Case Study: University of Sheffield improves composite inspection efficiency with Hexagon

Driving innovation through the application of advanced composite inspection solutions

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre at the University of Sheffield needed an automated solution to improve the inspection of composite materials. The established manual process, involving operators with magnifying glasses, was extremely time-consuming, accounting for over 70% of total machine time and creating significant costs for their partners. To address this challenge, they collaborated with Hexagon and implemented the Absolute Arm 7-Axis with a Vision System 3D.

Hexagon's solution enabled the rapid and accurate detection of fibre orientation and defects, mapping this data onto a 3D model of the part using Explorer 3D software. This provided a critical validation step between the design and manufacturing processes, allowing for corrections and repairs. The system was found to be highly portable, intuitive, and easy for the entire team to use. The partnership with Hexagon offers the future potential to integrate this sensor directly into automated manufacturing systems for in-process inspection, drastically reducing overall inspection time.

University of Sheffield

Zeeshan Qureshi

Lead Research Engineer