What we deliver, and where.
Metrology Consulting
Independent advice on measurement processes, equipment and software selection, implementation, and machine tool calibration, whether or not there is a job on the books.
Consulting details →A big job usually means juggling subcontractors. Not this one.
When a project needs eight technicians with trackers across three sites, the customer normally ends up acting as their own general contractor: vetting subcontractors one at a time, cutting a PO for each, chasing insurance certificates and calibration records, then reconciling reports that do not match. Put the network on it and that entire layer disappears. nSIGHT holds the contract, selects the crews, runs the schedule, and hands back one set of documentation.
On an everyday single-crew job, it works the way it would with any good provider: one PO, one point of contact. On the large ones, that is the whole difference.
A single point of contract
One contract, however many crews and sites the job takes. We select, schedule, and manage every specialist on the work. You review one set of reports and pay one invoice.
Vetted, consulting-backed specialists
Every crew is qualified and directed by leadership with 120+ combined years in industrial metrology, the same people behind nSIGHT Consulting.
Expertise without the overhead
The network model scales across the United States without the cost structure of a big firm. You pay for field expertise, not overhead.
People who know how the work actually runs.
Customers need more than equipment. They need people who know how to work in real shops, plants, shipyards, and industrial field environments.
Our leadership came up through Newport News Shipbuilding and the wider metrology industry, and it shows in the field. Ron Hicks ran the Dimensional Control Department at Newport News and sits on the CMS Board of Directors. Joe Sabol led shipfitting, welding, and metrology there. We pair that background with field-ready personnel who understand how demanding jobs actually run, and we focus on getting customers useful results without a lot of overhead.
The kind of work we get called in for.
Hiring a crew? Do your homework first.
Two short, honest guides on hiring metrology support, written to be useful even if you never call us.
Have a job that needs measuring?
Tell us the scope, whether inspection, alignment, scanning, or training, and we will come back with a straight read and a quote, the same business day.
Not sure the job needs an outside crew? Ask for a free scope review and we will give you a straight read on it.
Four service lines, delivered onsite.
Which instrument is right depends on the size of the part, the tolerance, and whether the thing can be moved at all. If you are not sure which of these you need, tell us the job and we will point you at the right one, including when the answer is that you do not need us.
Laser Tracker Services
Large parts, assemblies, and installed equipment measured and aligned in place. As-built inspection, machine alignment, virtual alignment, large part inspection, component fit up, tooling and fixture certification, and first article inspection.
Laser Tracker Services →
CMM Services
Small and medium parts with tight tolerances, fixtured on a machine built to hold that accuracy. First article inspection, contract inspection, part programming and fixture design, and CMM training. Ship us the parts.
CMM Services →
3D Scanning
Point cloud data collection, reverse engineering to CAD, and part inspection by color map. Hemispherical scanners for large volumes, portable CMM arms for close-in accuracy.
3D Scanning →
Laser Tracker Training
Hands-on training at your facility, on your equipment and your applications. Three, five, or ten days, up to seven trainees. Trackers, scanners, and the software that drives them, across hardware brands.
Laser Tracker Training →Metrology Consulting
Consulting is not limited to projects we are already measuring. nSIGHT Consulting advises on how measurement is chosen, deployed, and run, whether or not there is a job on the books.
A look at how parts and assemblies are measured today, where the process costs time or confidence, and what to change first.
An independent read on which instruments and software fit the work, before a purchase is committed.
How to stand up new equipment, who needs training, and which jobs to run first.
Guidance on calibrating and verifying machine tools, and on what the results mean for the parts coming off them.
nSIGHT Consulting also works with subcontractors and service providers on business development, from positioning and proposal work to finding and winning the next job.
From machine alignment to reverse engineering.
Alignment Applications
- Roller Alignment
- Machine Alignment
- Conveyor Alignment
- Rail Alignment
- Fixture Alignment
- Machine and Table Leveling
Inspection Applications
- First Article Inspection
- Impeller Inspection
- Hydro-electric Component Inspection and Dimensional Control
- Large-Volume Inspection
- Flatness Surveys
Industrial and Project Applications
- Shipbuilding and Ship Maintenance
- Robotic Measurement
- Line Layoff and Drill Template Setting
- Reverse Engineering
From job scope to delivered results.
Understand the Requirement
We start with the job scope, site conditions, timeline, and measurement objectives.
Deploy the Right Support
We match the job with the right field specialists and laser tracker capability from our managed network, under one PO to nSIGHT.
Execute the Work
We perform the measurement, alignment, inspection, or training support onsite, with nSIGHT managing the project throughout.
Deliver Results
We provide useful output and guidance that helps the customer move forward.
Every service on this page is delivered through the nSIGHT Network.
A managed alliance of vetted field specialists across the United States. One PO, one point of accountability, and crews that scale to the job.
Have a job that fits one of these services?
Tell us the scope, whether inspection, alignment, scanning, or training, and we will come back with a straight read and a quote, the same business day.
Not sure the job needs an outside crew? Ask for a free scope review and we will give you a straight read on it.
Seven kinds of work, one instrument.
As-Built Measurement & Dimensional Inspection
We measure large components and assemblies exactly as they are built, in place, and compare them against your design model. You get an accurate picture of the real condition before it drives a problem downstream.
Machine Alignment
Trackers align components to a shared reference during installation and after it, from foundations and machinery to rolls, rails, conveyors, and large structures. Measuring each component individually before installation supports virtual assembly, pre-machined shims and liners, pre-drilled foundations, and precise alignment at final fit.
Virtual Alignment
We measure a component in the shop, then build a virtual model of it in the reference coordinate system where it will be installed. From that model we size shims and liners, locate and pre-drill foundation hole patterns, and detail the connecting pipe or structure for a first-time fit.
Most of the work is completed before the component ever ships, so installation is fast, predictable, and low-risk.
Medium to Large Part Inspection
A laser tracker earns its place when the part is too big, too heavy, or too fixed to bring to a machine. Weldments, castings, frames, housings, impellers, turbine components, and structural assemblies get measured where they sit, against the drawing. Line of sight and a shared reference frame do the work a granite table and a fixture would do for a smaller part.
There is a point where that stops being true. When a part is small enough to fixture and the tolerances are tight enough to need it, a coordinate measuring machine is the better instrument and we will say so. That work runs through our CMM services. Above that line, portable tracking is faster, costs less, and does not require you to move anything.
Component Fit Up
Two pieces are supposed to mate. On most jobs nobody finds out whether they will until a crane is holding one of them. We measure both components before they meet, put them in a common coordinate system, and report the fit before it costs you a shift.
Where the mate is off, you get the numbers to correct it: shim thicknesses, machining allowances, hole pattern deviations, and where the interference actually is rather than where it appears to be. This is the field-side companion to virtual alignment. Virtual alignment plans a first-time fit before the component ships. Fit up verification checks it once the parts are on site and the schedule is live.
Tooling & Fixture Certification
Weld fixtures, assembly jigs, drill templates, and check gauges drift. They get bumped, repaired, and moved, and eventually the parts coming off them start telling you about it. We measure tooling and fixtures against nominal, document what we find, and issue a certification report you can put in front of your customer or your auditor.
Where a fixture is out, the report says by how much and where, feature by feature, so your team knows what to correct. Most customers run this on an interval: same fixtures, same features, same report format each time, so drift shows up as a trend instead of a surprise.
First Article Inspection
First article inspection for parts and assemblies that are not going on a machine, because they will not fit on one or cannot be moved to one. Large weldments, fabricated structures, castings, and completed assemblies, measured in place against the drawing, with a documented report package at the end.
Same discipline as a CMM first article, different instrument, and the deciding factor is size rather than preference. If your first article is a small part with tight tolerances, our CMM services cover that work and are the better fit. Both are worth reading alongside why first article inspection needs field experience.
Why the instrument goes to the part.
Measure large volumes in one session, with less time at the computer and more time measuring the part.
