Automated pipe-weld radiography built for the mill: the NDT systems house we represent against VisiConsult XRHMultiTube, Waygate Technologies and Comet Yxlon.
In-line weld radiography is a small, specialised field. VisiConsult builds a dedicated pipe-weld manipulator, Waygate supplies the imaging chain and the ultrasonic line but not a single-vendor DR weld cell, and Comet reaches pipelines through crawlers and portable heads. A mill that wants one accountable supplier for the source, the detector and the geometry has a shorter list than it looks.
This is a production-line inspection system, configured to the mill's geometry rather than sold as a fixed cabinet. Our principal builds automated digital radiography for longitudinal, spiral and circumferential welds in feed-through and weld-joint configurations, in single-wall and double-wall techniques, using a 160 to 450 kV mini-focus source series at 100% duty cycle with flat-panel detectors. The figures quoted here are the catalogue specification.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by UnstratPipe weld X-ray inspection | VisiConsult X-ray Systems & SolutionsXRHMultiTube pipe / tank weld inspection system12Germany | Waygate Technologies (Baker Hughes)Digital and computed radiography portfolio (CRxVision, DR detectors) plus Krautkramer SNUP ultrasonic line345Germany / United States | Comet Yxlon (Comet Group)Industrial X-ray sources and DR detectors; pipeline crawler inspection with JME portable heads67Switzerland / Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is a dedicated pipe-weld system published?1457Only VisiConsult and our principal publish a purpose-built pipe-weld radiography manipulator. Waygate and Comet lead with components and adjacent methods, which changes who integrates the cell. | Yes: an automated pipe-weld radiography line in feed-through and weld-joint configurations, built to the mill's geometry | Yes: the XRHMultiTube is specialised for welds in endless pipes, with a roof-mounted C-arm manipulator for double-wall inspection | Not as a single-vendor DR weld cell; Waygate supplies the imaging chain and a separate ultrasonic pipe line (Krautkramer SNUP for submerged-arc welds) | Not as a dedicated fixed weld cell; pipeline inspection is reached with portable constant-potential heads on JME crawlers, plus stationary X-ray sources for integrators |
| Weld geometries covered147 | Longitudinal, spiral, circumferential and planar welds | Longitudinal welds in endless pipes stated for the XRHMultiTube; the tilting axis is described for elliptical weld inspection from multiple angles | General weld and pipe inspection stated for the CR portfolio (CRxVision positioned for weld inspection); specific geometries not listed as a single system | Pipeline girth-weld inspection via crawler; mill seam geometries not published as a single system |
| Inspection technique147 | Single-wall and double-wall techniques | Double-wall inspection stated for the XRHMultiTube, complying with EN 17636 | CR and DR to ISO 17636-2 (digital detector weld radiography) stated at the portfolio level | Single-wall and double-wall crawler techniques are standard for pipeline radiography; not published as one Comet system spec |
| Line configuration17 | Feed-through configuration inspects the seam as the pipe travels through; weld-joint configuration positions source and detector around each joint | Roof-mounted C-arm manipulator, tube and detector rotate 330 degrees around the pipe centre, parallel inspection of multiple welding lines, dynamically variable magnification | Not published as a single line configuration; the customer or integrator assembles source, detector and handling | Crawler travels inside the pipe with the source; the detector or film is placed outside; not a mill feed-through line |
| X-ray source energy136 | 160, 225, 320 and 450 kV mini-focus series | Not published as a fixed figure on the pipe pages; the manipulator is configured to the customer's source | Waygate supplies X-ray tubes and generators as a portfolio; a single stated energy for a pipe-weld cell is not published | Comet publishes a broad stationary X-ray portfolio of mini, meso, micro and nano-focus modules; a single pipe-weld energy is not published |
| Duty cycle136 | 100% | Not published | Not published for a weld-line source | Not published for a single pipe-weld source |
| Detector246 | Flat-panel detectors, 139 to 200 µm pixels, active area up to 427 x 427 mm, frame rate up to 50 fps with 2x2 binning | Carbon-fibre detector boom described (tube weight under 100 kg, internal cooling for longer detector life); specific pixel pitch and active area not published on the pipe pages | DXR flat-panel detectors and CRxVision high-resolution CR scanner published as products; pixel and area figures live in each datasheet rather than a pipe-cell spec | DR flat-panel detectors published in the portfolio; a pipe-weld detector spec is not published as a single figure |
| Imaging and analysis software146 | Digital record for each metre of pipe, replacing sampled film archives with a searchable digital archive (paired with our X-ray imaging software) | Xplus image-enhancement software stated for the MultiTube installations | Rhythm and related acquisition and review software published for CR and DR weld inspection | Comet efficiency and workflow software suite published for its inspection systems |
| Standards cited by the vendor14Our catalogue does not name the weld radiography standard it is qualified against, which mill quality departments will ask for by number. | Not published as a named standard in catalogue.ts | EN 17636 stated for the XRHMultiTube double-wall inspection | ISO 17636-2 (digital detector weld radiography) stated for the CR and DR portfolio | Not published as a single named standard for a pipe-weld system |
| Origin and support consent136A mill in an emerging pipe industry buys spares and calibration for a decade. Where the source and detector are made decides how a licence condition can slow a spare. | Independent, non-aligned origin; source, detector and geometry from one accountable team | Not addressed on the product pages | Not addressed on the product pages | Not addressed on the product pages |
Competitor values are quoted from the vendor documents listed under Sources, as published on the date shown. Configurations vary, so treat every row as a starting point for the evaluation rather than a like-for-like test result.
