NCTransform® Capability

CNC On-Machine Inspection

Probe. Report. Release.

NCTransform® inspection sits in a powerful middle ground. More capable than simple machine macros, faster and more accessible than a CMM. Your team can measure key features on the machine, catch issues before parts back up at the CMM, feed corrections back into the process, and generate a traceable report. All before the part leaves the fixture.

<1 hr

Time for a CAM programmer to have their first inspection program up and running

Any feature

Every standard geometry type: circles, planes, lines, cylinders, spheres, cones, slots, and more

No DMIS

Program in any CAM interface your team already uses, no proprietary code

3 outputs

PDF, CSV, and XML. Ready for your quality system, traveler, or customer report

Inspection is tied directly to the Global Orient datum scheme.

All measurements are made relative to the same datum structure used for machining, so results reflect the true part condition in the coordinate system that matters. No datum re-establishment, no re-fixturing, no coordinate system mismatch between machining and inspection.

Where NCT inspection fits

More than macros. Faster than waiting for the CMM.

Simple machine macros can tell you a feature is roughly in the right place. A CMM gives you the full picture, but the part has to leave the machine first, join the queue, and wait. NCT inspection sits in a powerful middle ground: comprehensive enough to measure key features with real accuracy and produce a traceable report, accessible enough that your CAM programmer can set it up in under an hour.

Machine macros

Simple go/no-go

Basic in-cycle checks. Limited feature types, no reporting, no derived measurements.

NCTransform® inspection

Key features, fast feedback

Measure what matters most. Catch problems early. Feed corrections back into the process. Generate a traceable report, before the part leaves the fixture.

CMM

Full final inspection

The gold standard for final sign-off, complex GD&T, and high-precision metrology. NCT is designed to work alongside it, not replace it.

Without NCT

Machine → Remove → Queue → Discover problem

Parts pile up waiting for CMM time. A failure found days later means re-fixturing, re-indicating, and re-inspecting, compounding cost at every step.

With NCT

Machine → Inspect key features → Report → Release

Your team checks what matters most while the part is still fixtured. Problems are caught and corrected immediately. In the same setup, in the same datum system.

Feature corrections

Measured results feed back into the next part

NCT can use measured deviations to automatically apply offsets to the next part’s program, improving first-run quality over time without manual intervention.

CMM works better too

Parts arrive pre-screened, no surprises

When key features are checked on-machine first, your CMM queue handles only parts that are already likely to pass, reducing CMM backlog and improving throughput.

What the report shows

Every measured feature. Every tolerance. Pass or fail, instantly.

Each NCT inspection report lists every measured feature with its nominal value, measured value, max and min tolerance, deviation, and out-of-tolerance (OOT) amount, automatically generated the moment the inspection cycle completes. Red flags highlight failures. Green flags confirm pass.

Your team builds and refines the report layout through an intuitive UI, no coding, no templates to wrestle with. Section labels, feature names, column order, and output format are all configurable to match your print callouts, traveler requirements, or customer reporting format.

Measurable feature types

If it has geometry, your team can measure it.

Circles & holes

Diameter, radius, center location, and true position. Blind holes, through holes, bores, and counterbores.

Planes & surfaces

Plane offset, plane angle, flatness, and flatness per unit. Datum references and surface quality verification.

Cylinders

Diameter, axis position in XYZ, cylindricity, and straightness. Internal and external cylinders.

Spheres

Radius, true position, and center XYZ. Ball-end features, radial surfaces, and spherical seats.

Cones

Half-angle, apex position, and axis direction. Tapered bores, countersinks, and conical locating features.

Lines & edges

Line angle, line length, and linearity. Chamfer angles, edge positions, and linear derived measurements.

Slots & pockets

Width, depth, center position, and angularity. Open slots, closed pockets, and T-slots.

Points & more

Discrete point measurement, surface profiles, and any geometry your probe path can capture.

Derived measurements

Built from features, calculated automatically.

Once features are measured, NCT derives higher-order measurements automatically. Your team gets these without any manual calculation or formula entry.

True position
Diametral deviation from nominal datum, with OOT flag. Calculated automatically from the measured feature center.

Profile
Point-by-point surface deviation from nominal: individual profile points and overall profile value, all reported with tolerances.

Distances & angles
Distance or angle between any two measured features: datum to hole, surface to surface, axis to axis.