Reduce measurement time and stack-up error by minimizing station moves.
Work cable-free and mount the instrument to fit the environment, including directly on the part.
Extend reach with handheld 6DoF probing to capture features a direct line of sight cannot.
The major tracker brands, on real projects.
We support the major tracker platforms used in industrial applications: API (Automated Precision Inc.), Leica Geosystems / Hexagon, and FARO, along with the metrology software that drives them. The emphasis is on reliable field execution and helping customers use laser tracker systems effectively on real projects. We also train your people on them.
Straight answers.
How fast can you get someone on site?
Typically about three days, depending on scope, site access, and where the work is. Tell us the date you need and we will give you a straight answer on whether we can hold it.
Do you travel nationwide?
Yes. nSIGHT provides support coverage nationwide, delivered through the nSIGHT Network of vetted field specialists, so the crew that reaches you is usually the one closest to the work.
When is a laser tracker the wrong tool?
When the part is small enough to fixture and the tolerances are tight enough to need a controlled setup. That is CMM work and we will tell you so rather than sell you a tracker. When the job is about capturing shape and surface rather than discrete features, 3D scanning is usually the better answer.
Can you work around production?
Usually. Tracker work is portable and cable-free, which means we can set up around equipment that is still running and work in the windows you have rather than needing the whole line down. Tell us your constraints when you send the scope.
What do we get at the end of the job?
A measurement report tied to your drawing or model, with the results in a format your quality system can use. On alignment work you also get the correction data, meaning the numbers your crew needs to move, shim, or machine to.
Have a job that needs a tracker on it?
Tell us the scope and we will come back with a straight read and a quote, the same business day.
Inspection, training, and contract service.
Send us the parts and the print, or hand off the programming and fixturing you do not have time to build. Either way it stays one PO to nSIGHT, and the people at the machine have spent their careers writing programs and defending the numbers that come off them.
Receiving inspection, in-process checks, and sorting the lot nobody will sign off on: send the parts and the drawing and you get a dimensional report you can hand to your customer or your auditor. When the parts keep coming, the program stays standing, with the same fixture, the same routine, and the same report format every lot, so drift shows up as a trend rather than a surprise.
High part counts, tight tolerances, and a schedule that does not move: that is the kind of work the network is built to absorb.
First Article Inspection
A first article inspection is a full dimensional report on the first part off a new process: every feature on the drawing measured, recorded, and compared to nominal, in a format your customer or your auditor will accept. Send the parts and the print and the package comes back to you.
Customers use it for new part numbers, for a process that has moved to a different machine or a different supplier, after a tooling change, and for the resubmission that follows a corrective action. PPAP submissions come out of the same work.
What makes a first article useful is not the measuring, which is the straightforward part. It is reading the drawing correctly: interpreting the GD&T, choosing the datum structure the designer intended, and building an alignment that reflects how the part is actually located in the assembly. Get that wrong and the report is precise and useless. More on that in why first article inspection needs field experience.
For first articles on parts too large to fixture, see first article inspection with a laser tracker.
Ship Us The Parts
Not every job needs someone on site. For small and medium parts, customers ship them to us, we inspect them, and we ship them back with the report. You get a coordinate measuring machine and a programmer who knows it without buying either, and without waiting for a slot on your own machine.
Tell us what needs measuring and where the parts are, and we will come back with a turnaround.
Programming & Fixture Design
Part programs written for your machine and your drawing, so your operators press start instead of building a routine under schedule pressure. Fixture and stylus design comes with it, because most bad CMM data is a holding or a reach problem long before it is a machine problem.
CMM Training For Your People
Training at your machine, on your parts, not a generic classroom deck. Drawing and GD&T interpretation, alignment strategy, probe and stylus selection, and how to tell a genuine out-of-tolerance from a setup artifact. The same principle drives our tracker and software training: you learn on the equipment you actually use, doing the work you actually do.
Straight answers.
How fast can you get someone on site?
Typically about three days, depending on scope, site access, and where the work is. Tell us the date you need and we will give you a straight answer on whether we can hold it.
Do you travel nationwide?
Yes. nSIGHT provides support coverage nationwide, delivered through the nSIGHT Network of vetted field specialists, so the crew that reaches you is usually the one closest to the work.
Do I ship parts to you, or do you come to us?
Either. Small and medium parts usually ship to us and come back with the report. When the part cannot travel, the work moves to laser tracker inspection and we come to it instead.
What is in a first article package?
Every feature on the drawing, measured and compared to nominal, with the results laid out in a format your customer or auditor accepts. If you have a required form or template, send it with the print and we will report into it.
Can you write programs for a machine we already own?
Yes. Part programs, fixture design, and stylus selection for your machine and your drawing, whether or not we ever run the parts ourselves.
Have parts that need measuring?
Send the print and the part count. We will come back with a straight read on turnaround and cost.
From point cloud to model to verdict.
Point Cloud Data Collection
We capture existing equipment, structures, and spaces as measured point cloud data, tied to tracker control where the job needs that accuracy. This is the base layer everything else on this page is built from: an accurate record of what is there, as opposed to what the drawings say should be there.
Useful before a modification, before an overhaul, before laying out new equipment in an existing building, and any time the drawings are old, wrong, or missing.
Reverse Engineering
When there are no drawings, the part is the drawing. We scan the component and build a 3D CAD model from the scan data so it can be manufactured, modified, or replaced.
Two of the projects in our experience are exactly this work: a century-old Case steam tractor and a historic aircraft at the Smithsonian, both scanned and modelled because nothing else existed to work from. Industrial jobs run the same way: an obsolete casting with no supplier, a worn component that has to be reproduced, a modification that has to fit equipment nobody documented.
Part Inspection By Color Map
Deviation from nominal, shown on the surface of the part instead of in a table of numbers. Every point on the scan is compared against the CAD model and colored by how far off it is, so a warped weldment, a worn surface, or a casting that moved as it cooled is visible at a glance and quantified where it matters.
The numbers come with it. The color map is what makes them readable by people who do not read inspection reports for a living, which is usually the person who has to decide what to do about it.
Matching The Scanner To The Job
No single scanner is right for every job. Hemispherical scanners capture large parts, structures, and whole spaces quickly. Scanners mounted on portable CMM arms handle close-in work where accuracy matters more than coverage. Through the nSIGHT Network we also reach other scanning technologies when an application calls for something specific.
The instrument follows the job, not the other way around. If a tracker is the better answer, we will say so and the work moves to laser tracker services.
Straight answers.
How fast can you get someone on site?
Typically about three days, depending on scope, site access, and where the work is. Tell us the date you need and we will give you a straight answer on whether we can hold it.
Do you travel nationwide?
Yes. nSIGHT provides support coverage nationwide, delivered through the nSIGHT Network of vetted field specialists, so the crew that reaches you is usually the one closest to the work.
What do we actually receive?
Point cloud data, a mesh, or a 3D CAD model, depending on what the job calls for, plus the inspection report where the work is a comparison against nominal. Tell us what your downstream software needs and we will deliver into it.
Need something scanned, modelled, or checked against nominal?
Tell us what the part is and what you need out of it. We will come back with a straight read and a quote.
Your equipment, your parts, your applications.
What We Train On
Laser trackers and tracker accessories, laser scanners, and the third-party measurement software that drives them: SpatialAnalyzer, PolyWorks, Verisurf, and Inspire.
We work across hardware brands rather than being tied to one manufacturer, which matters if your shop runs more than one platform or is about to change platforms. Training is application-based and delivered on site at your facility.
Format & Length
Courses run three, five, or ten days, for up to seven trainees per session, at your facility.
Which length is right depends on how much of the software you need covered and how many distinct applications your people have to be competent in by the end. Tell us what your team does with the equipment and we will tell you which one fits.
What A Three-Day Course Looks Like
Day one is in a classroom: hardware setup, in-field calibration, and maintenance, plus a solid pass through the third-party measurement software. Days two and three are spent on your actual applications, on the floor.
