FARO | 3D Measurement & Imaging Solutions

Cheaper Natural Gas Helps US Manufacturers Compete Globally.

2012-01-17T08:34:00.000-05:00

The AP reported, "The price of natural gas is plummeting at a pace that has caught even the experts off guard." A 35 percent fall "in the futures price over the past year has been a boon to homeowners who use natural gas for heat and appliances and to manufacturers who power their factories and make chemicals and materials with it." The AP reported, "For companies that make plastics, fertilizer and other chemicals derived from natural gas, the falling prices are nothing short of a windfall. The same goes for makers of products from steel to bricks to beer."

Manufacturers Campaign Against Deeper Cuts In US Defense Spending.

2011-09-15T12:06:00.001-04:00

There are multiple reports stating that the Aerospace Industries Association, "which represents manufacturers such as Boeing Co. (BA), United Technologies Corp. (UTX) and Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), has launched a campaign to stave off cuts in the national security budget as a special congressional committee seeks to find $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction throughout the federal government." Boeing and Pratt & Whitney said reductions beyond the 10-year, $350 billion cut in this summer's debt accord would have a devastating impact on a defense industry that Marion C. Blakey, the association's president, described as 'fragile.' What do you think?

Help Wanted: Metrology Jobs are in Demand

2011-08-31T16:16:00.001-04:00

The U.S. Department of Labor reported 13.9 million unemployed Americans in July 2011, and even the creation of 117,000 jobs last month didn’t put a dent in the 9.1-percent unemployment rate. In fact, there has been little change in the unemployment rate since December 2010. So why am I repeating these depressing statistics? As bad as this may sound, we are much better off compared to the climb to more than 10-percent unemployment last year.

Read the rest here.

Software Company Executive Believes Digital Tools, Techniques Will Shape Manufacturing's Future.

2011-08-04T09:38:00.000-04:00

Technology Review (7/29, Simonite) reports that Autodesk, a California-based software company "is betting that" digital tools and techniques, such as 3-D printing, "will have an increasingly powerful role in what happens on factory floors, enabling manufacturers to embrace more flexible strategies that deliver more customized products." Buzz Kross, who is in charge of Autodesk's manufacturing industry group, "says that rising costs in China's maturing economy and high-profile problems with out-sourced components, like those that plagued Boeing's 787, are making the model of high-volume, low-cost outsourced production less economically attractive.
Rear more here

US Manufacturing Sees Strong End to First Half of 2011

2011-07-05T09:45:00.002-04:00

Proclaiming that "the US manufacturing sector closed the first half of 2011 with a bang," IW Senior Editor Josh Cable wrote in the weekly manufacturing report in IndustryWeek (7/4), "In the days leading up to the Fourth of July weekend, we saw positive manufacturing numbers issued by the national Institute of Supply Management and ISM Chicago, as well as by the Federal Reserve banks of Dallas, Kansas City and Richmond."

Tax Credits Helping to Make U.S. Manufacturers More Competitive

2011-06-22T09:39:00.000-04:00

During these difficult economic times, manufacturers are looking for new ways to grow their business and increase productivity without adding additional costs to their operations. In particular, R&D costs can add significantly to a firm's operating expenses in the hope of bearing fruit at some point down the road. To spur new growth here, Congress has passed new laws that provide tax incentives to shops looking to increase their R&D activities.

Read the entire article here...

Is U.S. Manufacturing "Back"?

2011-05-18T17:06:00.000-04:00

On Monday, Times reporter and blogger Stephen Gandel wrote a column entitled "A Surprising Recovery: American Manufacturing is Back." In it, Gandel discusses small but significant growth in facilities throughout the U.S., including America's heartland. Economists and politicians speculate that we may be on the verge of a "manufacturing renassiance" - not a bad thing considering these jobs tend to pay more and offer better benefits than food service or other, similar occupations. Do you agree with Gandel's position? Read the post below and then take to our social sites to let us know: http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2011/05/16/a-surprising-jobs-recovery-american-manufacturing-is-back/

FARO Announces the Sales of its First Edge Arm to Pro-Weld

2011-05-04T14:26:00.002-04:00

FARO is pleased to announce the sales of our first Edge arm to Pro-Weld Inc. of Chesterfield, Michigan. Pro-Weld is a full-service leader in the manufacturing of automotive part rack systems and creating custom designs for customers in defense and aerospace industries.

For Pro-Weld, the decision to purchase the Edge came after considering the product’s revolutionary technology, ease-of-use and the cost of not choosing the most innovative portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM) available. Many of Pro-Weld’s customers expect the products they receive to be built within very strict tolerances and checked with a CMM solution prior to delivery. To meet these requirements, the company has historically subcontracted measurement and calibration services that often resulted in costly travel fees and work slowdowns. Now, with the Edge arm, Pro-Weld can perform the measurements they need in-house and without the need for outside expenses. Read the full story here.

