Spanish SME developing EMAT ultrasound inspection systems for automotive manufacturing, corrosion monitoring, and electric vehicle lightweight materials.
Innerspec Technologies Europe is a Spanish SME specializing in electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) technology for non-destructive testing (NDT) and industrial inspection. They develop ultrasound-based inspection systems that work without physical contact, targeting automotive manufacturing quality control and in-service corrosion monitoring. Their work spans from optimizing advanced manufacturing processes (tailor-welded blanks for automotive) to lightweight material inspection for electric vehicles.
Core technology across all three projects — OPTIBLANKS (hybrid EMAT-vision for automotive), LOPEMAT (low-power EMAT for corrosion inspection), and ALMA (structural health monitoring of composites).
OPTIBLANKS focused on tailor blank manufacturing optimization for automotive; ALMA addresses eco-design and lightweight materials for electric vehicles.
LOPEMAT specifically developed low-power EMAT instrumentation for in-service corrosion inspection and monitoring.
ALMA project involves steel, composites, debonding detection, and multiscale simulation for electric vehicle materials.
Innerspec started in 2017 with a strong focus on EMAT inspection for traditional automotive manufacturing (tailor-welded blanks in OPTIBLANKS). By 2020-2021, they branched in two directions: miniaturized low-power EMAT instrumentation for field maintenance (LOPEMAT), and structural health monitoring of advanced lightweight materials for electric vehicles (ALMA). The trajectory shows a clear shift from factory-floor quality control toward broader in-service monitoring and e-mobility applications.
Moving toward portable, low-power inspection solutions for lightweight EV materials — positioning themselves at the intersection of NDT and the electric vehicle transition.
Innerspec predominantly leads projects, coordinating 2 out of 3 H2020 efforts. Their coordinated projects were SME-instrument funded, indicating they drive their own R&D agenda rather than joining large consortium calls. With 10 unique partners across 4 countries, they maintain a focused but international network, suggesting they choose partners selectively for specific technical needs rather than building sprawling consortia.
Moderately connected with 10 unique partners across 4 countries. Their network is compact and purpose-built — consistent with an SME that selects partners for targeted technical collaboration rather than broad consortium participation.
Innerspec is part of the Innerspec Technologies group (US-headquartered EMAT specialist), giving this Spanish entity access to deep proprietary EMAT technology that few European SMEs can match. Their ability to bridge non-contact ultrasound inspection with both traditional automotive and emerging e-mobility applications makes them a rare find for consortia needing industrial NDT expertise. They bring not just research capability but commercial EMAT instrumentation experience — useful for projects that need to demonstrate technology at higher readiness levels.
