Hexagon will distribute PRAGMA's innovative NDT products across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and PRAGMA have expanded their partnership to improve portability in non-destructive testing (NDT) by combining PRAGMA’s inspection capabilities with Hexagon’s portable metrology solutions. This first-to-market innovation allows manufacturers to conduct comprehensive inspections directly at the site of components without removal or disassembly, fundamentally transforming traditional inspection workflows. 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.Â
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.
Non-Destructive Testing allows manufacturers to examine internal structures and detect flaws without damaging or disassembling components. When combined with Hexagon’s high-precision metrology technology, users can precisely locate and analyze internal defects while maintaining exact positioning data within the part’s coordinate system – all with the convenience of on-site portability that was previously impossible with traditional NDT methods.
Under this strategic distribution agreement, Hexagon will distribute PRAGMA’s innovative NDT products and solutions across the United States, Canada, 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.
François Mainguy, PRAGMA’s CEO, stated: “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.”
The technology is particularly valuable for maintenance and repair operations, reverse engineering, and analysis of parts that have been in service. Key industries benefiting from this integration include aerospace, automotive, composites manufacturing, wind energy, nuclear power, and defense sectors.
Hexagon will offer specialized kits tailored for aerospace and automotive applications, as well as retrofit options for existing Absolute Arms and Leica laser tracker customers who wish to add NDT capabilities to their current equipment.
For more information, visit hexagon.com.