That split is deliberate. Classroom time is where the fundamentals stick, and it is also where the software gets covered properly rather than in the gaps between jobs. Everything after it is spent on the work your people will be doing on Monday.
At the end of the training your people may not know how to do everything the equipment and the software can do. But they will know how to do their job.
Before You Book Anything
We wrote up what separates training that changes how a crew works from training that fills three days: what good laser tracker training should include. Worth reading before you buy a course from anyone, including us.
Straight answers.
How fast can you get someone on site?
Typically about three days, depending on scope, site access, and where the work is. Tell us the date you need and we will give you a straight answer on whether we can hold it.
Do you travel nationwide?
Yes. nSIGHT provides support coverage nationwide, delivered through the nSIGHT Network of vetted field specialists, so the crew that reaches you is usually the one closest to the work.
How long is a course, and how many people can attend?
Three, five, or ten days, for up to seven trainees per session. Seven is a real limit rather than a soft one: past that, hands-on time per person drops to the point where the training stops being hands-on.
Do you train on our equipment or bring your own?
Yours, at your facility, on your applications. That is the entire point. People retain what they learned on the instrument they will actually pick up next week.
Do you train on software as well as hardware?
Yes. SpatialAnalyzer, PolyWorks, Verisurf, and Inspire, alongside the tracker and scanner hardware. For most crews the software is where the real gap is.
Want your people trained on the equipment you own?
Tell us what your team does with the equipment and how many need training. We will tell you which course length fits.
One PO. One point of accountability. A network of field specialists.
Our laser tracker contract services are delivered through the Subcontractor Alliance, a managed network of vetted subcontract specialists across the United States, people we know personally and vet through our own trusted network. You issue one purchase order, even when the job spans multiple sites and crews, and nSIGHT runs the crews, the schedule, the quality, and the reporting, end to end.
We keep our core team deliberately small and grow capacity through the network instead of headcount. When your job needs one specialist, you get one. When it needs crews in three states at once, the network scales to that, without you paying for idle capacity the rest of the year.
Multi-site jobs without vendor juggling
A big job that would otherwise mean quoting, contracting, and coordinating several service companies gets done under one contract. nSIGHT manages every subcontractor on the work.
Vetted, consulting-backed specialists
Every crew is qualified and directed by leadership with 120+ combined years in industrial metrology, the same people behind nSIGHT Consulting. The standard of work travels with the badge.
Expertise without the overhead
The network keeps our cost structure lean and our coverage wide. You pay for experienced field work, not a big firm's overhead, anywhere in the United States.
You deal with nSIGHT. nSIGHT deals with everything else.
Scope the Job
One call or request covers the scope, site conditions, timeline, and measurement objectives. You get a straight read and a quote, the same business day.
Match the Specialists
We pull the right people and laser tracker capability from the network, one specialist or crews in three states, under a single PO to nSIGHT.
nSIGHT Runs the Work
Crews, schedule, quality, and reporting are managed by nSIGHT end to end. You never coordinate a subcontractor.
One Report, One Invoice
The job closes with a single accountable deliverable and one invoice from nSIGHT, whatever it took to field it. Every subcontractor on the work invoices nSIGHT, and we pay them, not you.
Every crew is qualified and directed by leadership with 120+ combined years in industrial metrology, people we know personally and vet through our own trusted network. The standard of work travels with the badge. See it in the case studies.
Run a field metrology business? Join the Subcontractor Alliance.
If you run a metrology services business or work independently in the field, the Alliance is a way to take on project work without carrying the sales and back-office load yourself. nSIGHT handles the customer, the contract, and the project management. You do the field work you are best at.
Membership also comes with business-side support to help you grow: website design and creation, branding development, administrative process development, and lead generation. For metrology strategy and advisory help beyond that, the same leadership is available through nSIGHT Consulting.
Tell us about your capabilities →Or reach us directly: info@nsightmetrology.com or (757) 510-5217.
Four steps from application to first job, in about two weeks.
Apply and talk with us
Tell us about your business: capabilities, equipment, software, territory, and the kind of field work you do best. We follow up with a call and check references, whether you run a services company or work independently.
Qualification review
A technical review with the same leadership that directs every network job: your skills matrix, sample reports, and how you approach the work, so we know exactly what to route your way. The Alliance stays small enough to stand behind.
Agreements and paperwork
Sign the membership and subcontractor agreements, and get your W-9, insurance certificates, calibration records, and training documentation on file. One pass, then it is done.
Orientation, then work flows
A welcome package with brand guidelines, quality standards, and reporting templates, plus introductions to the team. nSIGHT sources, contracts, and manages the projects; you do the field work with back-office and growth support behind you.
Put the network on your next job, or join it.
Customers: tell us the scope and we will come back with a straight read and a quote, the same business day. Specialists: tell us about your capabilities and territory.
See what the network delivers on the Services page and in the case studies.
Pick your industry for the details.
Each of these has its own page covering the kind of measurement, alignment, and inspection work we do in that environment.
Shipbuilding & Ship Maintenance
Field metrology for ship construction, maintenance, dimensional control, and large-scale alignment. This is home turf for our leadership, who spent decades in shipbuilding metrology at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Shipbuilding details →Nuclear
Careful, well-documented measurement and alignment for nuclear and energy environments where tolerances are tight and the paperwork has to hold up.
Nuclear details →Defense
Onsite laser tracker support for defense manufacturing and sustainment work, backed by people who have spent their careers in shipyard and heavy industrial settings.
Defense details →Aerospace
Large-scale measurement, tooling alignment, inspection, and project metrology for aerospace manufacturing and assembly.
Aerospace details →Power Generation
Measurement and inspection for power generation environments, from turbine and generator alignment to careful dimensional control. See the Denison Dam hydro generator alignment case study for a real example.
Power generation details →Industrial Manufacturing
Machine alignment, first article and dimensional inspection, and added project capacity for heavy manufacturing. We also support automotive manufacturing, tooling, and inspection work within this same field capability.
Manufacturing details →What industrial customers come to us for.
Skilled onsite laser tracker support, inspection and first article work, alignment help, added project capacity for demanding jobs, training for internal personnel, and support that fits real industrial environments. For heavy manufacturing, the engine block casting inspection case study shows the kind of documented, per-part work we are built for.
Work in one of these industries?
Tell us what you build or maintain and what needs measuring, and we will come back with a straight read and a quote.
Not sure the job needs an outside crew? Ask for a free scope review and we will give you a straight read on it.
Field metrology built for large hulls and tight schedules.
Shipbuilding and ship maintenance put every hard part of field metrology in one place: huge structures, restricted access, moving schedules, and tolerances that still have to be met. We bring laser tracker crews onsite for hull and block alignment, foundation and machinery alignment, shaft and bearing alignment, weld and fit-up verification, and dimensional control across large assemblies.
Alignment and dimensional control
Machinery seat alignment, shaft alignment, bulkhead and foundation checks, and large-scale layout using laser trackers built for shipyard distances and conditions.
Inspection and verification
Weld and fit-up verification, as-built capture, and dimensional inspection with reporting that stands up to review.
Added capacity when you need it
Extra trained laser tracker operators for peak periods, drydockings, and one-off jobs, without adding headcount.
Decades of shipyard metrology behind every call.
Ron Hicks managed the dimensional control department at Newport News Shipbuilding, and Joe Sabol served as Director of Shipfitting, Welding, and Metrology there. Between them that is 80 years of shipbuilding measurement experience. When you call nSIGHT for a shipyard job, the people setting the approach have done it at scale.
The same services, applied in the yard.
Accuracy Control
Accuracy control uses statistical techniques to monitor, control, and improve shipbuilding processes, from fabricated structural parts and plate forming, to assembly, block accuracy, and reference lines, to hull form. The goal is to catch error early and minimize rework across the build.
