What could be a consequence of not following the proper application time for penetrants and developers?

The consequence of not following the proper application time for penetrants and developers can lead to inaccurate results and missed defects. This is because each penetrant and developer has specific dwell times that are optimized to ensure that the penetrant adequately seeps into any surface-breaking defects, and the developer properly draws out the penetrant to reveal any indications.

If the penetrant is left on the surface for too short a time, it may not have enough opportunity to enter the defects, resulting in significant indications being missed. Conversely, if the penetrant is allowed to dwell too long, it may cause bleeding or overloading, which can obscure actual defects or create false indications.

Similarly, if the developer is not allowed to stay in contact with the surface for the specified time, it may not effectively draw out the penetrant, again resulting in missed defects or unclear results. Therefore, adherence to the proper application times is critical to ensure that testing yields accurate and reliable findings.