Flatness & straightness
Form error calculated from the measured point set, useful for datum qualification and surface acceptance.

Feature corrections

Measured results feed back into the next part automatically.

When NCT measures a feature and finds a deviation, it can automatically apply that offset to the next part’s program, correcting the process before the next cycle runs. Your team doesn’t intervene. The process self-improves. Over time, first-run quality gets better as the measured data shapes each subsequent cut.

How it works

No DMIS. No special training. Under an hour to your first report.

NCT inspection is designed for CAM programmers, not metrology specialists. If your team can program a probe path in CAM, they can build an NCT inspection program. The report builder UI makes it straightforward to configure what gets measured, how it’s reported, and where the output goes.

01

Program the probe path in your CAM software

Your team uses any CAM interface they already know. NCT reads the probe path from the program. No proprietary programming environment, no DMIS code, no separate measurement software to learn.

The same environment used to program machining operations is used for inspection, no context switching, no additional tools, no new workflows to establish.

02

NCT reads the points and fits features automatically

NCT pulls the probed point data and fits the appropriate geometric feature automatically, based on the probe path your team programmed. No manual feature definition required at runtime.

All measurements are made in the Global Orient datum coordinate system. The same one used for machining. No datum re-establishment, no coordinate mismatch, no discrepancy between what was cut and what was measured.

03

Configure tolerances and report layout in the UI

Your team sets nominal values, tolerances, and feature names, then configures the report layout using NCT’s intuitive report builder. Section groupings, column order, and output format are all point-and-click. No coding required.

Report formats can be saved and reused per part type. Once configured, the same report runs for every part. Your team configures once and the system handles the rest.

04

Run inspection, while the part is still fixtured

The inspection cycle runs immediately after machining. Part still in the same fixture, same datum system, no removal. The probe measures every defined feature in sequence, automatically. No operator input needed.

Inspection can run embedded at the end of the machining program, so every part is automatically checked before the program completes, without a separate step.

05

Report generated instantly: PDF, CSV, or XML

The report is generated the moment the cycle completes. Pass results in green, failures in red. Ready to act on immediately. Output as PDF for the traveler, CSV or XML for your quality system. No manual data entry, no transcription errors.

All results logged against the part serial number: machine, date, time, and measurements, providing full traceability without any paperwork from your team.

How NCT inspection fits your quality workflow

Not a CMM replacement. A powerful complement to it.

On-machine inspection is most valuable when used to assist your CMM, not replace it. Measuring where you cut can mask certain types of errors that a CMM would catch. NCT is designed to give your team fast, meaningful feedback on key features during the process, so that by the time parts reach the CMM, you’ve already caught most of the surprises.

See it in action

On-machine inspection: live demo

Watch NCTransform® probe a part, generate pass/fail results for every feature, and produce a full inspection report, without the part leaving the CNC machine.

Business impact

What your team gains from on-machine inspection.

Stop scrap from backing up at the CMM

Your team checks key features on the machine before the part joins the CMM queue. Parts that would fail get caught and corrected immediately. In the same setup, before they become a problem downstream.

Feed corrections back into the process

Feature corrections use measured deviations to automatically apply offsets to the next part's program. Your process self-improves over time: first-run quality gets better as the measured data shapes each subsequent cut.

Any CAM programmer can run it

No metrology background required. No DMIS. Your CAM programmer uses the same interface they already know and NCT's report builder makes configuration straightforward. First program running in under an hour.

Traceable records, automatically

Every inspection generates a dated, machine-stamped record with full pass/fail detail, logged against the part serial number. PDF for the traveler, CSV or XML for your quality system. No manual data entry, no missing paperwork.

Same datum as machining

Inspection runs in the same Global Orient coordinate system used for cutting. Results reflect the true machined condition, no datum re-establishment, no mismatch between what was cut and what was measured.

Your CMM works better too

When key features are checked on-machine first, parts arriving at your CMM have already been screened. Your CMM queue moves faster, handles fewer surprises, and can focus on final sign-off rather than discovering basic failures.

"

"NCT modernized particularly difficult machining processes for me. This software made very complicated manual processes extremely simple and automated. We are constantly thinking of new ways to utilize NCT."

F. Jensen

Manufacturing Engineer

Modernized

Difficult processes transformed with adaptive machining

Simple

Complicated manual processes made automated and easy

Expanding

Constantly finding new applications to put NCT to work

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