Andrew Bassett felt that the thermal-processing industry desperately needed an expert in aerospace pyrometry compliance. So, he did what anyone with over 20 years of experience in the field would do – he started a company to fill that need.
Aerospace Testing & Pyrometry (ATP) was founded in 2007 by Bassett and a former partner. The company started with a handful of clients in the Northeast, but it soon expanded to four offices that covered the South and Midwest as well. Today, ATP – with six full-time employees – has customers from coast to coast.
The company’s quality system and procedures comply with ISO 17025, ISO 9000, TS16949, AS 9100, CQI-9 and Nadcap. Many of its current clients supply the aerospace, automotive and medical industries. Meanwhile, the ATP team consists of members of the Aerospace Metals Engineering Committee (AMEC), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), American Welding Society (AWS) and a former Nadcap heat-treat auditor, who is a degreed metallurgist.
In essence, ATP is a full-service provider for pyrometry. Many heat-treat suppliers have limited resources for pyrometry services and hands-on knowledge relative to the Nadcap process. As such, the Bangor, Pa.-based MTI member conducts calibration of test and process instrumentation, vacuum system calibration, temperature uniformity surveys and profiles, and system accuracy testing. ATP’s calibration and testing practices will comply or exceed aerospace prime specifications such as AMS 2750, Boeing (BAC-5621, DPS 1.700 and PS23401), Rolls-Royce PLC (RPS-953), GE Aviation (GE P10TF3), Bombardier Aviation (BAERD-GEN-007), Cessna Aircraft (CSMP015) and Pratt & Whitney (PWA-F40) to name just a few.
ATP also provides customized pyrometry training courses that focus on applicable pyrometry specifications and tailors the course to the client’s needs. ATP finds that the classes, which are instructed on-site, have been a valuable learning experience because questions can be answered for particular equipment. Pyrometry training is not limited to the classroom – practical demonstration of pyrometry methods is also available.
In addition, ATP offers consultation services for aerospace quality systems. Be it Nadcap accreditation to heat treating, brazing, nondestructive testing or material test laboratories, ATP provides the expertise needed to help attain and maintain compliance to the strict aerospace special-process standards.
It appears that Bassett was correct in thinking that the industry was in need of a company like ATP – and not just in the U.S. In the past year, ATP opened a new division in Tulsa, Okla., to better serve clients in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Mexico. The company also spent 10 days in Greece providing training and consulting services for a manufacturer of aerospace components to a large U.S. defense contractor. ATP helped the company establish best practices for pyrometry, developed procedures and work instructions, and provided pyrometry training in the calibration methods of the client’s thermal-processing equipment.
The future is looking bright for ATP. The company hopes to open service offices in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California in the next five years and increase its presence in international markets such as China and Europe. ATP also aims to establish furnace repair and maintenance expertise and expand its consultation services into chemical processing and welding.
Visit www.atp-cal.com for more information on Aerospace Testing & Pyrometry.