Block Alignment
Backed by an accuracy-control program, tracker measurement verifies erection joints for neat build. Where extra material is left, capturing the as-built condition in 3D lets blocks be precut before erection instead of trimmed and fought into place on the ways.
Pipe Soft-templating
Measure the real endpoints and build pipe assemblies to fit the first time. Spools are built larger in the shop and earlier in the schedule, eliminating shipboard templating for closure pipes and freeing up the template fixtures and the space they occupy.
Radar & Foundation Alignment
On new construction or overhaul, permanent shipboard benchmarks are measured and transferred to the radar foundation. Trackers then guide portable milling to machine the foundation, which is aligned to accept the radar and tie correctly into the ship's reference and weapons-control systems.
Machinery Alignment
Engines, reduction gears, bearings, and stern tubes are measured individually before installation. That supports virtual assembly and alignment, pre-machined shims and liners, pre-drilled foundations, and precise component alignment at install.
Ship Checks
Scan an existing compartment to a point cloud using scanning equipment with tracker control and targets, then build 3D CAD as needed. This documents the space accurately and supports system replacement, modification, or compartment overhaul, with work accomplished early at minimal expense.
These applications are the same core services described on the Services page, applied in yard conditions by people who ran dimensional control at Newport News Shipbuilding and built measurement programs from the deckplate up.
Straight answers.
Do you have shipyard experience, or just laser tracker experience?
Ron Hicks managed the dimensional control department at Newport News Shipbuilding, and Joe Sabol served as Director of Shipfitting, Welding, and Metrology there. Between them that is 80 years of shipbuilding measurement experience, so the people setting the approach have done this work at scale.
Can you add operators for a drydocking or a peak period?
Yes. We bring in extra trained laser tracker operators for peak periods, drydockings, and one-off jobs, so you get the capacity without adding headcount.
What does tracker measurement change about block erection?
Capturing the as-built condition in 3D lets blocks be precut before erection instead of trimmed and fought into place on the ways. Backed by an accuracy control program, tracker measurement verifies erection joints for neat build.
Have a shipbuilding measurement or alignment job?
Tell us what you need measured or aligned and we will give you a straight read on it.
See more of our field work in the case studies.
Tight tolerances and records that hold up.
Nuclear and energy work leaves no room for a loose measurement or a report that cannot be traced. We provide laser tracker alignment, dimensional inspection, and as-built capture for components, assemblies, and installed equipment, with reporting built for review and traceability.
Precision alignment
Component and equipment alignment to tight tolerances, using laser trackers and portable arms suited to the space and access.
Dimensional inspection
First article and in-process inspection of machined and fabricated parts, with per-feature results you can act on.
Documented reporting
Measurement reports written to be clear, complete, and defensible, not just a data dump.
People who work to a standard.
Our leadership built careers in shipyard and heavy industrial metrology where accuracy and documentation were never optional. That habit carries into every nuclear and energy job we take on.
Straight answers.
Is your reporting traceable enough for review?
Measurement reports are written to be clear, complete, and defensible rather than a data dump, with per-feature results and documentation built for review and traceability.
What can you measure in a nuclear or energy setting?
Component and equipment alignment to tight tolerances, first article and in-process inspection of machined and fabricated parts, and as-built capture of installed equipment, using laser trackers and portable arms suited to the space and access.
How fast can you get someone on site?
Typically about three days, depending on scope, site access, and where the work is. Tell us the date you need and we will give you a straight answer on whether we can hold it.
Need nuclear or energy measurement support?
Tell us the scope and we will give you an honest read on how to approach it.
See more of our field work in the case studies.
Heavy, high-tolerance work is our background.
Defense manufacturing and sustainment often mean large structures, tight tolerances, and work that has to be right the first time. We bring laser tracker crews onsite for alignment, dimensional inspection, and as-built capture on the kinds of large assemblies and installed equipment defense programs deal with.
Large-scale alignment
Structure, machinery, and equipment alignment across distances that call for laser trackers rather than hand tools.
Inspection and as-built
Dimensional inspection and as-built capture for fabricated and assembled hardware, with clear reporting.
Trusted field operators
Experienced laser tracker operators from a managed network, brought in under a single point of contract and accountability.
A shipyard pedigree in a defense setting.
Newport News Shipbuilding is one of the largest defense shipbuilders in the country, and that is where our leadership built their careers in dimensional control and metrology. That experience translates directly to defense manufacturing and sustainment work.
Straight answers.
What defense work do you support?
Alignment, dimensional inspection, and as-built capture on the large assemblies and installed equipment defense manufacturing and sustainment programs deal with, measured onsite with laser trackers.
Who is accountable when a network crew does the work?
nSIGHT holds the contract. Experienced laser tracker operators come in through a managed network under a single point of contract and accountability.
Why does a shipyard background matter for defense work?
Newport News Shipbuilding is one of the largest defense shipbuilders in the country, and that is where our leadership built their careers in dimensional control and metrology. That experience translates directly to defense manufacturing and sustainment.
Have a defense measurement or alignment job?
Tell us the scope and we will give you a straight read on it.
See more of our field work in the case studies.
Big parts, tight tolerances, careful documentation.
Aerospace manufacturing runs on large tooling, close tolerances, and traceable results. We support tooling and fixture alignment, assembly measurement, first article inspection, and as-built capture, with reporting written to hold up to review.
Tooling and fixture alignment
Setting and verifying large tooling and assembly fixtures using laser trackers.
Assembly and inspection
Measurement of large assemblies, first article inspection, and dimensional verification with per-feature results.
Reverse engineering and 3D scanning
Digitizing parts and structures where no current model exists, as we did scanning historic aircraft at the Smithsonian.
3D scanning historic aircraft at the Smithsonian.
Our people digitized aircraft including the Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1, and SpaceShipOne for the National Air and Space Museum. It is a good example of careful, large-scale capture in an aerospace setting. See the Smithsonian aircraft 3D scanning case study.
Straight answers.
Can you align large tooling and assembly fixtures?
Yes. Setting and verifying large tooling and assembly fixtures with laser trackers is core work, alongside measurement of large assemblies and first article inspection.
What if there is no current CAD model for the part?
We digitize the part or structure and build the model. Our people did exactly that scanning the Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1, and SpaceShipOne for the National Air and Space Museum.
Do you report per-feature results?
Yes. Dimensional verification is reported per feature, written to hold up to review.
Need aerospace measurement or alignment support?
Tell us what you need measured or aligned and we will give you a straight read on it.
See more of our field work in the case studies.
Alignment and inspection on equipment you cannot move.
Power generation work usually happens on large, installed equipment in tight windows. We bring laser tracker crews onsite for generator and turbine alignment, bearing and coupling alignment, foundation checks, and dimensional inspection, with reporting that documents the result.
Rotating equipment alignment
Generator, turbine, and coupling alignment using laser trackers suited to large machines and real plant conditions.
Dimensional control
Foundation, bore, and clearance checks with results documented for the record.
Outage support
Extra trained laser tracker operators during outages and turnarounds when the schedule leaves no slack.
Hydro generator alignment at Denison Dam.
Our people handled laser tracker alignment on a hydro generator at Denison Dam, working to a tolerance of about five thousandths of an inch. See the Denison Dam hydro generator alignment case study for the full account.
Straight answers.
Can you work inside an outage window?
Yes. We provide extra trained laser tracker operators during outages and turnarounds, when the schedule leaves no slack.
What alignment work do you handle on rotating equipment?
Generator, turbine, bearing, and coupling alignment, plus foundation, bore, and clearance checks, with results documented for the record.
What tolerance can you hold on a generator rebuild?
On the hydro generator rebuild at Denison Dam our people worked to a tolerance of about five thousandths of an inch. What is achievable on your machine depends on the equipment and the plant conditions.
Have a turbine, generator, or plant alignment job?
Tell us the scope and we will give you a straight read on it.
See more of our field work in the case studies.
