Hexagon’s Sixth Sense Revolutionising Manufacturing Sustainability and Digital Reality

Here at Status Metrology Solutions, we’re proud to have been partnered with our friends at Hexagon since the late 90’s. While we maintain our independence, we hold the exclusive status of being Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence’s ‘UK Technical Service Partner’ since 1999. This strategic alliance with Hexagon enables us to deliver substantial cost savings to our customers by offering refurbished and retrofitted CMMs equipped with the latest Hexagon controllers and PC-DMIS software.

As part of Hexagon’s continual improvement and contributions to the metrology industry, they’ve just announced the fresh faces of Hexagon’s 3^rd Sixth Sense cohort.

These are the nine start-ups that have truly stood out from the crowd, and they’re here to tackle the most critical manufacturing challenges with a big focus on sustainability and the digital world.

From seven different corners of the world, these start-ups are bringing their unique flavours to the manufacturing table. They’re all about making products greener, cutting down on waste, grabbing real-time data, making design a breeze, and even bringing those cool cobots (collaborative robots) to the production party. As part of the Sixth Sense program, they’re about to dive into Hexagon’s treasure trove of market insights, gained through years of collaborative working with tech giants, to supercharge their journey to success.

Hexagon kicked off the Sixth Sense program in January 2022, with an aim to nurture start-ups in the manufacturing scene and giving them a boost with Hexagon’s vast resources.

Let’s meet the team:

1. Acerta Analytics, Canada: Acerta are all about turning complex product data into smart decisions using machine learning and AI. They’re helping automakers and parts suppliers make things better and spot problems early.
2. Circularise, Netherlands: Circularise is the go-to for digital product passports, making sure you know everything about a product’s journey through the industrial world. They’re all about transparency and making things more eco-friendly.
3. Dessia, France: Dessia’s got a cool virtual “bot” squad that helps engineers design mechanical systems. It’s like having your own team of digital designers.
4. Flexxbotics, US: Flexxbotics are the masters of making super flexible high-tech manufacturing setups. They’ve got this amazing system called FlexxCORE that brings robots and tech together like bacon and eggs, assisting with seamless, autonomous process control.
5. Launchpad, US: Launchpad’s got AI and simulations working together to make designing, getting parts, and manufacturing way easier. They’re all about making stuff faster and more eco-friendly, by automating processes to create shorter supply chains, reducing waste, and delivering new tech to the industry.
6. Rafinex, Luxembourg: Rafinex’s AI tech creates robust, safe, and lightweight designs, even in tough conditions. It’s a game-changer for the aerospace, automotive, and tooling industries!
7. RV Magnetics, Slovakia: These guys have made the world’s smallest passive sensor using MicroWire technology. It’s like a superhero sensor with powers in electromechanics, electronics, applied magnetism and more.
8. ToffeeAM, UK: ToffeeAM’s got the ultimate state-of-the-art design software for engineers. They’re all about making engineers’ lives easier and designs way cooler and more efficient.
9. Zaptic, UK: Zaptic equips frontline teams with job guidance and collaboration tools, plus a user-friendly toolkit to speed up the digital transformation of daily operations. These solutions make processes smoother and enhance communication among frontline workers.

These start-ups are about to go on a 16-week adventure with the Sixth Sense program. They’ll be hanging out with Hexagon, polishing up their ideas, and who knows, maybe even winning some cool prizes like access to Hexagon’s resources for global expansion, including funding, offices all over the world, and Hexagon’s amazing suite of products and services. Plus, they’ll get to shine on Hexagon’s open digital reality platform for manufacturing, Nexus, where they’ll meet some of the biggest names in the business.

We can’t wait to see what comes next, after all, “Because CMMs have been around for a while, and not every CMM provider offers cutting-edge technology. There’s a risk the industry can look a little outmoded at times. Which is why we partner with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. Their goal is to drive innovation in every area of their business. They’re not complacent, they’re hugely committed to this. Collectively, we’re always looking for ways to improve accuracy, speed up the process, and lower the costs for our clients. A great example of this commitment is the Sixth Sense program. This level of support helps drive crucial innovation that creates the tools and products for tomorrow. Which is also why more than 20 years later, we’re still proud to be the exclusive UK partner of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence.” – Dean Tillett, Managing Director