Regular upkeep on mag particle equipment is critical for non-destructive testing to safe guard inspections & reduce downtime.
Just like changing the oil in a car, basic preventive care is a cheap and easy way for NDT professionals to get the most out of your mag particle inspections and make sure your mag particle machine investments last. Will it prevent all failures from occurring, no. But I can guarantee you that if you never pull off the machine’s ventilation panels to check the cooling fans or to blow off the dirt and dust off of the rectifiers, your machine will eventually develop issues, just like a car if it’s oil hasn’t been changed in years.
One of the reasons many NDT professionals don’t pay more attention to mag particle equipment maintenance is they perceive standards like ASTM E1444 as an operating guideline instead of as minimum requirements. While it is important to regularly have your meter calibrated for accuracy, your shot timer checked and to verify output repeatability, this is not enough to keep your mag equipment at peak performance.