Machine alignment and inspection on the plant floor.
Heavy manufacturing needs measurement that happens where the machines are. We provide machine and line alignment, first article and in-process inspection, tooling verification, and reverse engineering, delivered onsite with laser trackers and portable arms.
Machine and line alignment
Aligning large machines and production lines, from roller lines to blow molding and press equipment.
Inspection and first article
Portable arm and laser tracker inspection of machined and cast parts, including high-volume first article work.
Automotive and tooling
Alignment, tooling verification, and inspection support for automotive manufacturing within the same field capability.
Documented, per-part field work.
The engine block casting inspection shows 405 pieces inspected with a portable arm. The Uniloy blow molding machine alignment and Canroof roller alignment cases show the kind of machine and line alignment we handle on the plant floor.
Straight answers.
Do you align production lines as well as single machines?
Yes. Machine and line alignment covers roller lines, blow molding, and press equipment, delivered onsite with laser trackers and portable arms.
Can you handle high volume first article work?
Yes. The engine block casting inspection covered 405 pieces with a portable arm.
Do you support automotive tooling?
Yes. Alignment, tooling verification, and inspection support for automotive manufacturing sit within the same field capability.
Need machine alignment or inspection support?
Tell us what you need measured or aligned and we will give you a straight read on it.
See more of our field work in the case studies.
A laser tracker alignment company with range.
Laser Tracker Inspection and Alignment
- Inspection, alignment, and first article work across industrial applications
Shipbuilding and Ship Maintenance
- Large-scale shipyard work where dimensional control, layout, and alignment are critical
Industrial Alignment
- Roller alignment
- Machine alignment
- Conveyor alignment
- Rail alignment
- Fixture alignment
Inspection and Dimensional Control
- Impeller inspection
- Hydro-electric component inspection
- Flatness surveys
- Large-volume inspection
Project and Layout Support
- Line layoff
- Drill template setting
- Robotic measurement
- Reverse engineering
- Machine and table leveling
Real jobs, told straight.
These projects were performed by nSIGHT's leadership over their careers in portable metrology. They show the kind of work nSIGHT Metrology Services is built around.
Setting true centerline on a 75-year-old hydro generator
Five large rotor and bearing components set within five thousandths of an inch of the stator centerline at Denison Dam.
Read the case study → Heavy ManufacturingVerifying core shift on segregated engine block castings
405 diesel engine block castings measured and reported so a global foundry could disposition every one.
Read the case study → Plastics ManufacturingFinding the twist in a blow molding machine before the rebuild
A foundation survey found more than 3/8 of an inch of twist under a machine with a history of failures.
Read the case study → Roofing MaterialsStraightening a shingle line that was wrinkling its own product
Every roller on the line measured against one reference frame and brought back square and level.
Read the case study → RestorationRebuilding a century-old steam tractor when no drawings exist
Scanner, laser tracker, and portable arm combined into one 3D model accurate enough to re-make boiler parts.
Read the case study → Museum DigitizationDigitizing three of the most famous aircraft in the world
The Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1, and SpaceShipOne captured in 3D on the museum floor, without contact.
Read the case study →Fewer mistakes, faster work, results customers can trust.
Industrial metrology usually happens where time, access, safety, and production pressure all push against each other. Experienced personnel make fewer mistakes, work faster, and deliver results customers can trust. That kind of experience is a big part of what we bring to every job.
Have a job like the ones on this page?
Tell us the scope and we will tell you honestly whether it fits, and what it would take.
Not sure the job needs an outside crew? Ask for a free scope review and we will give you a straight read on it.
Field measurement support that holds up in real industrial environments.
nSIGHT Metrology Services delivers onsite support for customers who need accurate measurement, alignment, inspection, and experienced field personnel. We work in real manufacturing and industrial environments, helping customers solve difficult measurement problems with laser tracker services that keep projects moving and hold quality where it needs to be.
Our team supports short- and long-term assignments across the United States, pairing shipyard and heavy-industry experience with a managed network of vetted field specialists, so you get the right crew for the job, with nSIGHT running the project management, quality, and reporting end to end.
Built to fix a fragmented industry.
There is a real shortage of qualified portable metrology service engineers and application engineers. Service firms struggle to hire and keep them. Customers struggle to find them. And many of the best engineers realize they can do better working for themselves as subcontractors. The result is a fragmented support system: talent everywhere, accountability nowhere.
nSIGHT was started to unify that talent and point it at the industries that need it. Our leaders have run successful metrology service organizations for most of their careers, from every side of the business, and that experience works for both sides of every job. Customers get a qualified, managed crew for long, medium, or short-term work under a single purchase order instead of a stack of individual subcontracts. Subcontractors get the lessons of careers spent running this business well, applied to their own.
We know the service business inside and out. nSIGHT is the bridge between a well‑run service organization and the most highly qualified engineers in the field, delivering the measurement insights customers demand.
Built by people who have spent their careers in dimensional measurement.
nSIGHT was built by people who have spent their careers in dimensional measurement, not by a company adding metrology as a side line.
Four decades in dimensional control, large-scale measurement, technical sales, and laser-based metrology. Ron led the Dimensional Control Department at Newport News Shipbuilding and went on to help build and lead the service and sales side of the metrology industry.
Active leadership in the professional body that shapes the coordinate metrology field.
Led sales and marketing for a major laser-metrology manufacturer after founding its Service Division.
Built the service organization that supported laser tracker users in the field.
Led the dimensional control department at one of the largest shipbuilders in the U.S.
Four decades in optical and 3D industrial measurement, shipbuilding, welding, metrology leadership, training, production, and project management. Joe led shipfitting, welding, and metrology at one of the country’s largest shipbuilders.
Led shipfitting, welding, and metrology operations at a major U.S. shipbuilder.
Decades applying optical and 3D measurement across heavy industry.
Built teams and ran production and project work at scale.
Twenty-five years as a shipbuilder, then nearly two decades leading sales and business development across defense, naval shipbuilding, nuclear energy, and capital equipment. Paul has held senior leadership roles at APCO Technologies, Automated Precision Inc. (API), and Framatome, closing major capital programs in highly technical, regulated markets.
Closed major capital programs in defense, naval shipbuilding, nuclear energy, and capital equipment.
A career on the deck plates before the business side, at one of the largest shipbuilders in the U.S.
A graduate business degree alongside the trade credential, and a published author many times over.
Paul is the first call for most customers, handling project estimating, building the quote, and managing the contract from first conversation through final report.
A managed network, not a bloated payroll.
nSIGHT delivers field work through the Subcontractor Alliance, a network of vetted subcontract specialists, rather than a large full-time staff. That keeps our overhead low and our reach wide, and it means one PO to nSIGHT can cover a multi-site, multi-crew job anywhere in the United States, with nSIGHT selecting the crews, managing the schedule, and standing behind the quality and the report.
Network specialists also get the backing of nSIGHT Consulting's leadership, the same people who ran dimensional control at Newport News Shipbuilding, so the standard of work travels with the badge.
How the network works →Experienced personnel, clean field execution.
Good metrology work takes more than technical knowledge. It takes people who understand how projects actually run in plants, shipyards, and industrial facilities. That is why we focus on experienced personnel, clean field execution, and services that solve real problems on site.
Our personnel are comfortable working in shops, plants, and industrial field environments. We know the realities of field work and deliver service that fits how the customer actually operates.
Sound like a crew you could work with?
Tell us about the job. You will get a straight answer from the people who would actually do the work.
Not sure the job needs an outside crew? Ask for a free scope review and we will give you a straight read on it.
Tell us about the job.
Tell us about your application, project scope, timeline, and current measurement or alignment challenges. We will be glad to talk through your requirements and help figure out the right next steps.
Not sure your job needs an outside crew? Ask us anyway. Send the basics and we will give you a straight read on it: whether outside laser tracker support actually makes sense for what you are doing, what the work would involve, and a ballpark on cost and timing. If the honest answer is that your own team can handle it, we will tell you that too. There is no charge for this and no obligation.
