Did You Know?

Peking Ape Man Ruins is one of the most world famous palaeohuman ruins which is located on Longgu Mountain of Zhoukoudian in China. This cave was first excavated in 1921 and has since been the focus of being the historic site of the Ape Cave Man. It also contains the richest materials among the contemporary palaeohuman ruins. In 1961, the Ruins was approved by State Council as one of the first lot of sites under major historical and cultural site protection. With such restrictions scientists have limited access to the cave.

So how do scientists document data without disturbing the preservation of the cave? Unlike the first excavation, experts now have access to 3D technology which produces 3D images of the entire cave layout. The FARO Laser Scanner Photon uses laser technology to create a virtual environment scan of the cave. Scientists then analyze the data and compare changes in the geological formations without disturbing the integrity of the inner cave. 3D scanning is once again improving the way research can be documented and analyzed while have little to no impact on the natural surroundings.

Laser Trackers – IFM vs ADM Technology

There is a lot of talk today about the different types of technology used in laser trackers to determine the distance measurement. Let’s briefly discuss the two main technologies and how they work.

Distance measurement, an important function of a laser tracker, can be either incremental or absolute. Incremental distance measurement is made with an interferometer (IFM) and a frequency-stabilized, helium-neon laser. The laser light splits into two beams. One travels directly into the interferometer. The other beam travels out of the laser tracker, reflects off the spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) and, on the return path, passes into the interferometer. Inside the interferometer, the two beams of light interfere, resulting in a cyclic change each time the SMR moves closer to or farther from the laser tracker by a distance equal to one quarter of the light’s wavelength (~0.0158 micron). Electronic circuitry counts the cyclic changes (known as “fringe counts”) to determine the distance traveled.

In a typical measurement sequence, the operator places the SMR in the laser tracker’s home position and resets the interferometer to the known (home) distance. As the operator moves the SMR to the desired location, the laser tracks along, remaining fixed to the center of the SMR. This procedure works well as long as the beam from the laser tracker to the SMR isn’t broken by an obstruction in the beam path. If the beam is broken, however, the number of counts is no longer valid and the distance isn’t known. When this happens, the laser tracker signals that an error has occurred. The operator must then return the SMR to a reference point, such as the laser tracker’s home position.

Interferometer-based measurement can trace its origins to the late 1800s – it was not until the invention of Absolute Distance Meter (ADM) that the laser tracker made its move from a laboratory instrument to a real-world measurement system. ADM represents the latest in laser tracker technology.

Absolute distance measurement capability has been around for a long time. Within the last several years, however, ADM systems have undergone dramatic improvement, offering accuracy comparable to interferometers. The advantage of ADM measurement over incremental distance measurement is the ability simply to point the beam at the target and shoot. The ADM system measures the distance to the target automatically, even if the beam has previously been broken. In a laser tracker with ADM, infrared light from a semiconductor laser reflects off the SMR and re-enters the laser tracker, where it’s converted into an electrical signal. Electronic circuitry analyzes the signal to determine its time of flight, multiplying this value by the speed of light in air to determine the distance from the laser tracker to the SMR.

Absolute distance meters first appeared in laser trackers in the mid-1990s. At that time, ADM units measured too slowly to permit scanning of surfaces. Because of this, all early laser trackers contained either an interferometer alone or an interferometer and an ADM. Today some absolute distance meters have been made fast enough to permit high speed scanning without negligible loss in accuracy. Hence some modern laser trackers contain only an ADM with no interferometer.

An example of this is the latest laser tracker from FARO, called the FARO Laser Tracker ION™. It contains the fastest, most sophisticated distance measuring system: Agile Absolute Distance Meter (aADM). This patented technology provides the ability to acquire a handheld target even if the target is moving.

The ION’s Agile ADM measuring system is the only ADM system on the market that is fast enough to allow for high density scanning without relying on an interferometer. Agile ADM modulates its laser beam at three slightly different frequencies. By comparing the phase of the three modulated frequencies received by the Laser Tracker, aADM eliminates any ambiguity and calculates the position of the target.

With Agile ADM comes great simplification of the system – there is no need to switch between ADM and IFM-based systems – aADM does it all.

Learn more about the FARO Laser Tracker ION

Documenting a Crime Scene

Conventional forensic surveys of crime or accident scenes — known as “total station work” — involve photographing the scene from numerous angles with a standard camera, tape measuring distances between critical objects, and diagramming relative positions of pieces of evidence. This survey technique has two fundamental weaknesses: time sensitivity and point-of-view.

