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. They depend on technologies that allow them to measure parts on site, wherever the part may be: in the design phase, directly on the production line, or even on the supplier’s or customer’s premises.

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