The Argentinean Association for Non Destructive and Structural Essays (AAENDE), created by the end of 2002 by Resolution IGJ no. 0001258, was a consequence of the pioneering spirit that first promoted this activity in our country.

Ever since its inception, it focused on articulating different interests from the standpoint of a non-profit organization, bringing most of the industries in the Non Destructive and Structural Essay area on board.

NDEs first started in Argentina hand in hand with nuclear power generation. UN programs (IAEA) provided their assistance, and NDEs gradually expanded to the rest of the non-nuclear activities. With time a certification scheme was developed for NDE staff, and guidelines were finally included in ISO 9712. Stakeholders try to keep the system updated, by expanding the scheme to include new methods and techniques. At present, many companies, NGOs, government agencies and universities are involved in non destructive testing throughout the country. Some of them are AAENDE corporate members that add up to the more than 60 individual partners.

AAENDE’s activities, focused on the promotion and continuous improvement of this area, are finally aimed at making our country’s infrastructure safer, more sustainable and efficient. That is why in 2003 it became a member elect of the Argentinean Organization for Non Destructive Essay Certification (OACEND). It has further been re-elected to this position for the 2005 – 2006 period. Its contribution to this forum has been the sustained improvement of OACEND’s by-laws and the promotion of the accreditation of the staff certification system by the Argentinean Accreditation Organization (OAA). To that end, two “ad-hoc” groups have been created, coordinated by AAENDE’s representatives. An agreement was signed in 2005 with IRAM so as to finally catalyze the accreditation of the staff certification system. This acknowledgement was obtained in April 2006 and it has placed Argentina in line with the most advanced countries in the world.

In the last few years AAENDE has kept its international presence in this activity. It was the Argentinean representative in the 3rd Pan American NDE Conference, held in Rio do Janeiro, Brazil, in 2003. On that occasion Buenos Aires was nominated and awarded hosting the 2007 meeting. Therefore, it is holding the Chair to the Pan American Committee on NDTs. It is the Argentinean member of the International Committee for Non Destructive Testing (ICNDT). This organization is an advisor to the ISO standardization committee for this specialty. It represented Argentina in the last World Conference on Non Destructive Testing, held in Montreal, Canada, in 2004. At that conference, it chaired the meeting of the Pan American Committee and advertised the “2007 Buenos Aires Conference” at an ad-hoc booth.

As to standardization, AAENDE was involved, together with IRAM, in the First NDE Standards Meeting in Mercosur, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

In 2005 the 5th CORENDE was held in Neuquén, together with UNCOMA, through an ANPCyT subsidy. 300 people attended, and 70 communications were issued.  

PANNDT HISTORY

The Pan American NDT Committee gathers the entities involved these activities throughout the Americas. It was founded in December 1995 in Jamaica, the outcome of the Non Destructive Testing Project for Latin America and the Caribbean, funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations’ Industrial Development Office (UNIDO). The Pan American Committee, apart from promoting NDE activities throughout the region, aims mainly at promoting and holding the Pan American Conference on Non Destructive Testing.

The first conference, held in September 1998 in Toronto, Canada, was organized by the Canadian Society for NDT (CSNDT). The second conference, held in Houston, US, was held in June 2001, organized by the American Society of NDT (ASNT).

The purpose of the 3rd PANNDT, organized by the Brazilian Association of Non Destructive Essays, ABENDE and held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2004, was to gather specialists and companies from the area of non destructive testing in order to exchange ideas and experiences and promote transfer of technology.

The members of the Pan American Committee for Non Destructive Testing were the following:
Chair: Maria Izabel Lackzo Gebrael (ABENDE - Brazil)
1st Vice President: Edson Vasques Moreira (ABENDE - Brazil)
2nd Vice President: Cesar Belinco (CNEA - Argentina)
Former Chairperson: David Culbertson (ASNT - USA) and Peter Brady (CSNDT - Canada)
Coordinator for Latin America: Juan Francisco Fortis Roa (Mexico)
Secretary: João Conte (ABENDE - Brazil).

On this occasion 638 people attended the conference, 77 technical papers were submitted, 2 plenary sessions, 6 semi-plenary and 6 round tables were held, and the product and service exhibition had 81 companies.

The Argentinean proposition for the 2007 conference to be held in Buenos Aires was accepted at this conference, as put forward in the second PANNDT, held in Houston. Mexico’s interest in organizing the 2011 conference was confirmed.
At present, and according to PANNDT’s terms of reference, the members of the Committee are the following:
Chair: César Belinco (AAENDE - Argentina)
1st Vice President: Alberto Nicolini (AAENDE - Argentina)
2nd Vice President: Juan Francisco Fortis Roa (Mexico)
Former Chairperson: Maria Izabel Lackzo Gebrael (ABENDE - Brazil).