Enabling automated, inaccessible, and large-scale quality inspections in labour-intensive operations
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence Business Area has unveiled new laser-guided solutions that enable automated, inaccessible, and large-scale quality inspections in labour-intensive operations such as aircraft assembly, shipbuilding, and wind turbine manufacturing
Globally, large-scale manufacturing, such as aircraft production and shipbuilding, is under pressure to scale up, but it is operationally challenging to deliver high-precision, safety-critical machines on time, as quality inspection requires workers to inspect critical features from cherry pickers over several shifts, which can interrupt production and assembly.
Hexagon is working with the manufacturing community to address this issue, building on a legacy of innovation in laser tracker technology. The company’s Leica Absolute Tracker ATS800, which launched in 2025, introduced a new category of measurement technology, with high-resolution direct scanning from up to 40m away, and the ecosystem has responded to drive further innovation in the device and its applications.
FeatureDirect is a new AI-based computer vision capability available for the ATS800; it automatically locates circular features such as bolt holes and mating points using its onboard camera. In a precision manufacturing context, measurements are typically taken from the CAD file, so this innovation reduces setup time before laser scanning begins.
Automation-ready
The ATS800 is a light, portable, battery-powered measurement device that can be transported in a case, mounted on a tripod or rack by a single person, and used onsite in various locations, with 6 to 12 hours of operating time between charges. From a single vantage point, its zoom lens assembly and panoramic view-finder enable it to assess features and surfaces within large structures at high resolution.
GKN Aerospace’s Dutch operations are among the first to see the potential of the ATS800. Roy Helmos, tool service manager from Fokker Aerostructures, said, “This tracker will help automate measurement and increase efficiency. During the proof of concept, we already identified opportunities to make the process even faster, working with Hexagon and our integration partner, Argon.”
Utilising Hexagon’s PowerLock technology, the ATS800 “locks on” to a fixed reflector and tracks its movements in real time, providing an absolute position reference. The ability to measure target reflectors also simplifies robotic automation processes, providing precise position referencing within a wider coordinate system when the tracker is mounted on a linear rail or an autonomous mobile robot (AMR).
Automation without robots
Measurement solution provider Argon utilises Hexagon’s Absolute Tracker direct-scanning technology to deliver semi-automated inspection solutions for complex, large-scale components across the aerospace, energy, and defence sectors.
Argon facilitates high-precision, semi-automated inspection of large, hard-to-access parts directly on the shop floor by integrating a direct-scanning tracker into a novel forklift-based “measurement station”, eliminating the need for manual measurement and dependency on operator skill.
Geert Creemers, founder and managing partner at Argon, said, “We are only scratching the surface of what’s possible with this direct scanning technology. It brings precision and speed to domains where manual measurement was the norm. We call it ‘automation without robots’. In most cases, we achieve efficiency gains of five to ten times, combined with significantly improved, operator-independent data quality.”
Developed on core Hexagon technology, Argon’s solutions can provide measurable gains in productivity and reliability across manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance processes.
Smart factory and automation
The tracker’s built-in Wi-Fi enables remote operation, allowing users to perform safer measurements even in hazardous or hard-to-reach areas. It also facilitates highly automated processes using AMRs. With FeatureDetect and PowerLock, the ATS800 can identify and “lock on” to a sphere target in a new area to establish its position in a coordinate system and begin measurement unattended.
Rodrigo Alfaia, Laser Tracker product director at Hexagon, said, “With FeatureDetect, we are bringing automation into the process before measurement begins, and with the unique measurement capabilities the ATS800 offers, we anticipate far more applications for static-mounted and mobile applications. The ATS800 is having significant impact on production cycles, cutting inspection times from multiple days to hours, and we are excited to see how our ecosystem takes this deeper into automation.”
For example, by integrating an Omron AMR with an ATS800, a customer gained the ability to access hard-to-reach areas, such as beneath a fuselage or a flange. Critical measurements, such as flush and gap, can be reliably ascertained, and multiple measurements can be completed in sequence alongside workers or overnight as a “third shift” that does not interrupt manufacturing and assembly.
