Hexagon Becomes Strategic Distributor of PRAGMA’s First-to-Market Portable NDT Technology Integrated with Absolute Arm & Laser Tracker Technology
North Kingstown, RI, May 20th 2025 – Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and PRAGMA proudly announce an evolution of their existing partnership, designed to deliver unprecedented portability in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) by integrating cutting-edge 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, 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.
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. “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.”
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.
“We’ve spent the last years identifying opportunities and demonstrating the capabilities of NDT combined with metrology technology. The market demand for absolute position encoding of NDT data is substantial, particularly for manufacturers who need to get ahead of internal product defects,” Winters added.
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.
“The combined capabilities of both companies are already strong, and we are prepared to address even more customer challenges,” added Danny Perron, PRAGMA’s Head of Applications. “Our technology can analyze materials ranging from metal alloys to advanced composites, detecting flaws as small as 0.25mm in some cases.”
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.
“We invite interested manufacturers to see this groundbreaking technology in action at the upcoming Hexagon Live event,” said Winters. “This partnership expands Hexagon’s continued innovation around inspection, quality assurance, and reverse engineering – now allowing customers to look INSIDE parts without sectioning or destroying them.”
To learn more, visit Hexagon Absolute Arm NDT.
About PRAGMA
PRAGMA specializes in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) solutions, from portable instruments to fully integrated robotic systems, with advanced technologies that enhance inspection and quality control processes. www.pragmandt.com
