Hexagon and PRAGMA partnering to advance portable NDT and metrology solutions

May 22, 2025, North Kingstown, R.I. — Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and PRAGMA have announced an evolution of their existing partnership, designed to deliver portability in Non-Destructive Testing by integrating inspection capabilities with Hexagon’s advanced portable metrology solutions.

This first-to-market innovation allows manufacturers to conduct comprehensive inspections directly at the site of components without removal or disassembly, transforming traditional inspection workflows, the company reported in a press statement.

By integrating PRAGMA NDT instruments and sensors with Hexagon’s Absolute Arms and Leica laser trackers, customers can now utilize 3D coordinate space positioning for imaging of NDT defects, benefiting from digitized surfaces and CAD models.

The portability of this combined solution enables engineers and technicians to perform a wide range of NDT inspections on-location – including thickness monitoring, corrosion mapping, spot weld inspection, composite flaw detection, surface defect analysis, additive manufacturing validation, wrought volumetric flaw identification, full penetration weld examination and cast volumetric flaw detection – all while maintaining precise positioning within the part’s coordinate system.

“We are happy to be strengthening our partnership with PRAGMA to deliver a pioneering new solution to the market,” said Brian Winters, North America product manager for Absolute Arms at Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, in a media release. “Our combined solution brings NDT innovation directly to the part. “For example, if engineers need to assess the integrity of an aircraft wing component or a structural component inside the cabin, they can now do so much faster and with precise absolute positioning – eliminating the previously time-consuming process of recording data in strips and manually stitching it together.”

Under this strategic distribution agreement, Hexagon will distribute PRAGMA’s NDT products and solutions across Canada, the United States and Mexico. The partnership capitalizes on Hexagon’s modular Absolute Arm RA8 configuration, which allows for additional sensors to transform the portable arm into a multipurpose tool that combines precision metrology with advanced NDT capabilities.

“The timing is right, as Hexagon benefits from niche technologies like ours to support its innovation path, while PRAGMA is looking to expand its distribution networks. Together, we’re helping manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, and other critical industries detect issues that would otherwise remain hidden until failure,” said François Mainguy, chief executive officer for PRAGMA, in a press statement.

To learn more, visit Hexagon Absolute Arm NDT.