First, crime and accident scenes are time sensitive and can be corrupted in a matter of minutes. Second, a forensic team generally approaches a scene with a theory of what took place, and if they are wrong, it may be impossible to go back to the scene for a second try. Pine Falls Technical Services — a metrology consulting firm — showed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Winnipeg Police Department, how a laser-based imaging device could piece together the remains of a vehicle that had been destroyed by a bomb. A pipe bomb was placed under the front seat of a large station wagon. What police saw was a blast that scattered parts of the car around the pit, but left a major piece of it intact. The training demonstration gave Pine Falls’ engineers a chance to apply new technology to what has been an age-old problem of forensic surveys.

The FARO Laser Scanner is the latest in a new generation of metrology tools. Essentially, the device is a 3D camera that employs a laser as a light source, capturing the reflected image in extreme detail. A scene sweep can be 360°x 320° with a range as far as 76 meters. It captures 120,000 points per second – up to 100 times faster than most time-of-flight scanners. In forensics, a primary benefit is the fidelity and permanence of the images, plus the ability to view the image from any angle.

The test at Winnipeg showed that gathering crime scene data can now be simple and fast, quickly freeing up the area for civilian use. The destroyed car and scattered parts were digitally captured all around the gravel pit, giving a comprehensive view of what happened in the explosion. “We knew how fast the FARO Laser Scanner worked and the extreme detail of the images that it produced,” explained Doug Ursel of Pine Falls Technical Services. “It seemed like a natural fit for reconstructing crime or accident scenes.”

Learn more about the FARO Laser Scanner Photon.

All Work and No Play?

It's becoming more and more clear these days that sometimes you just need a good laugh. With all of the talk about the economy, recovery and cutbacks it's nice to take a break from it all for some good old-fashioned entertainment.

We'd like to offer you that break. Instead of our normal blog post today we would like to share a quick video with you that's sure to make you laugh. So, take a few minutes out of your busy day to enjoy this story.

Watch as Gerard, a meek Quality Control Inspector who is ridiculed by his coworkers and blamed for slowing things down, as he learns to take control of his processes – and his life.

It will be the funniest 2 minutes of your week!

View the video.

Achieving Seamless Fluid Flow in Valve Control Products

Bertrem Valve, based in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, specializes in fluid control products. They manufacture valves and other associated products. Because their valves control the flow of fluids, it is imperative that the bolt patterns are correctly aligned and sealed in the finished assembly.

Using a traditional CMM proved to be a problem because Bertrem then had to take their parts to the fixed CMMs. Not only was this difficult and time consuming, but it prevented engineers from accurately measuring everything to ensure it would perform its job. Proper measurement and alignment is essential and the fixed CMM made it harder.

When Bertrem heard about the capabilities and time-saving potential of FARO's portable CMM, the FaroArm®, the decision to purchase was made almost instantly. The FaroArm is tough, yet lightweight, and is equipped with temperature compensators that allow it to be taken directly to the shop floor to take measurements – perfect for Bertrem’s needs. That the FaroArm is able to locate and measure the centerline of their valves was the clincher.

“We get exactly the same measured alignment dimensions (using the FaroArm) as we would in a 72-degree room on a fixed CMM,” said the Company’s President and Owner Brad Bertrem. “And this was with an ambient temperature of about 100 degrees in our machine shop at the time.”

The FaroArm’s accuracy and portability – combined with its ability to measure spheres – dramatically reduces the amount of unnecessary defects or waste during the Bertrem’s manufacturing process. The result: quality parts are easily and consistently manufactured in a timely manner.

“(We) saved enough money in the first year (with more than 100-percent ROI), to pay for the FaroArm,” said Mr. Bertrem.

Read the full story.

Total Measurement Solution for Large Machine Manufacturer

Tuftco Corporation, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of carpet tufting equipment. It is the only company in the world that can supply a carpet mill with all of the necessary machinery to take yarn from the tufting process all the way through to the finished carpet.