Tell us about your capabilities.
This is the application for metrology companies and independent specialists who want field work routed to them. Give us the honest version: what you own, what you are genuinely good at, and how far you will travel. We read every one, and we follow up with a call.
Not looking to join? If you have a job that needs measuring, tell us about the job instead.
Thanks, we have your job details.
We will get back to you with a read on it the same business day. If it cannot wait, call us at (757) 510-5217.
Back to HomeThanks, your application is in.
A partner reads every application and follows up with a call, usually within a few business days. From there it is a qualification review, agreements and paperwork, then orientation. About two weeks, start to finish.
If you want to get ahead of it, have your insurance certificates, calibration records, and a sample report ready. If something changes in the meantime, call (757) 510-5217.
The guides are on their way.
A real person sends these, usually the same business day. No need to wait, though. Both guides are free to read right now:
The Challenge
Canroof runs a manufacturing line that pulls roofing shingle material through a long series of rollers. The material was coming out with wrinkles and defects. On a line like this, that almost always points back to the rollers. If the rollers are not level and square to each other, the material does not track straight through them. It wanders, stretches unevenly, and wrinkles, and you see it in the finished product.
The hard part is that you cannot eyeball roller alignment across a line this long. There are dozens of rollers in series over hundreds of inches, and a few thousandths of an inch of tilt or offset per roller adds up to material that will not run flat. Canroof needed to know the true position of every roller on the line, find the ones causing the trouble, and get them all back into line with each other.
The Approach
The work was led by Ron Hicks, now a partner at nSIGHT, during his time at API, with API engineer Danny Southerly running the survey on site using an OmniTrac 2 laser tracker. The tracker was verified with a system check before the work started, so the measurements could be trusted to thousandths of an inch across the length of the line.
The method started with a reference. Brass punches set into the floor along the line were shot with the tracker to establish an offset reference line, and a coordinate frame was built with that line as the direction and gravity as level. Every roller was then measured against that same frame. With one reference tying the whole line together, each roller could be checked for level to itself and square to the line, and the ones that were out showed up clearly in the data.
The Result
Every roller on the line was measured and brought back into line, set level to itself and square to the reference line. The critical rolls, including the scraper, drum, and scraper drum, were moved from their as-found positions to corrected final positions, all captured in the survey data. The report gave Canroof a full record of where every roller started and where it ended up.
With the rollers back in line, the material had a straight, flat path through the machine again, which is what the whole job was aimed at. Canroof went from guessing at which rollers were causing the wrinkles to having every position measured and documented, so the fix was based on real numbers instead of trial and error on the floor.
A line that is tracking off?
Have a line that is wrinkling, tracking off, or wearing rollers unevenly? Contact nSIGHT Metrology Services.
The Challenge
A hydro generator gets its bearing housing and rotor assembly rebuilt about every 35 years. The unit at Denison Dam had been in service for 75. Voith Hydro needed to know exactly where the existing stator and lower bearing housing actually sat before any new components went in, and the assembly would happen in stages over roughly a year.
The problem with a job like this is that the old structure has moved and settled over decades. You cannot assume it matches the original drawings. If the new rotor and bearing components get built to nominal and the stator has shifted, the parts fight each other during install, elevations come out wrong, and you find out too late. Voith's Lalit Adhikari needed a way to capture the true as-found position of the stator and give the crew a real centerline to build to.
The Approach
The work was led by Ron Hicks, now a partner at nSIGHT, during his time at API, using a Radian laser tracker. The tracker was the right tool here because it is portable enough to work around a generator in an active powerhouse and accurate enough to hold the tolerances the job demanded.
The first survey happened about a year before the components were installed. We defined the as-found position of the stator, then set up a local coordinate system on site. That coordinate system is what made the rest of the year work. It let every new component be tied back to the same reference through a best-fit transformation, so parts machined offsite could be brought in and located accurately against the real structure instead of a drawing. Before anything went in, all of the bearing assembly component positions and elevations were surveyed to establish a baseline.
The Result
As each component was installed, its centerline position was measured and reported through the whole process. The final assembly put roughly five large rotor and bearing components in a cylindrical alignment, all within plus or minus five thousandths of an inch of the upper stator housing centerline. Every elevation and every component collision gap came in well inside allowable limits.
The measurement work tied the offsite machining and the onsite alignment together into one clean installation instead of two separate efforts that might not agree. Voith saw enough value in the approach that they brought the same team back for the next rotor assembly at Denison Dam, this time to get involved earlier in the machining side, including positional set and leveling of the milling machinery.
The customer said the added value opened the door to the next rotor assembly at Denison Dam, with the team more involved in the machining side.
Measuring the structure before new parts go in?
Have a rebuild, alignment, or inspection where the existing structure has to be measured before new parts go in? Contact nSIGHT Metrology Services.
The Situation
A major international foundry had a population of rough 6-cylinder diesel engine block castings sitting in segregation at a facility in Virginia. The concern was core shift. If cores move during casting, material ends up thicker on one side and thinner on the other, and features that look fine on the outside may not clean up in machining. Until someone measured the actual condition of each block, the castings could not be released, reworked, or scrapped with any confidence. Segregated inventory ties up money and floor space, and guessing wrong in either direction is expensive.
The Requirement
The foundry identified the critical features on each casting, including water jacket bosses and deck areas where dislocation would surface, and provided nominal CAD. The job was to establish each casting's coordinate system from defined setup points, measure the critical features against nominal, and produce an inspection report for every block so their engineers could make a disposition call casting by casting.
The Approach
A single experienced metrology specialist deployed with a portable CMM arm with an integrated laser line scanner. For each casting: set up and field-verify the equipment, measure the setup points, transform into the casting coordinate system using eight defined targets, then capture the critical features and report deviation from nominal. The portable arm was the right tool because the blocks were staged where they sat. No fixtures, no moving castings to a lab, and setup repeated reliably across the whole population.
The Pace
The work ran ten hour days, six days a week. Over roughly three months, 405 castings were measured, setup through report, which meant repeating the full coordinate setup and critical feature inspection five to six times every working day without letting discipline slip.
The Result
Every one of the 405 castings left segregation with a documented inspection report showing the true condition of its critical features. The foundry's engineers got what they had been missing, which was real per-casting data to disposition against instead of an assumption about how far the cores had moved.
Why It Matters
This project was performed by nSIGHT's founder during his years in the portable metrology industry. It reflects the kind of work nSIGHT Metrology Services is built around: an experienced specialist, the right portable equipment, disciplined coordinate control, and reports a customer can act on.
Castings that need a documented answer?
Have castings, weldments, or machined parts that need a documented answer? Tell us about the job and we will give you a straight read on it.
The Challenge
The Smithsonian runs a digitization program to bring its collection into 3D so the objects can be studied, preserved, and shared with people who will never stand in front of them. Three aircraft were on the list: Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1 that first broke the sound barrier, and SpaceShipOne, the first private crewed spacecraft. These are irreplaceable, and two of them hang from the ceiling of a gallery that stays open to the public.
You cannot take an artifact like this down, put it on a table, or touch it with a measuring tool. Whatever captures it has to work at a distance, reach surfaces high overhead and deep inside a cockpit, and do it all in a busy public gallery while visitors walk through. The measurement also has to be accurate and complete enough that the Smithsonian can build a real 3D model from it, not just a rough scan.
The Approach
The work was led by Ron Hicks, now a partner at nSIGHT, during his time at API, with nSIGHT people on the team. The aircraft were captured with two Surphaser HSX 100 scanners and a Z&F ImagerPro 5010C color scanner. These are non-contact scanners, so nothing ever touched the artifacts. They pick up dense, accurate surface data from a standoff distance, which is what let the team document the aircraft exteriors and interiors where they could reach without disturbing anything.
