The Centre for Transport Engineering and Research was established in 2005 after steady development of Rail Inspection products developed from years of experience in the industry. This expertise and desire to provide world class RFD systems and service led to the commercialisation of their own systems for rail inspection.
ULTRAWave is a robust yet highly accurate ultrasonic system to analyse the surface and internal structures of rail line. The ability to confirm potential flaws and to analyse visual artefacts is collected by high speed imaging (VLIDS). Software to collate all this information (RIPWave) is built on a common platform using standard PC hardware The advantages of having easily replaceable and configurable systems is easily understood.
New vehicles and carriers of these systems have been prototyped and tested to allow the unique RFD abilities to be fully scaleable across all platforms. The response to the growth of urban light rail networks and the agenda of environmental awareness is met by the MetroTrolley. The unique facility of this zero emission vehicle is that it can be used for enclosed spaces, tunnels and subways. The HANDWave unit is the first of its kind to carry the full 5 channel facility of ULTRAWave, thus enabling a user to have one pass over an area of interest without changing channels and therefore reducing the time taken for RFD (Rail Flaw Detection).
For the first time, each rail operator is able to tailor their particular requirements according to the cost/need ratio of the level of RFD needed. This is a considerable advantage for any rail network operator as they can utilise the same software across all platforms and each time information is collected it can be directly compared with other types or with the same type taken at another time.
The performance of CATERs products and the ethics they adhere to have ensured them a preferred status with the Japanese domestic rail network. Our long term association with Hong Kongs Metro Rail is another example of the reputation they hold. The testing of the Taiwan High Speed Rail network to check safety standards before handover was a particularly pleasing achievement, as well. |
