Geometric inspection planning as a key element in industry 4.0

In the context of Industry 4.0, inspection is fundamental: if manufacturing opens the loop by converting digital parts into physical parts, inspection closes the loop by turning physical parts into information. The difference between an effective and a useless inspection is its planning. A well-planned inspection will provide the required data and information without wasting time and money. In this work, we discuss the current role of geometric inspection planning, showing that not only it is a must for Industry 4.0, in order to guarantee a good link between the physical and digital world, but it can take advantage of this framework to improve itself. Methodologies for optimal inspection planning have been already conceptually proved and are just waiting for the required amount of data and information to be available, and Industry 4.0 will be the enabler to fill this gap.