Because the gallery stayed open, the work was done in public, alongside the exhibit curators and preservation staff and the Smithsonian's own digitization team. The Smithsonian also captured some areas with a handheld Artec scanner. All of it, the API data and the Smithsonian data, had to register together into one clean dataset per aircraft.
The Result
The scan data became accurate, detailed 3D models of all three aircraft. Post-processing combined the data the team captured with the data the Smithsonian captured, so each model was as complete as the access allowed. The models went into the Smithsonian's digitization program, where they can be viewed, studied, and shared far beyond the gallery.
This was ongoing work, not a one-off. The same team supported the Smithsonian across multiple projects, including earlier scanning of the 1903 Wright Flyer and the Milestones of Flight gallery. That repeat work with a client this careful about its collection is the real measure of it.
Something that cannot be touched or moved?
Have an object, an artifact, or a structure that has to be captured in 3D without being touched or moved? Contact nSIGHT Metrology Services.
The Challenge
Steam Operations Corporation restores antique steam machinery. One of their projects was a Case steam tractor, a riveted, coal-fired machine from the early 1900s. Parts of the boiler and firebox had reached the end of their life and needed to be re-made. The problem is that a machine like this has no engineering drawings. Whatever the factory used a hundred years ago is long gone, and the tractor has been repaired, patched, and reshaped over its life, so even if old drawings turned up they would not match what is actually there now.
You cannot safely re-make a boiler part by eyeballing it or copying a worn original. A boiler is a pressure vessel. If the new parts do not match the real geometry of the machine, they will not seat right, and on a steam boiler that is a safety problem, not just a fit problem. Steam Operations needed the tractor measured and turned into a model accurate enough to build real parts from.
The Approach
The work was led by the team now at nSIGHT during their time at API, using three tools together. A Surphaser hemispherical laser scanner captured the overall body of the tractor as a dense 3D point cloud. An API laser tracker picked up critical features and tied the scan together. A Romer portable arm reached the small internal features the scanner could not see well.
Using three instruments on one job is the point. Each one is good at something the others are not, and a machine this size and this cluttered has open sheet surfaces, tight internal pockets, and precise features that all have to end up in the same coordinate system. The scan data was registered and processed into a single 3D model of the whole tractor.
The Result
The scan data became a full 3D CAD model of the tractor, accurate to the machine's real as-built condition. From that model the boiler and firebox were reverse engineered, and 2D drawings were produced so the critical parts could be re-manufactured to fit the machine that exists rather than a factory drawing that does not.
The project worked, and Steam Operations brought the team back for more work after this one. That repeat business is the real measure of it. The model gave them something they did not have before, which was a trustworthy digital record of a machine that was never documented, and a safe basis for keeping it running.
A part with no drawings?
Have an old machine or a part with no drawings that has to be re-made to fit what is really there? Contact nSIGHT Metrology Services.
The Challenge
Consolidated Container ran a Uniloy extrusion blow molding machine in New Britain around the clock making dairy gallons. The machine had a history of screw and head failures, the kind of repeat problem that usually points at something out of alignment underneath rather than the parts themselves. The company was planning a full overhaul, stripping the machine down and rebuilding it with a new barrel, screw, ball spline, and shot cylinder. Before spending that money, they wanted to know what was actually wrong.
The risk with a rebuild like this is straightforward. If you install new components onto a foundation that has shifted or twisted, the new parts line up no better than the old ones, and you are back to the same failures a few months later. Consolidated Container needed the machine's real condition measured before anything came apart, and they needed it done without shutting the line down any longer than the overhaul already required.
The Approach
The work was led by Ron Hicks, now a partner at nSIGHT, during his time at API, using a Radian laser tracker. The tracker was the right tool because it could work around a large production machine in a running plant and hold accuracy down to a thousandth of an inch across the whole structure.
The survey started at the foundation. Mirrored targets were placed at points across the machine's base and shot with the tracker to build a picture of how flat and level the foundation actually was. The hydraulic cylinders were measured next to check their orientation to that base. All of this fed into a coordinate system for the machine, so every later measurement could be tied back to the same reference.
What the Survey Found
The foundation was not flat. The measurements showed the base of the machine was out of plane with a twist of more than 3/8 of an inch across it. That is a large number for a machine expected to hold a straight barrel and screw, and it explained the failure history. A twisted base pulls the sliding surfaces and the barrel out of line, and the screw and head pay for it over time.
With the twist measured and located, the rebuild had something to correct against instead of a hunch. The plan that came out of the survey called for the platens and the sliding surface at the extruder barrel to be made flat, with the laser tracker service determining where the base and top actually sat and directing the local machinist doing the physical leveling. The measurement work set the targets. The machinist worked to them.
The Result
The survey turned a repeat failure into a known, measured problem. Rather than rebuilding onto a twisted base and hoping, Consolidated Container went into the overhaul knowing exactly what was out and by how much, with a coordinate reference in place to level the base and top and flatten the sliding surfaces the new components would ride on. The measurement tied the diagnosis and the corrective work together so the rebuild fixed the cause of the failures, not just the symptoms.
A machine that keeps failing?
Have a machine that keeps failing and you suspect the foundation or alignment underneath it? Contact nSIGHT Metrology Services.
Do your homework before you hire anyone. Including us.
Two short, honest guides for anyone weighing whether to bring in outside metrology support. Free to read, print, or save as PDF. No email required.
Hiring Laser Tracker Support
When outside support is worth it, what separates a good crew from a cheap one, the five questions to ask before you hire, how these jobs get quoted, and the mistakes that cost people money.
We say plainly where your own team can handle the job, the same way we talk to customers on the phone.
10 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Metrology Services Provider
A checklist of questions to put to any provider before you sign: technical capability, staff, equipment and calibration, software, back-office support, references, insurance, adaptability, quality plan, and safety plan.
Bring it to the first phone call. A good provider will have answers for all ten.
Practical reads, no sales pitch.
When to Bring in Outside Laser Tracker Support
When outside field support makes more sense than handling the work internally, and when it does not.
Read the article → TrainingWhat Good Laser Tracker Training Should Include
The topics that help internal personnel get more capable and productive.
Read the article → AlignmentCommon Alignment Challenges in Industrial Environments
Recurring problems in machine, conveyor, roller, and rail alignment work.
Read the article → InspectionWhy First Article Inspection Needs Real Field Experience
How experience improves efficiency and confidence during inspection.
Read the article → Project SupportGetting Better Results From Laser Tracker Project Support
Planning, execution, and communication on industrial projects.
Read the article →Leave your email and we will send both guides over.
A real person sends these, usually the same business day. No newsletter, no follow-up sequence.
For planning and equipment selection, see nSIGHT Consulting.
If you need help with metrology planning, equipment selection, implementation strategy, or training beyond field support, visit nSIGHT Consulting.
Have a question these articles did not answer?
Ask us directly. A real person answers, usually the same business day.
Not sure the job needs an outside crew? Ask for a free scope review and we will give you a straight read on it.
Knowing about them ahead of time is most of the battle.
The environment does not hold still
A working plant moves. Temperature swings over the course of a day will grow and shrink a long steel structure by a surprising amount, and if you measure one end in the morning and the other after lunch, you are comparing two different structures. Nearby machinery vibrates. Forklifts drive past. None of this shows up in a textbook alignment, but all of it shows up in your numbers, and if you are not accounting for it you will chase errors that are really just the building breathing.
The as-built almost never matches the drawing
On older equipment especially, what is actually bolted to the floor does not match what the drawing says should be there. Things have been repaired, shimmed, replaced, and moved over the years, often with no record. If you align to the drawing instead of to what is really there, you can hit every number on paper and still have a machine that does not run right. This is why measuring the as-found condition first matters so much. The blow molding machine survey is a good example of what an as-found measurement can turn up.
