Patent ID: 6871560

Claim:
An apparatus for inspection of a cylindrical carbon article having a length and a longitudinal axis parallel to the length, comprising: an inspection station for receiving the article in a fixed longitudinal location and rotating the article about the longitudinal axis of the article while the article is in the fixed longitudinal location; an encoder arranged to axially engage an end of the article for sensing a circumferential position of the article, the encoder being adjustable in elevation relative to the inspection station to accommodate different diameters of articles; a master robot, including a first pair of transducers arranged to engage the article at circumferentially spaced positions about the article; and a slave robot constructed to move in synchronization with the master robot, including a second pair of transducers arranged to engage the article at a location longitudinally spaced from the first pair of transducers, so that the first and second pairs of transducers may simultaneously scan first and second portions, respectively, of the length of the article.