The 22nd edition of the congress brought together speakers from eight countries at the Euskalduna Palace to explore the role of AI, digital twins and robotics in manufacturing.
The 22nd edition of METROMEET, the International Conference on Industrial Dimensional Metrology, brought together professionals, researchers and experts from eight countries at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao on 1 and 2 October to explore how artificial intelligence, digital twins and robotics are integrating metrology into manufacturing processes.
Organised by Asociación Innovalia and sponsored by Innovalia Metrology, the conference featured a workshop, two tutorials, a keynote, three thematic tracks and a roundtable discussion. The Metromeet Award, presented by Jesús de la Maza, President of Innovalia Group, was awarded to Matthias Karl, Technology Researcher at ZEISS Group, who presented new approaches to making visual inspection of assemblies more flexible and scalable.
From Adaptive Metrology to Sustainable Manufacturing
The first day opened with the workshop “Precision on the Fly: Metrology-Powered Adaptive Ultrashort Laser Micromachining for Green High-Tech Production”, organised as part of the METAMORPHA project. Experts from Fraunhofer ILT, RWTH Aachen University, Universitat Politècnica de València, Datapixel, LASEA and ARDITEC explored topics ranging from laser beam shaping and surface roughness prediction to in-machine metrology and the sustainability assessment of these processes across three industrial use cases.
Following the official opening by Jesús de la Maza, Edward Morse, Director of the Center for Precision Metrology at UNC Charlotte, delivered the tutorial “Motion Capture as a Metrology Tool”.
In the afternoon, the “Digital Engineering & Smart Manufacturing” track brought together Dimitris Kyritsis (Professor Emeritus at EPFL and advisor to the University of Oslo), who addressed information fragmentation in systems engineering; Salomé Provost, who presented a hybrid metrology robot for Industry 5.0; and Ainhoa Etxabarri and Jon Martín, from Innovalia Metrology, who demonstrated how digital twins enable the integration of in-machine metrology into adaptive aerospace manufacturing.
The day concluded with a roundtable discussion featuring Toni Ventura, Thomas Engel and Edward Morse, followed by the conference’s traditional dinner at the Sociedad Bilbaína.
The second day began with the tutorial “Leading the Factory Floor in the Era of Industrial AI”, delivered by Toni Ventura, CEO of Datapixel. This was followed by the “AI, Digitalization & Intelligent Inspection” track, which featured a presentation by Thomas Engel, Research Scientist at Siemens, on the relationship between metrology, digitalization and artificial intelligence.
Irati Sanchez Duo from IDEKO, Edurne Jaime Barquero from Lortek and Erlantz Sola Llanos from Ikerlan presented HANDIA, a project developing AI-based non-destructive testing technologies with a human-centred approach.
The session concluded with Pablo Puerto from IDEKO and Eneko Gomez-Acedo from TEKNIKER, who explored the application of digital metrological twins to new measurement technologies in advanced manufacturing.
From Engineering to Real-World Applications
Matteo Roasio from GEATOP addressed metrology applications for the positioning of large-scale components, while Anderson Oliveira da Silva from Grupo Boticário explored the application of stochastic analysis to design for the manufacturing of polymer components, connecting metrology, materials and sustainability.
Following Matthias Karl’s presentation, the conference concluded with the presentation of the Metromeet Award and the closing of the 22nd edition.
Metrology Becoming Increasingly Integrated into Industry
Over the two days, METROMEET 2026 demonstrated how metrology is evolving from a function focused on quality control into an integral part of the manufacturing process itself. The combination of artificial intelligence, digital twins, robotics and in-machine measurement makes it possible to anticipate problems, adapt processes in real time, and improve production efficiency and sustainability.
About Metromeet
Metromeet is the international forum for industrial dimensional metrology, organised by Asociación Innovalia and sponsored by Innovalia Metrology. Each year, it brings together experts, companies and organisations in Bilbao to advance measurement and inspection technologies. Since its inception, Metromeet has promoted knowledge transfer, public-private collaboration and the application of digital technologies to drive more precise, sustainable and connected manufacturing.