What the table means
The field is smaller than the search results suggest.
Type pipe-weld radiography into a search box and three famous names appear, but read the product pages and they diverge fast. VisiConsult publishes a genuine dedicated system, the XRHMultiTube, specialised for welds in endless pipes, with a roof-mounted C-arm that rotates 330 degrees around the pipe centre and inspects several welding lines at once to EN 17636. That is a direct peer to our feed-through and weld-joint line. Waygate and Comet are enormous and excellent, but on their published pages they sell the imaging chain, the sources and adjacent methods rather than a single-vendor mill weld cell. Waygate's own in-line pipe answer at production speed is ultrasonic, the Krautkramer SNUP for submerged-arc welds, and its radiography here is a CR scanner and detectors positioned for weld inspection to ISO 17636-2.
A component supplier is not the same as a line supplier.
Waygate and Comet will sell a mill everything it needs: tubes, generators, flat-panel detectors, CR scanners and review software, all published and all good. What their pages do not offer is one part number that is the pipe-weld line, with the source, the detector, the manipulator and the software matched to the seam geometry and warranted as a unit. Someone integrates that, and on the Waygate and Comet route it is the customer or a third party. Our catalogue and VisiConsult's both describe the manipulator itself, in single-wall and double-wall techniques, which is the difference between buying parts and buying an inspection result.
Configuration to the mill matters more than a headline kV.
A longitudinal seam on a plate mill, a spiral seam on an SAW line and a girth weld on finished pipe are three different manipulator problems, not three settings on one machine. Our line is published in two configurations for exactly that reason: feed-through for the running seam and weld-joint for individual joints, backed by a 160 to 450 kV mini-focus source series at 100% duty cycle. Comet's pipeline answer, a crawler carrying a portable head inside the pipe, is right for a laid pipeline in the field and wrong for a seam moving through a mill. Match the configuration to where the weld is made before comparing energy or detector pixel pitch.
Questions buyers ask
What is the best supplier for automated digital radiography of pipe welds in a mill?
The shortlist is shorter than the brand list. VisiConsult publishes the XRHMultiTube, a dedicated pipe-weld manipulator with a C-arm that rotates around the pipe and inspects several seams in parallel to EN 17636. Our principal publishes a comparable line in feed-through and weld-joint configurations, single-wall and double-wall, with a 160 to 450 kV mini-focus source series at 100% duty cycle and flat-panel detectors up to 427 x 427 mm. Waygate and Comet supply the imaging chain and sources but, on their published pages, not a single-vendor mill weld cell.
Does Waygate Technologies make an automated in-line pipe-weld radiography system?
Waygate supplies the pieces: X-ray tubes and generators, DXR flat-panel detectors, the CRxVision high-resolution CR scanner positioned for weld inspection, and acquisition and review software, all to ISO 17636-2. Its dedicated high-throughput in-line pipe answer at production speed is ultrasonic, the Krautkramer SNUP for submerged-arc welds, not a single radiography weld cell. If you want the source, the detector and the manipulator matched and warranted as one line, that is either self-integrated on the Waygate route or bought as a system from a supplier that publishes the whole line.
