Hexagon laser technologies help aerospace manufacturers automate high-mix, large-scale inspections

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence Business Area is unveiling a new laser-guided solutions that make it possible – in some cases for the first time – to automate inaccessible and large-scale inspections in labour-intensive operations such as aircraft assembly, shipbuilding and wind turbine manufacturing. 

Globally, large-scale manufacturing such as aircraft production and shipbuilding are under sustained pressure to ‘ramp up’, but it’s operationally challenging to make high precision safety-critical machines on time because  inspection requires workers to check critical features from cherry pickers over multiple shifts that can interrupt production and assembly.

Hexagon is working with the manufacturing community to change this situation, building on a trusted legacy of innovation in laser tracker technology. Its Leica Absolute Tracker ATS800, launched in 2025, introduced a new category of measurement technology – high resolution direct scanning from up to 40 m away – and today the ecosystem has responded to drive further innovation in the device and its applications.

A new AI-based computer vision capability called FeatureDetect that is available for the ATS800 automatically locates circular features such as bolt holes and mating points using its onboard camera. In a precision manufacturing context, the measurements are usually taken based on the CAD file, so this innovation drastically reduces set-up time before laser scanning even begins. For companies that perform contract inspection, MRO or need to measure large ‘raw’ castings hot from the forge, this software automation adds to the huge time savings of direct scanning.

Automation-ready

The ATS800 is a light, portable battery-powered measurement device that can be transported in a case and mounted to a tripod or rack by a single person for use in multiple locations onsite with 6 hours to 12 hours (with two batteries) operating time between charges. From a single vantage point, its zooming lens assembly and panoramic view finder allow it to assess features and surfaces within large structures at high resolution.

GKN Aerospace’s Dutch operations are among the first companies to see the potential of the ATS800. Roy Helmos, Tool Service Manager from Fokker Aerostructures explains why: “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.”

Using Hexagon’s patented PowerLock technology, the ATS800 automatically and immediately ‘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 greatly 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 leverages Hexagon’s Absolute Tracker direct scanning technology to deliver semi-automated inspection solutions for complex, large-scale components across energy, aerospace, and defence. By integrating a direct scanning tracker into a novel forklift-based ‘measurement station’, ARGON enables high-precision, semi-automated inspection of large, hard-to-access parts directly on the shop floor, eliminating the need for manual measurement and eliminating dependency on operator skill.

Geert Creemers, Founder & Managing Partner at ARGON comments: “We’re 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.”

Built on core Hexagon technology, ARGON’s solutions deliver measurable gains in productivity, quality and reliability across manufacturing, assembly and maintenance processes.

Smart factory and overnight automation

The tracker’s built-in Wi-Fi enables remote operation, meaning users can perform safer measurements even in hazardous or hard-to-reach areas. It also enables highly automated processes using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Using FeatureDetect and PowerLock, the ATS800 can quickly 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, remarks: “With FeatureDetect, we’re 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’re excited to see how our ecosystem takes this deeper into automation.”

For example, by integrating an Omron Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) with an ATS800, a customer has the ability to access hard-to-reach areas such as underneath a fuselage or flange. Critical measurement such as flush and gap can be ascertained reliably, and multiple measurements completed in sequence alongside workers or overnight as a ‘third shift’ that does not interrupt manufacturing and assembly.