It’s no secret that manufacturing processes have become more complex. Manufacturers have tried hard to infuse innovation into their products, usually as new features, technologies, or attributes. However, coming up with innovative product features is not enough to create a competitive advantage and certainly not enough to deter competitors from copying a product. This is one reason why an increasing number of companies are focusing instead on bringing innovation to their manufacturing processes.

Traditionally, 3-D dimensional inspection was performed in the quiet, stable, spotless, and controlled environment of quality labs. But during the past few decades, manufacturers have been increasingly interested in measuring devices that are both comprehensive in scope and portable. Nowadays, measurement has broken outside the labs, mainly because successful companies need to be able to produce quickly and accurately to keep their competitive advantage.