What Hammer-IMS does

Hammer-IMS nv is a Belgian high-technology vendor of inline, non-contact quality-control systems for continuous-manufacturing industries. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Herk-de-Stad (Hasselt) with a US regional office in Spartanburg, SC and Japan-based channel partners, the company designs and builds measurement and inspection hardware centered on its proprietary M-Ray electromagnetic millimeter-wave platform, complemented by ultrasonic (U-Ray), laser (L-Ray), and capacitive (C-Ray) technologies and the AI-powered Edge-Vision 4.0 camera-inspection system. Products are deployed under the Marveloc-CURTAIN family (CURTAIN-O/-C/-CS variants), the portable Marveloc-CHARIOT, lab/bench-top devices, and Connectivity 3.0 / Insights-Panel software, and are engineered to replace legacy radioactive-source gauging systems used for basis-weight, thickness, moisture, and surface-defect control.

The commercial model is quote-based, project-driven enterprise sales, with milestone payment terms (30% on order, 30% after FAT, 30% on delivery, 10% after SAT or +3 months), complemented by professional services for installation, commissioning, and training, and by machine-locked software licenses. GTM combines direct enterprise field sales (with regional sales/support teams in the US and internationally) and channel partners such as ADSTEC and Takayama Reed in Japan plus Le Clair & Meert in Belgium, supported by a multi-language marketing presence and major trade-show participation (TechTextil, INDEX, The Battery Show Europe, ITMA, Highly-functional Material Week Tokyo). The solution footprint spans 21 verticals including nonwovens, textiles, plastics, battery films, insulation, automotive acoustics, composites, artificial grass, fuel cells, and medical laminates, with named reference customers such as Owens Corning, Westlake Plastics, Heimbach, Orfit Industries, Autoneum, DiloGroup, and Groz-Beckert.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed; capital structure is private, with a single disclosed funding round in 2016 from Limburgse Reconversie Maatschappij (LRM). Co-founders Noel Deferm (General Manager) and Tom Redant (Technical Manager) lead the firm. The defining differentiator is the patented non-nuclear M-Ray architecture, which customers cite as the procurement rationale versus legacy radioactive and laser-based gauges because it eliminates regulatory, health, and safety overhead while delivering real-time, full-width coverage on diverse sheet materials.

Name

Hammer-IMS

Legal name

HAMMER-IMS nv

Website

https://hammer-ims.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hammer-IMS is a Belgian industrial-sensing vendor that builds non-nuclear, AI-assisted inline measurement and surface-inspection systems (M-Ray, U-Ray, L-Ray, C-Ray, Edge-Vision 4.0) for continuous-manufacturing customers across nonwovens, textiles, plastics, battery films, automotive, and building-materials verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Inline Quality Control Measurement Systems

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology & Dimensional Measurement (CMMs, laser trackers, gauges, surface/roughness) (IMAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems (IMAHAHAE), Inspection, Checkweighing & Detection Systems (Vision, Metal, X-ray) (IMALAOAH), Industrial Vision & Quality Inspection (HDAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Industrial measurement systems
• Inline quality control
• Non-nuclear gauging
• Surface inspection technology
• Thickness measurement sensors

Headquarters

HQ city

Hasselt

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hardware Systems Sales: Sale of industrial measurement and inspection systems including Marveloc-CURTAIN, Marveloc-CHARIOT, Edge-Vision 4.0, and lab measuring devices. Systems are tailored to customer-specific manufacturing requirements.
2. Software Licensing: Associated proprietary software licenses (Connectivity 3.0, Insights-Panel) included with equipment. Software is licensed on a machine-locked basis per the terms and conditions.
3. Professional Services: Installation, commissioning, training, and technical support services. Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and Site Acceptance Test (SAT) services included in project delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hammer-IMS designs, manufactures, and sells non-nuclear inline measurement and inspection systems for industrial manufacturers. Its Marveloc platform (using proprietary M-Ray electromagnetic millimeter-wave technology) measures basis weight, thickness, and moisture without radioactive sources, while the Edge-Vision 4.0 camera system performs AI-driven surface defect detection, supported by Connectivity 3.0 control software and Lab Solutions for offline quality testing.

