Eliminating Data Silos With Smart Inspection Connectivity
With the launch of PolyWorks 2025, InnovMetric is introducing a digital thread that promises to revolutionize how 3D measurement data flows across teams. Metrology News spoke with Marc Soucy, PhD, President and co-founder of InnovMetric, about the importance of breaking down workflow silos in modern manufacturing.
Q: What motivated InnovMetric to pursue a digital thread approach for dimensional inspection?
A: For over 15 years, our relentless focus on advancing point cloud technology and enhancing our PolyWorks universal metrology software platform has driven us to deliver innovative tools, improved user-friendliness, and superior performance—consistently meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations. However, as we continued to push the boundaries, it became increasingly challenging to maintain the same pace of innovation without conducting a thorough analysis of the entire inspection process, both upstream and downstream of metrology. This uncovered significant issues related to data sharing, traceability, and performance, all stemming from manual file transfers. Our vision of the digital thread gradually took hold. First, we acknowledged the need to manage all 3D measurement data on a central server, thereby eliminating manual file transfers. Then, we recognized the necessity of offering digital connectivity technologies to ensure seamless collaboration between PolyWorks and third-party software solutions. It’s very motivating to develop a solution that delivers such significant value to our customers. We are now profoundly convinced that deploying a digital thread for dimensional inspection is the key for manufacturing organizations to fully unlock the potential of their 3D measurement technologies.
Q: Why are data silos such a persistent issue in manufacturing environments?
A: Silos persist in part because they make work comfortable and predictable for humans. Each team member is responsible for specific tasks and collaborates with close colleagues. Everyone delivers the goods, then moves on. Working with people from other departments and coordinating shared deliverables can be disruptive and complex. Many people are hesitant to step out of their comfort zone.
Technology also plays a role in enabling and reinforcing siloed working. The market is saturated with closed solutions that lack interoperability and force team members to manually export files to disk. Without a digital thread, the exchange of information between software systems is complex. The difficult and tedious nature of the task naturally leads teams to avoid undertaking exchanges unless strictly necessary.
To successfully overcome siloed work habits, collaboration between departments must be much more fluid, and implementing a digital thread is key to achieving this.
Q: How does PolyWorks 2025 enable better collaboration across teams or departments?
A: We surveyed our customers and found that for every dimensional inspection produced by the quality control department, there are typically five to ten colleagues from other departments like design, manufacturing, quality assurance, and production who need to access the 3D measurement information as part of their work. In the past, they received inspection reports in PDF format via email, which included tables and snapshots summarizing the differences between what should have been built—the CAD model—and what had actually been built—the measured piece. The rich dimensional inspection data used to create these reports became inaccessible shortly after, archived on the quality control team’s hard drives.
By unearthing this hidden treasure, PolyWorks 2025 is empowering manufacturing organizations to start seamlessly sharing dimensional inspection data enterprisewide with a digital thread that eliminates manual file exchanges. Additionally, our API and URL technologies allow 3D measurement information to be consumed directly within third-party software applications, including Web browsers, mobile applications, PLM systems, CAD software, and analysis solutions like Excel and Power BI.
Q: What role does centralized data management play in this transformation?
A: It represents a true paradigm shift as dimensional inspection data is no longer trapped on local hard drives. Quality control teams don’t even need to explicitly share their data anymore. Once a dimensional inspection project is uploaded to the data management server, it can be consumed immediately by anyone with the right permissions.
Some of the key benefits delivered by a centralized data management system include:
- An intuitive search engine to retrieve measurement information and filter results quickly
- Anytime-anywhere access through Web and mobile platforms
- Permission management to control who has access to the data and what can be done with it
- Lightweight URLs to share data efficiently without having to exchange heavy files on disks
- Built-in digital communication tools that streamline collaboration between departments, enabling colleagues to share hyperlinks, get notifications, and participate in discussions threads
Centralized data management is the backbone of any digital thread.
Q: Can you share an example of how a customer could benefit from this level of connectivity?
