A Journey in NDT and the Thriving Career Opportunities Ahead: Meet Brent Moulton

ASNT recently released a video series, “This is NDT: Technicians,” which highlights the importance and diversity of Level II inspectors and technicians throughout the NDT profession. These technicians are behind the safety of so many things that are essential to our daily lives, from infrastructure, pipelines, airplanes, and welds, to the hardware used in NASA’s spacecraft. NDT technicians come from a variety of backgrounds and serve many industries, all with the mission of keeping the public safe. Over the next few months, we will feature these inspiring individuals and learn more about them.

This month, meet Brent Moulton.

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WHAT’S YOUR NDT BACKGROUND?

I started my NDT career in 2016 traveling the Midwest to inspect ethanol plants. We would inspect the pressure vessels, process piping and storage tanks. The NDT methods used were primarily ultrasonics, eddy current, and magnetic flux leakage. This was a benefit to my early career, as I got to experience serval different methods and become skilled in them. Ultrasonics would be the method that I’d eventually specialize in.

Even though we were primarily focused in the Midwest, I have worked in probably 45 states, except Hawaii and the New England area. When you’re working on the road, one week you might be working in South Dakota and the next in Ohio. A lot of that was primarily driving time that we were paid for.

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ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY CURRENT PROJECTS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

I’m excited to share that I’ve founded an NDT training company with two others here in Minnesota. The company is called the National Inspection Academy and we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are offering classes [starting July 2023] in the five main methods (RT, UT, PT, MT, VT), but also have courses in magnetic flux leakage, eddy current, and a 40-hour radiation safety course. We’ll be doing hybrid-style teaching where a portion of our courses will be online and then the students come to our facility in Baxter, Minnesota, where we will give the hands-on portion.

I will be going back up to Alaska’s North Slope in July, where I’ll be working in the oil field doing ultrasonic inspection. Now it’s more on an on-call basis. It’s nice because it keeps me fresh. If you’re out of the field for too long, it takes a little bit to get back into the groove of things.

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WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE JOB?

One of my more fun projects was inspecting the three-phase electrical system at vinegar distilleries located across the US. Our team set off from Minnesota in the work vehicle, driving all the way out to New York State before dropping down south to Alabama and eventually making a large loop back home. It truly felt like a long-distance road trip, and we made the most of it by stopping at national parks and checking out various sights along the way.

The inspections were quick per location. Basically, I took a fancy thermal camera and followed the electrician around and they would open up the electrical cabinets. I was looking for hot spots on any of the fuses or knife blade disconnects. It was actually kind of a fun job because even though I’m far from being an electrician, I didn’t need to be one to do the inspection. I knew that I was looking for hot spots and I had a procedure that told me what to look for.

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HOW ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH ASNT?

I am currently one of the Faces of NDT, a public relations initiative launched by ASNT in 2021. This role has been very exciting as I get to speak with so many people about NDT and showcase a great career that anyone can be successful in doing. I’m also the chair of the Technicians Resource Development Committee and a member of the Standards Council. As a member of the Workforce Development Working Group, we are developing apprenticeship programs specifically geared toward military veterans. I’m very excited about that.

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WHAT’S THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF YOUR WORK?

The most rewarding aspect of work for me is finding a career that I enjoy so much. It’s such a fun industry to be a part of. Every day is a new set of challenges. If you feel burnt out in your particular industry, you can make the transition to a different industry. For example, if you are tired of shooting welds in West Texas, you can transition to the aerospace or structural industry.

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WHAT CAN INDUSTRY DO TO ENCOURAGE CAREERS IN NDT?

I feel that the trades are starting to pick up and they’re becoming more popular. If we continue to promote the industry the way that we have been, it will catch more attention from the younger generations who are looking for that high-paying career right out of high school.

I’m starting to see the fruits of our efforts. I think we just need to keep on doing what we’ve been doing promoting NDT. It’s just that some of the work you put in, you don’t see immediate results.

But I do feel that we are making a change. I’m really excited about it.

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WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO INDIVIDUALS CONSIDERING CAREERS IN NDT?

If you want to be extremely successful in this industry, you have to play nice with others and you have to be a go-getter. Never stop improving and never lose that drive.

A lot of people don’t realize coming into the industry—say you’re inspecting rockets—you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to inspect rockets. You just need to know how to follow your procedure and know what to look for.

So that’s a huge thing! I tell people who are going to join the industry: you know, you might want to be an astronaut when you’re a kid. Maybe you missed that opportunity, but you can still work on space shuttles and all that through NDT. And the crazy thing is, you don’t even need to go to college for it.

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Brent Moulton specializes in UT, RT, eddy current testing, MT, PT, and specialized rope access inspections. His certifications include ASNT NDT Level III in MT; Industrial Radiography Radiation Safety Personnel; Level II in UT, RT, ET, VT, and PT; and IRATA Level 1.