In early 2020, the global pandemic forced a rapid shift to remote inspection. "Virtual witnessing" and "digital twins" became buzzwords. Many 2020 PDF guides addressed how to:

While film radiography remained a legal requirement for some codes (e.g., ASME Section III for nuclear), 2020 saw mass adoption of DR. Flat-panel detectors allowed real-time imaging with lower radiation exposure.

Date: December 2020 Subject: Technological Advancements, Standards, and Market Trends in Welding Inspection

For the first time, ASNT released a fully interactive PDF of the NDT handbook in 2020, focusing on signal processing and machine learning in weld inspection.