A: For our most advanced customers integrating our digital thread technologies, all dimensional inspection data is managed by PolyWorks, including gauging data and metadata. Any manufacturing engineer can consult the measurement results of any part or assembly in just a few clicks via a Web or mobile interface, whether on-site or remotely. In production, quality statistics are displayed in Power BI dashboards, continuously updated with data from PolyWorks. A designer can access inspection results from any CAD software and consult the Process Capability Index (Cpk) of key features, which helps determine whether specific geometric elements must be reworked for the next version of a product. Managers can view the dimensional quality of the company’s products at any time. Some customers have even started integrating data from their suppliers to approve parts before they are shipped. Digital connectivity for dimensional inspection significantly boosts operational efficiency and accelerates time-to-market for new products.
The Digital Thread and the Smart Factory Vision
As manufacturers shift toward smart factories, seamless data integration is becoming increasingly essential.
Q: How does the digital thread concept align with the goals of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing?
A: The digital thread enables the smarter manufacturing processes and agile responses that Industry 4.0 promotes. It dismantles traditional siloed systems and their multiple sources of truth, connecting digital tools and processes at every stage of the product lifecycle to provide a single source of truth. In the context of dimensional data, this means that information is no longer confined to a single workstation, hard drive, or departmental archive—it flows seamlessly across the enterprise, readily accessible to all teams and functions.
Q: In what ways does dimensional inspection influence broader manufacturing decisions?
A: Dimensional inspection is much more than a go-no-go step at the end of a production line. It provides actionable insights into manufacturing processes. For instance, if a recurring deviation is observed in a certain feature, that insight can prompt a design review, lead to adjustments in machining parameters, or inspire changes in tooling strategies. When dimensional inspection data is analyzed in different contexts and across various batches, lines, or even facilities, it becomes a powerful feedback loop. It influences not just corrective actions but also strategic decisions around process improvement, supplier performance, and future product design.
Q: What does ‘real-time dimensional intelligence’ look like in practice?
A: Imagine a manufacturing engineer getting live dimensional inspection feedback that a particular feature on a fabricated part is trending toward the edge of tolerance—not after 100 parts are produced, but as it’s happening. Or a quality engineer conducting a preliminary root cause analysis to identify where a potential issue is creeping in, thereby enabling other teams to intervene before it leads to costly rework. Imagine feeding measurements in real time to CNC machines, allowing them to auto-correct tool paths or adjust parameters to stay within tolerances. That’s real-time dimensional intelligence.
It’s about moving from hindsight to foresight. The value lies in giving every single stakeholder—from metrologists to manufacturing engineers and design engineers—a shared, immediate understanding of what’s really happening on the shop floor. That kind of clarity changes how teams collaborate. It eliminates surprises, fosters a culture of confidence across teams, and promotes proactive improvement.
Q: How does PolyWorks 2025 facilitate quicker adjustments or corrections on the production line?
A: Measurement results from a single measured piece or statistics computed over multiple pieces are great tools to predict or identify manufacturing issues. However, solving such problems typically requires analyzing a broader range of information, including the complete measurement results of a piece, its raw data, and sometimes the inspection results of dozens or even hundreds of previously measured pieces. Accessing this information used to be difficult, as rich data was often not stored and previously measured pieces were archived. But today, PolyWorks lets you store this information and access it at your convenience to support all your dimensional analysis needs. Even better, PolyWorks bridges the gap between colleagues, ensuring seamless collaboration. Imagine that an expert in another plant must be consulted to determine the cause of a problem. You’ll be able to reach them and get their help in a matter of seconds since you’ll both be connected by a digital thread.
Q: Where do you see the digital thread concept evolving in the next few years?
A: A manufacturing company needs several enterprise solutions to develop its processes. Our biggest challenge is interconnecting our digital thread to as many platforms as possible to ensure dimensional inspection data is efficiently and seamlessly delivered. We already offer ten standard connectors, but the use of 3D measurement is growing rapidly, presenting numerous opportunities that surpass the capacities of a single company. Consequently, we have started collaborating with various software companies, particularly in product and process engineering simulation modeling, quality management, and technical data packages. These partnerships aim to accelerate the digitalization of manufacturing processes by interconnecting our respective platforms.
Part Two of the interview can be read here.
