Hexagon has unveiled new laser-guided solutions that make it possible, in some cases for the first time, to automate inaccessible and large-scale quality inspections in labour-intensive operations such as aircraft assembly, shipbuilding and wind turbine manufacturing.

Large-scale manufacturers are under growing pressure to increase output, but the inspection of safety-critical components often requires workers to check features manually from cherry pickers over multiple shifts, creating delays and interrupting production. Building on its laser tracker technology, Hexagon’s Leica Absolute Tracker ATS800, launched in 2025, introduced high-resolution direct scanning from distances of up to 40 m. The latest development expands its capabilities with a new AI-based computer vision feature called FeatureDetect.

FeatureDetect automatically identifies circular features such as bolt holes and mating points using the tracker’s onboard camera, reducing set-up time before laser scanning begins. This capability is particularly valuable for manufacturers working from CAD files, as well as for contract inspection, MRO and large raw casting measurement.

The ATS800 is a lightweight, battery-powered portable device that can be mounted by one person and used across multiple locations on site. From a single position, it can assess features and surfaces within large structures at high resolution.

Measurement specialist ARGON has also developed semi-automated inspection solutions using the ATS800, integrating it into a forklift-based measurement station for large components, while Geert Creemers, founder and managing partner at ARGON, says: “We call it automation without robots. In most cases, we achieve efficiency gains of 5-10 times.”

Hexagon reports the system can reduce inspection times from multiple days to just hours, while enabling safer, more reliable and even overnight automated inspection processes.

More information www.bit.ly/41Y0rjP