Product overview

Hammer-IMS offers a comprehensive portfolio of sustainable, non-nuclear inline quality control solutions for thickness, basis weight, and surface inspection. The product lineup centers on two main hardware platforms: the Marveloc-CURTAIN family (including Marveloc-CURTAIN-O, Marveloc-CURTAIN-C, and Marveloc-CURTAIN-CS) for measurement applications, and the Edge-Vision-4.0-CURTAIN for camera-based surface inspection. The Marveloc-CHARIOT provides portable U-Ray ultrasonic measurement capability. Supporting these are four core measurement technologies (M-Ray for basis weight/thickness/moisture, U-Ray ultrasonic, L-Ray laser, and C-Ray capacitive) and Edge-Vision camera technology (including 2D, infrared, thermal/FLIR, and 3D laser profiling). The portfolio is completed by software platforms (Connectivity 3.0 for control, Insights-Panel for compliance), add-on modules (HMI hardware, Ex/ATEX systems, multi-head measurement, die automation), and Lab Solutions for offline quality testing. The company also serves 21 industry verticals ranging from nonwovens and textiles to battery films, insulation boards, and automotive components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marveloc-CURTAIN-O Inline quality control system using M-Ray electromagnetic millimeter-wave technology to measure basis weight, thickness, and moisture non-nuclearly and without contact on continuous production lines; used by manufacturers such as Owens Corning for production improvement.
• Marveloc-CURTAIN-C Measurement system variant within the Marveloc-CURTAIN family, configured for specific production line layouts and measurement requirements in continuous and batch processing.
• Marveloc-CURTAIN-CS Configured Marveloc-CURTAIN variant designed for certain industrial measurement and inspection applications within the Hammer-IMS inline quality control product family.
• Edge-Vision-4.0-CURTAIN High-resolution inline camera inspection system housed in a rugged steel CURTAIN frame, using AI for intelligent defect classification to detect surface anomalies such as scratches and holes on industrial production lines for both continuous and batch processing.
• Marveloc-CHARIOT Portable measurement system platform using U-Ray ultrasonic sensor technology for flexible inline thickness measurements on non-woven and other production lines, designed for mobile deployment across different production environments.
• Lab Measuring Devices Offline laboratory measurement systems using non-nuclear M-Ray technology with single fixed measurement heads and optional feeders and scanners, used by R&D and production teams for process optimization, new material development, and endurance/wear investigations.
• Connectivity 3.0 Software Control and data integration software for all Hammer-IMS measurement and inspection systems, licensed on a per-machine (machine-locked) basis and enabling system management, data connectivity, and integration with factory environments.
• Insights-Panel Compliance and traceability software for documenting and reporting manufacturing quality data captured by Hammer-IMS measurement and inspection systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enables faster process response to maintain material thickness steady and avoid wasting high-grade thermoplastic material
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments15 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• DiloGroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026DiloGroup in Eberbach, Germany is a world-leading non-woven production line manufacturer. Hammer-IMS successfully tested its ultrasonic sensor mounted on the Marveloc-CHARIOT platform on DiloGroup's non-woven production lines. This collaboration represents an enduring partnership set to revolutionize non-woven production line efficiency and quality control, showcased at ITMA 2023.
• ADSTECcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2025ADSTEC in Funabashi, Japan serves as Hammer-IMS's strategic partner for the Japanese battery industry. ADSTEC has purchased a Hammer-IMS system for introduction to the Japanese market, with teams trained on system operation, sales, and sample testing. The partnership aims to expand Hammer-IMS presence in Japan's dynamic battery sector, projected to grow to 230 GWh by 2033.
• Takayama Reed Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTakayama Reed Co., Ltd. is Hammer-IMS's Japanese distributor for the textile industry. The partnership was highlighted at the Highly-functional Material Week in Tokyo where both companies shared a booth. Takayama Reed provides localized support and expert service in the Japanese textile and non-woven market, combining deep industry knowledge with Hammer-IMS technology.
• Le Clair & MeertcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLe Clair & Meert in Belgium represents Hammer-IMS for sales in the Belgian market. Founded in 1996, the company has over 30 years of experience in the textile industry, representing world-renowned machine companies and providing excellent service and after-sales support.
• RWTH Aachen UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRWTH Aachen University utilizes Hammer-IMS technology for optimization of paper web uniformity research and development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SICK AG: SICK provides industrial sensors and machine vision for quality control and web inspection across manufacturing, directly overlapping Hammer-IMS's Edge-Vision and sensor-based measurement portfolio.
• Micro-Epsilon: Micro-Epsilon manufactures high-precision displacement, thickness, and dimensional measurement sensors (laser, capacitive, eddy-current), competing directly with Hammer-IMS's L-Ray, C-Ray, and thickness-measurement offerings.
• Cognex Corporation: Cognex is a global machine vision specialist whose surface-inspection and AI-defect-classification products compete directly with Hammer-IMS's Edge-Vision 4.0 inline camera systems in industrial production environments.
• Fife / Maxcess: Fife (part of Maxcess) supplies web-guiding, measurement, and inspection solutions for converting, nonwoven, and film production — directly comparable to Hammer-IMS's inline QC systems.
• NDC Technologies (Nordson): NDC is the established global leader in online basis-weight, thickness, and moisture gauging for nonwovens, plastics, and battery film — directly competing with Hammer-IMS's M-Ray and U-Ray systems in the same end-markets and applications.
• Erhardt+Leimer: Erhardt+Leimer provides web-guiding, web-inspection, and surface-defect detection systems for textile, nonwoven, and converting lines — a direct peer in the same end-markets and customer profiles as Hammer-IMS.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher's process measurement and laboratory analytical instrument divisions (including heritage Thermo Scientific measurement brands) compete with Hammer-IMS's lab solutions and process QC portfolio in regulated industrial settings.
• ISRA VISION (Atlas Copco): ISRA VISION (acquired by Atlas Copco) is a broad incumbent in industrial machine vision and surface inspection across automotive, glass, films, and metals — overlapping with Hammer-IMS's Edge-Vision 4.0 and inline quality-control applications.
• Pepperl+Fuchs: Pepperl+Fuchs is a broad industrial sensor and factory automation vendor with measurement and vision offerings that compete with Hammer-IMS in inline quality control and process automation.
• Keyence Corporation: Keyence is a broad incumbent in industrial sensors, laser measurement, and vision systems, competing across Hammer-IMS's thickness (L-Ray equivalent) and surface-inspection product lines with significant scale advantages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hammer_ims
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hammer-ims

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hammer-IMS