You Know White Light
Misses the Biofilm.
Now You Can Prove It.
Videtex adds 405 nm UV fluorescence to your existing borescopic inspection workflow. Biofilm autofluoresces. No dye application. No sample collection. No lab wait. The same probe pass also performs ASTM E1417 fluorescent penetrant inspection at 365 nm.
NDT principle: 405 nm violet UV excites flavins (FAD, riboflavin) and NADH in bacterial biofilm EPS matrix — the same porphyrin autofluorescence mechanism used in medical device inspection. No fluorescent penetrant dye is required for biofilm detection.
Workflow Integration
Fits Your Existing
Borescopic Inspection Protocol.
Videtex is not a replacement for your current borescope — it is an upgrade to it. The probe geometry, access requirements, and documentation workflow are identical to standard borescopic inspection. You add two wavelengths; you do not add a new procedure.
Insert Videtex Probe
Same access geometry as your existing borescope. The 3.9 mm probe fits standard aircraft borescope access ports — fuel tanks, hydraulic manifolds, potable water systems. Articulating tip. No new access panels required.
Switch to 405 nm (Biofilm Pass)
Violet UV excites flavin autofluorescence in biofilm EPS matrix. Contamination fluoresces green-yellow. No dye application. No sample collection. Real-time imaging.
Switch to 365 nm (Structural Pass)
Long-wave UV excites fluorescent penetrant per ASTM E1417. Detects surface cracks, porosity, and weld defects in the same probe pass. Both inspections documented in one report.
Document & Report
Fluorescence images captured with timestamp and probe position metadata. Exportable to standard inspection report formats. Audit trail for AS9100 / EASA Part-145 compliance.
Detection Capability Comparison
What Each Method
Actually Detects.
Scenario
White-Light Borescopy
Culture Sampling
Videtex UV Fluorescence
Day 1–7 biofilm (pre-MIC)
Not visible — optically transparent
Not detectable — planktonic sampling only
405 nm autofluorescence — detected in real time
Fuel-water interface contamination
Indistinguishable from water staining
24–72 hr lab turnaround
In-situ, same inspection pass
Fungal hyphae (H. resinae)
Invisible at early growth stage
Requires specific fungal culture media
Chitin autofluorescence at 405 nm
Surface crack detection
Visible only if gross
Not applicable
365 nm FPI per ASTM E1417 — same pass
Inspection documentation
Visual record only
Lab report, separate from inspection
Fluorescence image + timestamp + position metadata
Hardware Specifications
Videtex Probe
Technical Specifications.
The Videtex probe system is engineered for aerospace fluid system geometries. The 3.9 mm probe is the lead aerospace configuration — it fits standard borescope access ports and supports dual-view (front and side simultaneously). Narrower probes (1.8 mm) are available for pass-through access scenarios but are single-view only. All probes share the same Tri-Spectrum illumination and are interchangeable without recalibration.
Videtex Probe — Key Specifications
Lead aerospace probe
3.9 mm — dual-view (front + side simultaneously)
Full probe range
1.8 mm (single-view, narrow access) / 3.9 mm / 4.5 mm / 6.0 mm
Illumination
Tri-Spectrum: White + UV 365 nm + UV 405 nm
Wavelengths
365 nm (structural FPI) + 405 nm (biofilm autofluorescence)
Working length
3.9 mm: up to 2,500 mm; 6.0 mm: up to 3,000 mm
Articulation
4-way, 160° per axis (3.9 mm+); 130° (1.8 mm)
IP rating
IP67 — dust-tight, immersion-rated
Operating temp
-20°C to +70°C
Image sensor
CMOS, 1920×1080, 60 fps (3.9 mm+)
Light source
Tri-LED, switchable in-situ, no probe removal
Dye requirement
None for biofilm detection (autofluorescence)
Structural standard
ASTM E1417 / EN 3452-1 aligned
Lead time
15 working days from deposit
Warranty
1 year
Platform
Videtex (shared with Endodetex medical device inspection)
NDT Standards Alignment
Designed Around the Standards
You Already Work To.
Videtex is not a novel inspection method that requires new qualification. The 365 nm channel maps directly to ASTM E1417 fluorescent penetrant inspection. The 405 nm biofilm channel is additive — it detects a contamination mode that no existing standard addresses, which means it adds capability without conflicting with your current qualification basis.
Standard Practice for Liquid Penetrant Testing
Videtex 365 nm channel is designed to excite fluorescent penetrant per Type I FPI requirements.
Aerospace series — Non-destructive testing (European)
Dual-wavelength protocol maps to EN 3452-1 fluorescent penetrant inspection procedures.
Quality Management Systems — Aerospace
Inspection records, image metadata, and audit trail outputs support AS9100 documentation requirements.
Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices — Aircraft Inspection and Repair
UV fluorescence inspection of fluid system interiors is consistent with AC 43.13 borescopic inspection guidance.
Day 7
MIC corrosion current density increases ~100× in aluminum alloy fuel tanks
— Lu et al., Materials 2024
100%
Of inspected ISS water systems positive for biofilm — all missed by white-light inspection
— NASA NTRS 2024
0
Aerospace standards currently mandate biofilm-specific detection in any fluid system
— Regulatory gap analysis
Common Objection
"We Already Have a UV Borescope."
The Vividia UV-K-6010 and VSNDT VS-UVK60 are the most widely deployed UV borescopes in aerospace NDT. Both are correctly specified for ASTM E1417 fluorescent penetrant inspection of structural defects. They cannot detect biofilm. Three independent reasons explain why — and none of them are fixable with a firmware update.
Wrong Wavelength
365 nm excites FPI dye and porphyrins but does not efficiently excite flavins (FAD, NADH) — the primary fluorophores in living biofilm. 405 nm is required for autofluorescence of the biofilm EPS matrix. This is a photochemistry constraint, not a sensitivity setting.
Wrong View Configuration
Both Vividia and VSNDT probes are direct-view only. The optical axis runs parallel to the tube wall, which is at grazing angle to the lens. Even at 405 nm, biofilm on the wall cannot be illuminated at normal incidence. The geometry physically prevents detection.
Wrong Diameter
Both probes are 6.0–8.0 mm. Aircraft hydraulic lines, potable water distribution lines, and spacecraft ECLSS plumbing require 2.0–4.5 mm access. The Vividia and VSNDT probes cannot physically enter these systems — the access geometry is incompatible.
Videtex is additive, not a replacement. The 365 nm channel in Videtex performs the same ASTM E1417 FPI function as your existing UV scope. You keep your current qualification basis. The 405 nm side-view channel adds biofilm detection capability that no existing aerospace borescope provides — in the same probe, in the same inspection pass.
See the ScienceTechnical Demonstration
See What 405 nm
Reveals in Your System.
We run technical demonstrations on representative fluid system coupons — fuel tank aluminum alloy panels, hydraulic line sections, and potable water tubing — with and without biofilm contamination. You will see the fluorescence signal directly, with quantified intensity data.
Live dual-wavelength probe demonstration on contaminated coupons
Side-by-side white-light vs. 405 nm fluorescence comparison
Probe insertion into representative aerospace fluid system geometry
Full probe specification and calibration documentation
ASTM E1417 alignment walkthrough
The Inspection Gap — By the Numbers
Biofilm detection by white-light borescopy in contaminated systems
0%Biofilm detection by 405 nm autofluorescence in same systems
100%Days until MIC becomes structurally irreversible in Al alloy fuel tanks
7Lab turnaround time for culture-based sampling
24–72 hrVidetex detection time (in-situ, real-time)
< 1 min