Visual Inspection Checklist Template and PDF Report

Several defects can be detected on surface level and visual inspection or at times comes in first as the initial method to detect, locate, size any detected flaws. While straightforward, visual inspection also has different types that differ from how the tools are used for inspection which are:

Direct Visual Inspection (DVI)

This is considerably the most common visual inspection, does not give any quantitative information of the object or area being inspected, these can be educated estimates like walk-throughs in structures , construction sites or production line to confirm safety measures are in place. An example of direct visual inspection is the template in this article.

Remote Visual Inspection (RDVI)

Uses visual aids or video probes such as borescopes that has thin, flexible tubes that you can insert to the object to remotely examine components such as pipes, holes, cavities. Common industries that use these are in automotive, manufacturing and aerospace.

Automated Visual Inspection (AVI)

This the use of advance imaging technologies to evaluate objects for aesthetic defects and to ensure quality. This is widely used in manufacturing often automated along with advanced capability to take linear measurements, edge detection then sorts out and separate good versus no good products while it's running in a conveyor belt. These are applied on production of electronic and medical devices, automotive equipment and other components that aims to achieve high yield rate.

Enhanced or Illuminated Visual Inspection

The use of tools such as magnifying glass, mirrors and other applicable devices to enhance and magnify the visual inspection and detect abnormalities.

These are the most common types of visual inspection, which differ in methods and tools. Nowadays, there are more upgrades especially in towards the approach of visual inspection thru machine recognition are being made to enhance reliability, since it’s efficient and does not require damaging the materials to perform the inspection— which is the case for all non-destructive testing.

The type of visual inspection chosen by the company simply depends on what works best for their industry and process, but in all cases it all boils down to good and accurate documentation to record the results and for an informed decision making. Especially in cases when direct visual inspection are performed by a human that has a tendency to be distracted and miswrite results or miss a critical check item.