Dr. Nate Blackman, CTO and Dr. Ben Blandford, CEO

The LSNDE Orion system has already delivered measurable gains, cutting inspection times in half on large space launch structures and dramatically reducing a rotorcraft blade inspection process from four days to four hours.

“We eliminate wasted time by removing CAD requirements and cumbersome scan path-planning dependencies. Many customers don’t have part drawings nor the time to teach a complicated robotic system a specific geometry and with our system path planning takes minutes instead of days to weeks,” says Dr. Ben Blandford, CEO.

Operational Flexibility in Aerospace Workflows

For many MRO facilities and non-OEM aerospace operators, CAD files and engineering drawings for legacy components are unavailable. Traditional automated inspection systems still rely heavily on CAD uploads, extensive programming and engineering setup before inspections can begin, limiting automation adoption.

LSNDE removes that requirement entirely. Its programming-free workflow allows operators to capture part geometry directly and generate inspection paths without lengthy programming cycles, enabling faster deployment for aerospace manufacturers and repair facilities working with legacy or mixed-component fleets.

The platform combines geometry capture, path planning, robotic execution and digital inspection records within a single software-driven workflow rather than functioning as simply a robotic inspection system.

It is also designed to minimize operational disruption. Smaller robot configurations can sit on a lab table in an R&D environment, while larger mobile systems can be rolled directly to the structure to be inspected and then stored away when not in use.

Inspection Made Intuitive

LSNDE developed the platform alongside ASNT lvl II and III inspectors to make the system intuitive for new operators and reduce dependency on specialized expertise. Instead of requiring different workflows for different inspection methods, the platform standardizes the process across modalities including bond testing, single-element ultrasonic and eddy current inspection, with phased array ultrasonic and eddy current array capabilities currently under development.

Operators can quickly swap sensors while continuing to work within the same software environment, reducing retraining time across inspection tasks. That consistency is valuable for aerospace and defense organizations dealing with workforce turnover, shrinking inspection teams and accelerated onboarding cycles.

Quality teams gain digitally archived inspection records, engineering groups can use visualization data to support design and process decisions and operations teams benefit from shorter inspection cycles and reduced production bottlenecks.

LSNDE’s collaborative robot inspection system scans at speeds up to 40 inches per second while producing results within a true 3D coordinate system. Collaborative robots, digital acquisition hardware and proprietary software algorithms work together to capture part geometry, generate motion paths and manage inspection data within the same integrated workflow.

Central to this capability is the company’s software architecture, which unifies geometry capture, path planning, data encoding and visualization within one environment. By integrating these functions into a software-driven platform, the company enables faster deployment, greater inspection scalability and consistent spatial accuracy across complex aerospace geometries.

The platform is designed to support cradle-to-grave inspection workflows across R&D, production and in-service maintenance environments. Different robot configurations can be adapted for applications ranging from laboratory inspection tasks to large rotorcraft blade inspections requiring rail-mounted systems.

Sharper Scans Smarter Decisions

Modern aerospace structures are relying on lightweight composite materials and sandwich-core designs using materials such as Nomex honeycomb and ROHACELL foam. While those structures improve performance, they also introduce inspection challenges because defects can be difficult to detect within low-density core materials.

For bond-testing, LSNDE addresses those challenges through sensitive probe selection combined with full 3D encoded C-scan visualization. Rather than relying solely on traditional impedance-plane readings or “flying dot” interpretations, inspectors can visualize anomalies directly within a mapped inspection image.

That capability becomes particularly valuable when inspecting complex geometries containing ridges, valleys and abrupt structural transitions. Users can define multiple inspection regions within the same setup, scan them independently and stitch the results together during analysis.

More consistent visualization and digitally archived inspection records improve decision-making across quality assurance, engineering review and manufacturing process validation.

LSNDE’s bond testing approach also demonstrates why automation improves not only data quality and engineering decisions, but also inspection repeatability. In manual inspection environments, probe angle, pressure and alignment can vary significantly between operators, affecting coupling quality and inspection consistency. The company’s robotic system maintains repeatable positioning and pressure throughout the scan, allowing operators to generate more stable inspection data while reducing the risk of defects being overlooked.

C-Scan Confidence

As aerospace manufacturers expand digital twin initiatives across production and maintenance operations, inspection traceability and long-term data accessibility are becoming increasingly critical. LSNDE’s inspection platform supports this shift by generating full digital C-scan records that can be integrated into broader manufacturing, quality assurance and lifecycle documentation workflows.

These archived inspection records provide manufacturers with traceable evidence for compliance verification, engineering analysis and warranty support. In cases where downstream customers raise structural concerns or warranty claims, the stored inspection data allows manufacturers to verify the condition of a component at the time of inspection.

The company has also benchmarked its cobot inspection platform against traditional tap testing methods commonly used for bonded structures. According to LSNDE, the robotic system generally completes tap equivalent bond inspections twice as fast while digitally capturing and storing 100 percent of inspection data.

“We are focused on simplifying aerospace inspection through automation, digital traceability and intelligent workflow integration that improves efficiency, repeatability and accessibility across complex operational environments,” says Dr. Blandford.

Breaking Barriers in Aerospace

LSNDE continues to expand the platform’s software and automation capabilities for applications outside conventional NDT. While aerospace inspection remains the company’s primary market focus, the underlying geometry capture, path planning and robotic task execution architecture can also support broader manufacturing and R&D workflows requiring automated interaction with complex surfaces and structures.

The company is also developing additional software focused on improvements in data analysis, workflow automation and inspection efficiency for aerospace operators of their system.

Together, the highlighted capabilities make automated inspection more practical to deploy across complex aerospace environments. By reducing CAD/programming dependency, shortening deployment cycles, lowering training barriers and improving repeatability, LSNDE is offering aerospace operators the opportunity to implement automation with less complexity and greater consistency. This approach has earned LoneStar NDE Innovations recognition as the Top Aerospace Non-destructive Testing and Inspection System 2026.