a system and method for assessing the quality of spot weld joints between pieces of metal includes an ultrasound transducer probing a spot weld joint . the ultrasound transducer transmits ultrasonic radiation into the spot weld joint , receives corresponding echoes , and transforms the echoes into electrical signals . an image reconstructor connected to the ultrasound transducer transforms the electrical signals into numerical data representing an ultrasound image . a neural network connected to the image reconstructor analyzes the numerical data and an output system presents information representing the quality of the spot weld joint . the system is trained to assess the quality of spot weld joints by scanning a spot weld joint with an ultrasound transducer to produce the data set representing the joint ; then physically deconstructing the joint to assess the joint quality .