CMM + laser probe = complete inspection

Sonaca gave up its manual inspection methods in favor of a digital approach to save time-and money.

By adding a laser probe to a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), a European aerospace structures supplier reports greatly increased completeness of inspections while obtaining full documentation of every component's geometry.

Sonaca had been validating the shape of sheet-metal components using two complementary methods. Base shape was evaluated by comparing parts to Mylar patterns on a light table, and 3-D shape was analyzed via manual methods. Using CMMs to inspect the complex sheet-metal parts would have required a long programming process for each of the many different parts produced by the company.