Weighing 20,000 to 40,000 pounds, a tufting machine is approximately 20 feet wide and has up to 2,000 needles, hooks and knives equally spaced, moving synchronously across the machine. To achieve great carpet and acceptable wear life of these and other drive components, alignment should be maintained within 0.010” across the entire span.Tuftco needs to ensure that these large machines are level, as well as verify and correct the flatness, straightness, perpendicularity, parallelism, and true position of critical surfaces and drive components such as cams, connecting links, bridges, and bearing housings.To achieve these measurements, Tuftco was using tools such as dial indicators, precision levels, scales, standard shims, and piano wire. However, these tools provided either relative measurements to non-flat surfaces or required time-consuming and disciplined procedures that were hard to enforce and consistently apply. There was also no recording of the results, and hearsay and exaggeration were not rare.

So what did they do?

Accuracy, repeatability, and support are what led Tuftco to the FARO family of products. The FARO Laser Tracker was chosen to align the frame and drive components during machine assembly as well as evaluate and align their large planing and milling equipment to tolerances that they were not previously able to achieve. Tuftco also chose a FaroArm and FARO Gage to more quickly and accurately check the critical drive components as well as verify smaller tooling fixtures.“The Laser Tracker combined with the FaroArm and Gage has allowed us to identify flaws or inconsistencies in our assembly and machining processes and redefine them to produce a machine within our required tolerances,” commented Paul Beatty, Manager of Tufting Systems Development at Tuftco. “Hard, repeatable, and accurate measurements are recorded and analyzed, and then changes are made.”Tuftco also found the FARO CAM2 software easy to use. The ability to place coordinate systems at key locations and measure relative to them has proven to be very useful. The move function has also worked well locating the Tracker in many positions in order to measure all aspects of the machine.

After having their FARO equipment for only a short time, Tuftco has already seen an improvement in their alignment by 80%. Measurements taken using the FARO equipment have also led them to discoveries about their current processes.“Many measurements that were either impossible or impractical are providing excellent insight into our sub-processes and machinery,” said Beatty. “This will lead to more consistency in parts, time-savings in rework and assembly, and a more accurate and predictable machine function.”

Read the full story.

The U.S. Economy is Picking Up

The New York Times and Bloomberg report that business activity in the United States rose more than forecasted in August, adding to signs that the economy is improving.

The Institute for Supply Management – Chicago said this week that its business barometer increased to 50, the highest level since September 2008. This is up from 43.4 in July. Fifty is the dividing line between contraction and expansion. Wall Street economists surveyed by Bloomberg News forecasted the index would rise to only 48 with estimates ranging from 46 to 52.5. Economists watch the Chicago index to gauge overall manufacturing, which makes up about 12-percent of the economy.

Additional ISM-Chicago numbers report that the new orders gauge climbed to 52.5, the highest level in a year and up from 48 in July. The production index rose to 52.9, up from 43.3.

Despite continued cautionary reminders from the Federal Reserve, these reports show business is picking up steam and suggest that the economy is finally breaking free of its deep recession. These numbers are yet a further indication that the U.S. economy is starting to improve.

Read the full Reuters article in the New York Times.
Learn more about how to benefit in the improving economy.

Check Fixtures: Complying with Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing

Check fixtures have been a mainstay in manufacturing for decades now, allowing companies to verify that the parts they produce are within the required specifications or parameters. While check fixtures have their advantages, as technology continues to advance some major drawbacks have started to surface.

With the increasing popularity of processes like six sigma and lean manufacturing, a focus has begun to emerge around quality and the level of accuracy deemed “acceptable”. The six sigma principle, in fact, is built around the goal of producing parts that are 99.99966% defect-free. Similarly, lean manufacturing strives to eliminate waste in all its forms. Both of these processes require a method of measuring that will provide you with accurate, quantifiable results.

With check fixtures, a tool is built specific to a part to check whether the part is “good” or not by the fixture and the part nesting together. Aside from the fact that check fixtures are unique, meaning you need one fixture for every different part you produce, they are very costly to build, maintain and store. On average, one single check fixture could cost between $42,800 and $185,600 a year! That’s just for one part – what if you make multiple parts?

In addition to the high cost and inability to use the tool for more than one part, check fixtures only deliver qualitative results. This means you get a simple “go” (the part is good) or “no-go” (the part is bad) result. There is no additional data to tell you why the part is bad and furthermore, check fixtures can endure distortion over time and you may end up calling a good part bad because you can’t quite get it to fit. In tight tolerance situations, such as those that six sigma and lean manufacturing call for, you need a solution that will not only tell you accurately if your part is bad or not – but why and what needs to be done to correct it.

Learn more about what other options are available by attending the webinar, An Alternative to Check Fixtures.