguish the accessible weld length from an area obstructed by a support. That example is a way to organize the record, not an examination instruction. Do not convert an access limitation into a completed result. The software leaves these decisions and their technical wording to the user; it does not select a code edition, supply acceptance limits or establish compliance from a template.

Record the inspector, qualification or authorization reference, and any required reviewer information in the report fields. Check the underlying evidence for the method, scope and organization involved. ASNT’s explanation of employer-based certification programs describes the role of an employer’s written practice. A name entered in this editor does not independently establish authorization for an examination. Use your actual qualification and review process to determine the personnel information the report requires.

For equipment, include the identifiers and calibration or reference evidence needed to interpret the examination. A generic instrument model may not distinguish the unit used on the job. The equipment notes can also identify associated probes, reference items or relevant source records. Keep detailed supporting documents in the approved system and enter usable references here. The separate free equipment register, calibration reminders and certificate manager help organize those records; their dates and entries still need checking against the original evidence.

Each table should make its row identity clear. A weld identifier, component serial number, examination area or measurement location is usually a better starting point than an unexplained row number. Add columns for the recorded result, relevant conditions, supporting references and the disposition where required. Keep the meaning of each column consistent throughout the table. When the data belongs to a different examination or uses a different set of fields, a separate named table is often clearer than mixing unrelated information into the same grid.

The editor supports up to twelve columns per table, one hundred data rows per table, ten tables and five hundred data rows in a report. These are software limits, not technical limits on an inspection scope. A wide table is laid out in landscape orientation in the PDF. Keep labels concise while retaining necessary units and context. If a value needs a long explanation, use a clear result reference and the observations section instead of forcing the entire discussion into an abbreviated cell.

Use observations to explain relevant conditions, data references, follow-up work and limits that do not fit comfortably in the result grid. A statement should tell the reader what was observed or recorded and where the supporting evidence can be found. Avoid a conclusion that implies a larger examination scope than the tables and coverage notes demonstrate. If an item needs further evaluation, identify that state using the wording and authority appropriate to the project.

The conclusion field captures the user’s stated disposition and its basis. It is deliberately editable: the software does not turn a measurement into an automatic pass or fail. Before issuing a report, compare the conclusion with the applicable acceptance criteria, the recorded indications and the limitations. Where the customer requires a separate engineering assessment or approval, preserve that distinction. A clean PDF is a delivery format for the entered record; it cannot replace missing examination evidence or a required technical decision.

A free verified account assigns a tracked report number when a draft is first saved. You can enter a pattern with a literal prefix and supported date, method and sequence tokens. For example, NDT-{YYYY}-{SEQ:5} combines a year with a five-digit padded sequence. The on-screen example uses sequence one to explain the format; the actual next sequence is reserved by your account when the save succeeds. It is not chosen by counting the rows currently visible in the report list.

Date tokens use the inspection date when provided and otherwise the UTC date at first save. The assigned number stays fixed if you later change a draft field. Numbers can have gaps after reservations or failed operations and are not reused. Choose the prefix and separator convention with your existing report register in mind. The tool cannot detect numbers previously issued outside NDT Connect, so reconcile the new series with your own document-control records before using it for client deliveries.

Local editing and draft PDF generation do not require an account. Persistent report storage and assigned numbers require an active, verified account. The saved-report panel searches your own report number, title or client and opens the selected record into the workspace. A report is private to its account owner; this release does not provide a shared company workspace or a public client-view link. Use your organization’s approved method to deliver the downloaded PDF to the intended recipient.

Save after meaningful changes and check the confirmation showing the tracked number and revision. If a save fails, the editor keeps the current workspace so you can retry or download an editable backup. A conflicting save from another tab is not silently accepted over a newer version. Resolve the latest saved state before continuing. Keep a separate backup for work you cannot afford to lose, particularly before changing devices or closing a long editing session. The browser workspace itself is not a permanent archive.

The issue action is available after the required report details are complete, the latest draft is saved and you confirm that you have reviewed the entered evidence. It preserves that version against ordinary editing. If information later changes, create a new draft revision under the same report number, review the amendment and issue the new version through your normal process. Earlier issued content remains available so a correction does not silently rewrite the document previously supplied to a customer.

Issue status records the user’s action within the report workflow. It does not create a certificate-based digital signature, verify the named reviewer or certify the inspection. Adobe’s guidance on certificate signatures describes a separate signing mechanism. If a customer requires that mechanism or another controlled approval step, complete it using the appropriate authorized process after preparing the report. Keep the revision and delivery record consistent with whichever version the customer receives.

The PDF download contains the current report fields, logos, tables, observations and conclusion. It uses a consistent layout with wrapped text, repeated table headings and page numbering. Long tables can continue across pages. Review the exported document itself, including the first page, page breaks, final rows and footer identity. Check that technical symbols, accented names and units appear as intended. If a character is unsupported by the bundled font, the export reports an error rather than silently deleting it.

For an illustrative final check, choose one component near the start of the report and one near the end. Trace each identifier back to the source record, compare its values and units, and confirm the stated disposition and supporting reference. Then check the report number, revision, client name and inspection date together. This is an editorial review exercise rather than a prescribed inspection procedure. Adapt it to the customer’s handover requirements and the responsibilities established by your organization.

Report preparation is easier when supporting records are organized before the examination. Use the equipment register to maintain identifiable instrument records, calibration reminders to plan approaching due dates and the certificate manager to review recorded qualification dates. The inspection quote planner helps compare supplied quotations, while the qualification evidence planner organizes questions for the receiving authority. Each tool supports a defined task; none substitutes for the original technical evidence.

For teams operating across the United States and Canada, keep customer identifiers, date conventions and measurement units explicit at each handover. The regional guides below offer different reporting scenarios and project worksheets, and each includes access to the same online workspace. You can also explore free planning tools, downloadable resources, NDT method guides and industry articles. Start with a small representative report, inspect its export and confirm the fit before moving a larger reporting workload into the tool.