Metrology Industry Consortium Releases Manufacturing Report

The PrecisionPath Consortium for Large-Scale Manufacturing — a collaboration of commercial-industry partners, the Coordinate Metrology Society, and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte — has released its Technology Roadmap for Large-Scale Manufacturing.

The consortium is working to determine and prioritize the technology requirements of manufacturers producing large-scale, high-accuracy parts and products. The PrecisionPath Technology Roadmapping project was funded by an Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department.

PrecisionPath team leaders and participants of each working group have contributed a large body of research on technologies and drivers, usage applications, and other critical areas of study. An industry-at-large survey of users and managers of portable metrology systems was also conducted over a six-month period to capture valuable insights from professionals in the metrology field. The study inquired about existing capabilities and requirements, as well as anticipated future needs, for portable metrology systems used in large-scale precision manufacturing.

The roadmap details all aspects of the metrology industry as it relates to the challenges of large-scale manufacturing. The research covers market drivers, technology families, usage scenarios, industry standards, data management, and workforce development. Based on data analysis and the industry survey, the report outlines a variety of trends that cut across multiple 3D measurement technology families. These findings are expected to drive consequential changes in both hardware and software solutions as manufacturers make incremental moves toward smart factory initiatives.

The roadmap also identified serious vulnerabilities within the industry due to the lack of a vibrant workforce, current skill sets, and the retirement of nearly 25 percent of the metrology workforce in the next five years. The consortium provides a checklist of urgent actions to develop a future, sustainable workforce.

The PrecisionPath Consortium is composed of representatives from leading manufacturing companies, including Lockheed Martin, Newport News Shipbuilding, BMW, Boeing , Caterpillar, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Spirit AeroSystems, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Siemens. Participating OEMs and metrology service providers include Automated Precision, New River Kinematics, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, ECM Global Measurement Solutions, Nikon Metrology, FARO Technologies, Brunson Instrument Company, Verisurf Software, and Planet Tool and Engineering.