How do manufacturers capture, analyse and share quality data? The latest research reveals that nearly half of manufacturers (42%) face difficulties sharing data between teams and a further 25% report that these challenges directly hinder productivity. In this blog we’ll take a look at how Nexus can enhance collaboration.
With the latest advances in manufacturing technology platforms, quality engineers, production teams, design engineers and suppliers can proactively prevent quality issues, reducing waste and improving efficiency. One solution to this, currently gaining traction, is a Nexus application called Metrology Reporting.
The gap between quality and production
For manufacturers using coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and other metrology equipment, traditional reporting methods often result in isolated PDF reports that lack shareability and trend visibility. As the digital transformation gathers pace, we have uncovered, not so much a gap, but a yawning chasm between areas of the value chain – not least of all quality and production.
As a result, we find that many organisations are missing out on opportunities to improve critical KPIs. When quality data is visible across the production process at the touch of a button, engineers can quicky and easily make assessments of first pass yield, overall equipment effectiveness and defect density (for example). When you can see the change in real time, you can make a quick decision and take remedial action.
Manufacturers need to consolidate measurement data across multiple machines and sites, transforming fragmented inspection reports into a unified, cloud-based reporting database, powered by an industrial system of engagement like Nexus. This enables teams to:
- Track dimensional and tolerance trends over time, with predictive alerts that warn when processes are heading out of tolerance—enabling teams to take corrective action before scrap and rework occur.
- Enhance collaboration between quality, design, and manufacturing teams by sharing interactive reports instantly within or outside the organisation. Instead of static PDFs, teams can now use Nexus to collaborate and share quality data in real time, ensuring key stakeholders can review and act on quality insights faster.
- Identify design feasibility issues earlier by detecting unrealistic tolerances before production begins. Manufacturers have used this feature to resolve issues where tolerances were too tight for accurate measurement, reassessing design early enough to avoid costly delays and redesigns.
“With the Metrology Reporting application (within Nexus), teams can collaborate more effectively across the product lifecycle. Instead of chasing down reports via email with limited visibility into overall quality trends, manufacturers can instantly share critical quality data with suppliers, customers, or internal teams—ensuring that issues are resolved faster and production stays on track,” said Doug Honig, Product Marketing Manager at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. “The free collaboration capability within Nexus is a game-changer, particularly for manufacturers working with larger OEMs that require extensive quality reporting.”
Enhanced Statistical Insights for Smarter Decision-Making
Hexagon’s new Metrology Reporting features empower quality engineers with advanced statistical tools and predictive reporting. Basic Stats Reports, for reporting Cp & Cpk, enable the evaluation of manufacturing consistency and ensure process stability and repeatability before parts are sent to customers. Control Check Alerts allow users to customize warning thresholds and toggle controls on and off, providing early insights into process trends. By applying Nelson Rules, the system detects gradual shifts toward out-of-tolerance conditions—ensuring teams can intervene before defects occur.
“We’ve used metrology reporting for the last two years to support change point detection, what has changed in our process analysis, and also beginning now, we’re using it for process monitoring. We especially like the trend charts that are exposed through the legacy nature of the report,” said Jeff Livingston, Senior Quality Manager at Paragon Medical. “We look forward to unlocking more potential from the tool as we continue to grow with this capability.”
Users can also assign Critical Characteristics to key dimensions, ensuring that critical features—where tolerance deviations could result in complete part failure—are prioritized with real-time alerts. Visual dashboards indicate whether a batch is in tolerance, out of tolerance, or approaching a warning threshold.
“For manufacturers supplying OEMs, accurate reporting is essential for ensuring part acceptance,” said Greg Holdsworth, Senior Portfolio Manager of Autonomous Metrology at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. “Instead of static PDFs, Nexus’ Metrology Reporting delivers dynamic charts and real-time data exports—allowing customers to verify tolerance, repeatability, and process capability instantly. This doesn’t just improve efficiency; it enhances credibility in supplier-customer relationships.
3D Model-Based Reporting for Intuitive Analysis
Understanding measurement deviations is now more intuitive with enhanced visualization capabilities. Form Plots overlay measurement deviations onto 3D models, creating a heatmap that highlights areas exceeding tolerance limits. CAD-integrated reports link measurement data to corresponding features on engineering models, simplifying root cause analysis for quality and design teams.
Seamless integration and flexibility with Nexus
Hexagon’s Nexus, a connectivity and collaboration platform, is designed to open innovation bottlenecks and enable multi-disciplinary teams to collaborate across the product lifecycle. Nexus helps manufacturers unlock new data insights, break down silos, and collaborate to solve problems faster and more easily together. By connecting metrology data to Nexus, customers can access a growing number of Nexus-connected apps and cloud solutions that enable closed-loop quality and maintain data continuity within the digital thread.
Metrology Reporting is one of multiple Nexus apps, forming part of a broader ecosystem designed to enhance quality, production, and engineering processes. As part of this ecosystem, Metrology Reporting seamlessly integrates with Hexagon and third-party applications alike, ensuring manufacturers can unify quality data across their entire production environment. New support for industry-standard DFQ formats ensures compatibility with third-party metrology software, allowing manufacturers to aggregate and analyze data across mixed-vendor environments.
Recognizing that manufacturers operate at different stages of digital transformation, Hexagon has also introduced flexible new features. Configurable report views enable users to personalize layouts based on their roles, ensuring quick access to the most relevant insights. While Metrology Reporting is optimized for digital collaboration, users can still generate print-ready reports when physical documentation is required.
See Metrology Reporting in action at Quality Show South
Hexagon will showcase the latest Metrology Reporting capabilities at Quality Show South booth #325, where attendees can experience firsthand how these enhancements streamline quality management and foster cross-functional collaboration.
Not going to the show or just can’t wait to try out Metrology Reporting for yourself? Try the app for free by signing up on Nexus: Nexus.hexagon.com/home/register/ or click here to schedule a demo or learn more.
