Measuring instruments
Independent tube & pipe measurement: in-house digital metrology replaces outsourcing
Measuring the internal diameter of large tubes and pipes presents a challenge for many companies. Particularly in safety-critical applications such as pipeline, energy, or plant construction, manufacturers must reliably demonstrate compliance with specified dimensional and shape tolerances. At the same time, testing effort must be kept to the necessary minimum. Oversized measurement processes generate additional costs without adding corresponding value to product quality.
Conventional measurement methods often reach their limits here: manual or single-point measurements are time-consuming and can vary due to operator influence. Determining ovality in particular requires multiple measurements, which increases testing effort and makes an objective assessment of pipe geometry more difficult. If a company doesn't have suitable measurement technology of its own, the measurement has to be outsourced to an external service provider. This creates additional organizational effort, longer response times, and recurring costs — meaning quality decisions, process adjustments, or approvals can often only happen with a delay.
For modern manufacturing companies, this creates a clear requirement: measurement technology must integrate directly into the production process and enable fast, reproducible, and cost-effective data acquisition.
TWINEX ScanIn as a practical solution
With TWINEX ScanIn, MSG Solutions offers a solution developed specifically for the internal measurement of large tubes and pipes.
The system is designed as a battery-powered embedded solution and enables complete digital profiling of the internal cross-section. Unlike single-point measurements, the entire internal profile is captured digitally in a single measurement pass. This produces an objective dataset of the full internal profile. Repeat measurements become unnecessary, since all relevant information is gathered in a single measurement. During this measurement, positioning and angular errors are monitored and corrected by the software.
Measurement accuracy despite positioning errors (left) and angular errors (right)
Precise positioning with the measurement system cart
TWINEX ScanIn is complemented by the automated measurement system cart. It enables millimeter-precise positioning of the measurement system and supports precise three-dimensional shaft measurement to a depth of 0.5 m from the pipe end.
The combination of the measurement system cart and TWINEX ScanIn makes it easier to carry out reproducible measurements directly on the workpiece. At the same time, the measurement is efficiently integrated into the production workflow, without the need for elaborate stationary measurement setups.
Digital measurement data and integrated data management
The measurement software supports the entire inspection process and is designed for standards-compliant measurements. Inspection plans and measurement results are managed through an integrated data management system. Via a direct Wi-Fi connection, measurement data can be transferred to additional clients for detailed analysis.
Digital capture of the internal profile enables transparent documentation of measurement results, reduces organizational effort, and leads to more efficient inspection workflows.
The high-resolution three-dimensional capture of the pipe's outer shell surface via shaft scan enables precise assessment of ovality and other geometric shape deviations:
Measuring independently instead of commissioning external service providers
A key advantage of TWINEX ScanIn is that companies can carry out their internal measurements themselves at any time.
Instead of outsourcing measurement work to external service providers and waiting for available capacity or results, companies can deploy the measurement system directly in-house. Quality checks can be carried out exactly when needed in the production process, for example after a manufacturing step, as part of quality assurance, or before delivery.
This significantly shortens decision-making pathways. Measurement results are available immediately and can feed directly into further production. Necessary corrective actions can be implemented faster, without additional coordination with external partners. At the same time, the recurring costs of external measurements are eliminated. Internal measurement thus becomes a fixed part of a company's own quality assurance, creating long-term economic and organizational benefits.
Greater independence with in-house metrology
With TWINEX ScanIn and the automated measurement system cart, MSG Solutions provides a solution for the digital internal measurement of large tubes and pipes. The combination enables reproducible capture of the internal profile, supports standards-compliant measurements, and makes all measurement data immediately available digitally. The decisive added value lies in carrying out the measurements independently. Companies can perform inspections without relying on external service providers, evaluate measurement data without delay, and feed quality decisions directly into the production process. This speeds up inspection processes, reduces organizational effort, and avoids recurring costs for external measurements.
What was once a time-consuming measurement task thus becomes an efficient, reproducible, and cost-effective process that integrates seamlessly into quality assurance.
