Carmelo Santamarina, Head of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) at AZTERLAN, has been appointed Secretary of the Northern Committee of the Spanish Association for Non-Destructive Testing (AEND – Asociación Española de Ensayos No Destructivos), a leading organization in Spain for the promotion of NDT and the certification of professionals according to internationally recognized standards.
Carmelo Santamarina, Head of Non-Destructive Testing at AZTERLAN
The appointment reinforces AZTERLAN’s participation in one of the leading technical forums in the field of NDT, bringing together professionals, companies, certification bodies, technology centres and other key organizations committed to the reliability, safety and integrity of materials, components and industrial facilities.
Founded in 1988, AEND is a non-profit technical and scientific association that promotes the development and dissemination of Non-Destructive Testing through training, certification, knowledge transfer and technical collaboration activities. The association also actively participates in standardization initiatives and maintains close links with national and international organizations in the sector, contributing to the evolution and harmonization of NDT practices and technical requirements.
Among its main activities is personnel certification through CERTIAEND, a certification body accredited in accordance with UNE-EN ISO 9712. This certification is widely recognized by industry as a benchmark for demonstrating the technical competence of professionals performing NDT inspections and is required in numerous sectors and projects where the reliability of inspection results is critical.
Prior to this appointment, Carmelo had already maintained a close relationship with AEND through his work as an examiner in personnel certification processes, directly participating in the assessment of technical competencies of NDT professionals. “My experience as an examiner has allowed me to gain first-hand insight into the technical rigor with which AEND conducts its certification processes. CERTIAEND certification is highly valued by industry because it provides confidence in the competence of professionals and contributes to ensuring the quality and reliability of inspections.” Carmelo also highlights the association’s activities and its collaboration with national and international counterpart organizations, which “strengthen the recognition and robustness of the certification system.”
AZTERLAN’s Non-Destructive Testing Capabilities
AZTERLAN has extensive experience in the application of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques for the evaluation of metallic materials, components and welded structures across a wide range of industrial sectors. The centre also carries out in-plant and on-site inspections and is currently pursuing ENAC accreditation for these activities. Its main NDT capabilities include:
- Computed Tomography (CT) y Micro–Computed Tomography (Micro-CT).
- Digital Industrial Radioscopy.
- Ultrasonic Testing (UT).
- Magnetic Particle Testing (MT).
- Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT).
- Visual Testing (VT).
AZTERLAN’s NDT team also provides technical support to companies in areas such as procedure development, quality system implementation and inspection supervision.
These activities are complemented by a broad portfolio of analytical capabilities, many of them accredited, for the chemical, metallographic, mechanical and corrosion characterization of metallic materials and components, as well as advanced services for defect diagnosis and failure analysis.
In addition, AZTERLAN’s NDT capabilities provide essential support to the centre’s research activities, contributing to the development and validation of new materials, manufacturing processes and industrial designs, as well as to its advanced prototyping activities.
