Hard probing or digitising, as it is also commonly known, is a method of collecting discrete measurements in 3D-space using a device known as a portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is available from 3D Spatial .
The information collected in the CMM can then be used for evaluation, inspection or basic geometric reverse engineering. Hard probing inspection is especially relevant for processes such as fixture calibrations and precision alignments which often require micron levels of accuracy.