Julian Cawthon: Mastering the Art of Metrology

While weighing his options for life after high school, Julian Cawthon never dreamed he would build a successful career in a field that was a mystery to him at the time: Metrology.

“Metrology is a world not a lot of people know about. I didn’t know about it until I was in it,” says Julian. “When you measure something at home, you use a tape measure. In our labs, we can measure complex shapes that you could never measure with a tape measure — with about 100 times the accuracy.”

Today, as Senior Metrologist at IIA’s testing lab in Irving, Texas, Julian is an expert in using coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) to measure objects ranging from the tip of a needle to the wing of a plane.

Julian first stepped into the world of manufacturing and metrology after completing a machining program at a trade school program in his home state of Texas. He began his career at a large aerospace manufacturer, where he quickly moved from machining into the company’s quality department. There, he found his niche in quality inspection (also known as metrology.)

“Metrology in manufacturing is the study of how to reliably measure and manufacture a product,” explains Julian. “We program coordinate measuring machines to give us accurate measurements of the geometric dimensions of manufactured parts to ensure the part meets design specifications.”

When Julian joined IIA in 2022, he brought years of experience in the aerospace industry — including a stint working at a rocket company — along with experience in the medical device, defense, and oil and gas industries.

Always eager to learn, Julian appreciates the culture of continuous improvement and variety of work he found at IIA. The daily challenges of metrology appeal to Julian’s problem-solving personality.

“Depending on the part you’re measuring, metrology can be complex. And the diversity of the work always brings us new challenges. I like figuring out solutions for different types of parts from different customers,” says Julian, who finds the aerospace industry particularly interesting.

“Aerospace is one of the most regulated industries, and it’s a very cool industry,” he says. “Our aerospace customers bring some of the most interesting parts and projects that come our way – from intricate rocket parts to stealth combat aircraft components.”

Over the years, Julian has earned multiple certifications in machining and manufacturing, programming, and quality inspection. In 2023, his interest in aerospace led to a new certification from Probitas Authentication as an AS9100 Rev D & ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor.

“With this certification, aerospace companies can hire me to audit their processes to make sure they’re doing everything the way it ought to be done and to help them prepare for an official audit,” says Julian, who plans to pursue additional certification that will qualify him to complete third-party AS9100 audits for Probitas and other certified bodies.

When he’s not mastering the art of metrology, Julian enjoys football and family time, including time spent with his young son and his church family.

Though he works in a field that remains a mystery to many, Julian takes comfort knowing that metrologists are working behind the scenes to ensure the safety and quality of manufactured parts and processes.

“The engines in our cars have all been measured in CMM, and every part in an airplane has probably been inspected in some form or fashion. We have a big ethical responsibility working in quality control, and it’s something we take very seriously at IIA,” says Julian.

“As an inspection company, our accuracy and integrity are the best safeguards we have.”