With Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence’s recent announcement of its inclusion in the NASCAR Competition Partner Program, details on the strategic partnership have emerged. By cementing this tie, the two companies can expand a professional relationship that will enable them to focus on precision, quality control, standards, reliability, and performance.

Like any other industry, the automotive sector has exact needs and standards to maintain competitive integrity. This requires accurate measurements, data-driven insights, and a strong assurance that every step from development to final inspection is met with the utmost care and highest degree of commitment to quality. This is where NASCAR and Hexagon shine.

Some of the portable measuring systems used by NASCAR include:

Absolute Arm 7-Axis: A portable 3D measurement arm that supports flexible, high-accuracy inspection across demanding applications.

Leica Absolute Tracker AT960: A portable laser tracker that enables precise, high-speed measurement for large-scale inspection and analysis.

In a recent press release, John Probst, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said, “Partnering with Hexagon strengthens our ability to ensure consistency and quality on and off the racetrack. Their expertise in precision measurement and inspection supports how we evaluate our vehicles, validate critical components, and evolve our approach for the benefit of drivers and teams at every level.”

To get more information on this partnership and Hexagon’s products, we spoke to Bryan Balch, regional manager at Hexagon.

Quality Digest: At first glance, a partnership between Hexagon and NASCAR is unexpected. How did this come about?

Bryan Balch: While NASCAR is the sanctioning body of a sport and Hexagon is a manufacturing technology company, there is a lot of overlap. NASCAR requires high-performance athletes working in tandem with high-performance machines. Hexagon provides the tools to help inspect and tune the machines, much like an athletic trainer provides tools to tune and monitor the health of their athletes. A small change to an athlete’s training program can have big impacts on their performance. Similarly, small variances in components or assembly of those components can have massive impacts on the performance of a race car. NASCAR leverages Hexagon’s technology to ensure they can deliver high quality measurement data under strict deadlines to help ensure fair and safe competition.

QD: What aspects of quality control, accurate measurements, consistent performance, and inspections have improved with the joint efforts of Hexagon and NASCAR?

Balch: NASCAR vehicles are composed of many parts from multiple vendors. Motor sports fabrication and machining are not immune to variance, just like all other forms of manufacturing. NASCAR uses Hexagon’s solutions to help verify that components and assemblies are within the proper specifications, to help ensure safety of its competitors, and to enforce compliance among its competitors and suppliers. NASCAR uses a combination of laser scanners, tactile probes, and software solutions to compile the measurements into easily digestible reports that can be shared with suppliers and competitors.

QD: What specific Hexagon products are being put to good use within the automotive industry?

Balch: Hexagon has a broad range of tools that fit into the automotive sector. Our portable equipment, such as the Absolute Arms and Absolute Trackers, are widely used by the OEMs, their suppliers, and in many forms of motor sports. Typical applications for this type of equipment are body panel scanning, fixture alignments, large part inspection, tooling inspection, vehicle setup, and crash test analysis. Portable metrology equipment is ideal for most situations where it is easier to bring the machine to the part, rather than bringing the part to the machine. Our stationary products, such as our Maestro, Global, or Shop Floor lines of CMMs, are used in automotive and motor sports as well. They are typically used for applications that require a higher level of accuracy or throughput than portable devices can provide. There is quite a bit of overlap between portable and stationary metrology systems in the automotive world.

QD: How do you anticipate this partnership will shape current and future goals?

Balch: The partnership between Hexagon and NASCAR will advance innovation and enhance product quality for both organizations. NASCAR will be able to use Hexagon’s tools to make informed decisions based on high quality data that can be captured quickly and reliably. This allows current processes to happen faster and with more reliability. Hexagon’s tools can also help NASCAR explore different areas where high quality measurement data can help to advance the sport. The real-world feedback and market exposure that Hexagon will see because of the partnership will be invaluable in driving innovation and improvements to products in our portfolio.