How does the VisiConsult XRHMultiTube compare with your pipe-weld system?
They are close peers. The XRHMultiTube is specialised for welds in endless pipes, with a roof-mounted C-arm that rotates 330 degrees around the pipe centre, double-wall inspection to EN 17636, a tilting axis for elliptical views and dynamically variable magnification, using a carbon-fibre detector boom under 100 kg. Ours covers longitudinal, spiral, circumferential and planar welds in feed-through and weld-joint configurations, single-wall and double-wall, with a published 160 to 450 kV source series and detectors up to 427 x 427 mm. The practical difference is origin and single-team accountability rather than a gap in capability.
Should I use a pipeline crawler or a fixed mill line to inspect pipe welds?
It depends where the weld is made. A crawler, such as a Comet or JME portable head travelling inside a laid pipeline, is the right tool for girth welds on pipe already in the ground or on the lay barge. A mill inspecting the seam it is producing wants a fixed line the pipe travels through, which is our feed-through configuration, or a station that indexes to each joint, our weld-joint configuration. Buying a field crawler for a production seam, or a fixed line for a laid pipeline, is the common and expensive mismatch.
Is this pipe-weld inspection system fielded or a development project?
Fielded. It is a production-line system configured to the mill's geometry, running automated digital radiography as part of the manufacturing and QC line rather than a separate lab step. The catalogue specification, 160 to 450 kV mini-focus at 100% duty cycle and flat-panel detectors up to 427 x 427 mm at up to 50 fps binned, is the delivered figure.
Which standard does automated pipe-weld radiography need to meet?
For digital detector weld radiography the reference standard is ISO 17636-2, and in Europe EN 17636 covers the same ground; Waygate cites ISO 17636-2 for its CR and DR portfolio and VisiConsult cites EN 17636 for the XRHMultiTube. Our catalogue does not name the standard by number, so ask any supplier, including us, to state the exact clause and image-quality class the system is qualified against for your product and wall thickness before you order.
Sources
- 1. VisiConsult X-ray Systems & Solutions, Reference: XRHMultiTube for Aker SolutionsRetrieved: 2026-08-15 · States endless-pipe weld specialisation, roof-mounted C-arm, 330 degree rotation, double-wall inspection to EN 17636, tilting axis for elliptical welds, parallel multi-seam inspection, dynamic magnification and Xplus software.
- 2. VisiConsult X-ray Systems & Solutions, New approach for X-ray weld inspection of pipeline segmentsRetrieved: 2026-08-15 · Describes the carbon-fibre detector tube under 100 kg with internal cooling and the move from film RT to digital radiography for pipe weld inspection.
- 3. Waygate Technologies (Baker Hughes), Digital Radiography (CR & DR) SolutionsRetrieved: 2026-08-15 · Portfolio page listing DXR flat-panel detectors, CR scanners, X-ray tubes and generators and imaging software; no single in-line pipe-weld DR system stated on the page.
- 4. Waygate Technologies (Baker Hughes), CRxVision: A High-Resolution CR Scanner for Weld and General Purpose Inspections (product page)Retrieved: 2026-08-15 · CR scanner positioned for weld inspection to ISO 17636-2; detailed pixel and throughput figures live in the datasheet PDF, which was not treated as a verified source.
- 5. Waygate Technologies (Baker Hughes), Krautkramer SNUP: Ultrasonic SAW Weld Inspection (product page)Retrieved: 2026-08-15 · States the SNUP ultrasonic system as the high-throughput in-line answer for submerged-arc welded pipe, confirming Waygate's dedicated in-line pipe method is ultrasonic rather than radiographic.
- 6. Comet Yxlon (Comet Group), Industrial X-ray Imaging Technology (technology and stationary source portfolio)Retrieved: 2026-08-15 · Portfolio of stationary mini, meso, micro and nano-focus X-ray sources, DR detectors and workflow software; no single pipe-weld cell energy or detector spec published on the page.
- 7. Comet Yxlon (Comet Group), EVO / JME pipeline crawler inspection (application material)Retrieved: 2026-08-15 · Describes pipeline inspection using Comet constant-potential portable X-ray heads on JME crawlers, a field girth-weld method rather than a fixed mill weld line. Linked as vendor application material; PDF not stored on our site.