Long spans and lines of sight
Conveyor, roller, and rail alignment run over distances where you cannot see the whole thing from one position, and where a tiny angular error at one end turns into a big positional error at the other. Structures block your view, so you end up moving the tracker and tying setups together, and every one of those moves is a chance to introduce error if the reference is not handled carefully. Long alignment jobs live or die on how well the coordinate system is managed. The shingle line roller alignment shows what that looks like in practice.
Access, safety, and a live plant
A lot of alignment happens in tight spots, at height, or around equipment that cannot be shut down. The measurement problem and the physical access problem get tangled together, and the right answer on paper is worthless if you cannot safely get the tracker where it needs to be. Experienced crews plan the access and the sequence as carefully as they plan the measurement, because on a live plant that is half the job.
An alignment job where this sounds familiar?
If you have an alignment job where any of this sounds familiar, tell us about it. We will give you a straight read on what it would take.
Reading the drawing the way the designer meant it
Drawings are not always clear, and GD&T can be interpreted more than one way if you are not fluent in it. Someone experienced knows how the designer probably intended a callout to be checked, which datums actually matter for how the part functions, and when a tolerance on the drawing is really the point versus when it is boilerplate. Get the interpretation wrong and you can fail a good part or pass a bad one, and both are expensive.
Setting up the measurement so it means something
How you fixture and reference the part decides whether your numbers reflect the part or reflect your setup. On a first article there is no prior run to compare against, so a setup mistake does not get caught by a trend, it just becomes your answer. Experience is knowing how to establish datums that match the drawing's intent and how to hold the part so you are measuring the feature and not the way you clamped it.
Knowing what a strange result is telling you
When a dimension comes back out of tolerance, the useful question is why. Is the part actually bad, or is the fixture off, or did a datum get picked up wrong? Someone who has done a lot of these can usually tell the difference quickly, which keeps you from either scrapping a good part or shipping a bad one. Someone working off a script tends to just record the number and move on.
Speed comes from experience, not from rushing
An FAI often sits right in the path of a production launch, so the clock is running. The fastest way through is not to hurry, it is to have someone who has done it enough that they set up right the first time and do not have to backtrack. Experience is what makes an inspection both quick and trustworthy at the same time, and that is hard to get any other way.
A first article where the part matters?
Have a first article inspection coming up where the part matters and the timing is tight? Tell us about it and we will talk through how to get it done right.
Here is how customers get the most out of a project, from someone who has been on the crew side of a lot of them.
Be clear about what the numbers are for
The single most useful thing you can tell a metrology crew is what decision the measurement is going to feed. Measuring to accept a part is a different job from measuring to align an assembly, which is different again from measuring to reverse engineer something. The crew will approach all three differently if they know the goal up front. When they do not know, they either guess or measure everything to death, and both waste your money.
Sort out access and site conditions early
A surprising amount of project time gets lost to things that have nothing to do with measurement. The part is not staged, the area is not clear, the crew cannot get a lift, nobody told security they were coming. A short conversation before the visit about access, power, staging, and who to check in with will save hours on site. If the crew is flying in and mobilization is billed, those lost hours are real money.
Give the crew the drawings and the history
Drawings, prior inspection data, and any known history of the equipment all help the crew plan and catch problems faster. If a machine has been repaired or a part has a known issue, saying so up front lets them account for it instead of discovering it halfway through. Handing over what you have is almost always worth it.
Agree on what the deliverable actually is
A pile of measured points is not a result. Before the work starts, get clear on what you are getting at the end, whether that is a report, an alignment record, a comparison to nominal, or a model. It is a lot easier to agree on that beforehand than to go back and ask for a different format after the crew has left the site.
Keep one person in the loop
Projects go smoother when there is one person on your side who the crew can talk to and who can make a call when something unexpected comes up on site. Something always comes up. Having someone reachable who can answer a question or make a decision keeps a small surprise from turning into a stopped job.
Planning a project that needs tracker support?
Planning a project that needs laser tracker support? Tell us about it early and we will help you set it up so you get the most out of the work.
If you are paying to train your people, or picking a training provider, here is what the training should actually cover.
The fundamentals, but not only the fundamentals
Every course covers the basics of setting up the tracker, warming it up, and taking a measurement. That is table stakes. The part that matters more is understanding what the tracker is doing and where it can lie to you. A trainee should come away knowing how tracker accuracy falls off with distance and angle, what a bad target return looks like, and why a measurement can read clean and still be wrong. If the training never gets into that, your people will collect points confidently and have no way to catch a problem.
Setup and reference frames
Most real measurement error does not come from the tracker. It comes from a bad setup or a reference frame that was built wrong. Good training spends real time on how you establish a coordinate system, how you tie multiple tracker positions together when the part is too big to see from one spot, and how a small error in your reference propagates through everything you measure after it. This is the stuff that separates someone who can run the tool from someone who can be trusted with a job.
The software, on real problems
Tracker software is deep, and clicking through a demo dataset in a classroom is not the same as fighting through a messy alignment on a live part. The best training uses realistic problems, ideally something close to the work your people actually do, so they hit the same snags they will hit on the floor and learn how to get out of them. Ask a training provider whether they will work with your parts or your typical applications.
Knowing when the answer is good enough
A skill that rarely gets taught is judgment about tolerances and when to stop. A trainee should learn how to tell whether a result is good enough for what the part actually needs, versus chasing precision the job does not call for. That judgment saves time on every job afterward, and it is hard to pick up without someone experienced walking through it.
Training built around your work
We offer hands-on laser tracker training built around the work your team actually does, not a canned classroom dataset. Tell us what your people need to get better at and we will put together training that fits.
Sometimes handling it internally is the right call. Sometimes it costs you more than hiring help would have. Here is how to think about which situation you are in.
When keeping it in-house usually works
If the job is routine, your team does it often enough to stay sharp, and you own equipment that is in calibration, there is not much reason to call anyone. Regular incoming inspection, periodic checks on a fixture you know well, alignment work your people have done a hundred times. That is your own crew's bread and butter and an outside company is not going to do it meaningfully better.
The line starts to move when the job is bigger, less familiar, or riskier than what your team runs into day to day.
Signs it is worth bringing in help
The clearest signal is when the cost of getting it wrong is high. If a bad measurement means a scrapped part, a blown install window, or a machine that has to come back apart, the few thousand dollars an experienced crew costs is cheap next to that. On a large rebuild or a first-of-its-kind job, the measurement is not the expensive part. Redoing the work because the measurement was off is the expensive part.
It is also worth it when the job needs a skill your team does not do often. Setting true centerline on an old structure, tying offsite machining to an as-found survey, large-volume work where the part is bigger than any single tracker setup can see. These take judgment that comes from having done them before, and if your people only hit that kind of work once every few years, they are relearning it each time. The Denison Dam rebuild is a real example of exactly this kind of job.
Capacity is a plain reason too. Sometimes your team is good enough but they are already booked, and the choice is bring in help or push the schedule. In a shutdown or an outage where every day of downtime has a dollar figure attached, paying for extra hands to hold the timeline is usually money well spent.
And there is the equipment question. A tracker that is out of calibration, or the wrong tool for the reach and accuracy the job needs, is worse than no tracker. If buying or renting and then learning the tool costs more than the job is worth, that is a reason to hire it out.
The middle ground people forget
It does not have to be all one or the other. A common setup is your team does the day-to-day work and an outside crew comes in for the hard jobs, the big ones, or the overflow. Some customers bring in help partly to get their own people trained up alongside a more experienced hand, so the next time around they can keep more of it in-house. Both are reasonable ways to run it.
How to decide
A rough gut check: if the job is familiar, low-stakes, and your gear is ready, keep it in-house. If it is unfamiliar, expensive to get wrong, on a tight clock, or beyond what your equipment can do well, get a quote from someone who does this kind of work all the time. The quote itself costs nothing, and it gives you a real number to weigh against the risk instead of guessing.
Not sure which side of the line your job falls on?
Tell us about it. We will give you an honest read on whether it is worth bringing in outside support, and a quote if it is.