The New FARO EdgeArm is Here!

2011-04-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

This morning, FARO announced the release of its newest measurement and imaging solutions, the EdgeArm and V4 Laser Line Probe - the most advanced FaroArm system ever produced. The latest generation of the FaroArm product line continues to eclipse competitive models in every category. The Edge improves production, quality, and reverse engineering processes by rapidly verifying or scanning parts with confidence and accuracy. The new Arm also simplifies the user experience with improved performance, portability and reliability.

The all new FARO V4 Laser Line Probe provides unparalleled non-contact measurement capabilities. Its wider laser stripe significantly increases scan coverage without sacrificing accuracy, while variable capture rates can produce over 45,000 points per second for exceptional speed and feature definition.

Take a look at the new EdgeArm here.

Express Manufacturing Gains Full ROI with the FARO GagePlus

2011-04-08T14:44:00.001-04:00

Acton, Ontario-based Express Manufacturing specializes in the quick production of accurate parts for their customers. With a primary focus on the aerospace industry, specifically landing gear, Express Manufacturing often inspects bearing and matting surfaces to exacting standards. Additionally, the need to remove a part from the tooling machine for inspection created problems since it is nearly impossible to set a part back into a machine for re-tooling exactly as it was before the removal.

Express required a solution that would allow them to quickly and accurately inspect a part and eliminate the need to remove it during the machining process. FARO’s GagePlus arm proved to be the ideal product for Express because it’s easy-to-use, highly accurate (up to .0002”) and designed to be used directly on the shop floor – especially for on-machine inspections.

During a risk-free trial program called the FARO Technology Test Drive, Express was able to evaluate the GagePlus on their own shop floor and immediately realize the benefit. The shop easily implemented the solution and inspected parts to the accuracy of a much larger and more expensive CMM.

Click here for the full story.

Take a Tour of FARO City

2010-12-21T08:45:00.000-05:00

Over the years, portable 3D metrology solutions have helped create efficiencies in more and more industries. In power generation, for example, plant downtime is costly, components require critical dimensions, and an efficient plant layout is crucial. By implementing portable CMMs, users experience significantly reduced outage time, more accurate inspections and alignments, and a decrease of costly scrap and rework.

There are similar stories across many other industries, including automotive, aerospace, construction, petrochemical and more. A brand new site has been developed to help you learn more about how these industries benefit from portable 3D metrology, including the applications that the different products apply to. It’s called “FARO City”, and it takes an interactive, graphical approach to the various industries that these solutions are a part of.

And if you want even more help in selecting what solution is right for you, you can make a few clicks through an interactive product selection tool.

Who says learning about portable metrology can’t be fun? :)

Visit FARO City

Laser Scanning for Basic Surveying

2010-12-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

Surveying is described as the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them. In particular, there is land surveying which focuses on the detailed study and data gathering which can provide engineers with land mapping, construction layout surveys and elevation analysis.

The most common equipment used for surveying is a theodolite. Starting from a position with a known location and elevation, the distance and angles to the unknown point can be measured. It is a very dependable yet slow process to gather many points.

With the revolution of laser scanning, many surveyors are looking to faster and more comprehensive tooling such as laser scanning. With the release of the new Laser Scanner Focus3D, users are able to capture exceptional quality point clouds of large areas within minutes. At a full resolution scan, the Focus3D is capable of scanning up to 976,000 million points per second. That is much more data than a standard theodolite.

One company is Europe is using the FARO Laser Scanner in common surveying applications. From these point cloud data sets, engineers can create 3D models, measure distances, generate 2D CAD plan views and map assets for clearance. View the online video of a sample surveying application using the FARO Laser Scanner HERE.

Global Aircraft Market to Recover Faster than Expected

2010-12-14T16:07:00.000-05:00

On Monday, Airbus updated its long-term global market forecast to show a faster than expected growth in air traffic, accelerated replacement of older planes in mature markets, and dynamic growth in emerging markets. The expectation reflects a demand for nearly 26,000 new passenger and freight aircraft between 2010 and 2029, worth an estimated $3.2 trillion. The forecast applies to not only potential demand for Airbus planes, but also those of rivals such as Boeing. However, both Airbus and Boeing will face increasing competition from other manufacturers outside of Europe and the USA – namely, China, Canada, and potentially Brazil and Russia, if not others.

Going into more detail about the relative growth of individual markets, the report projects Asia Pacific to become the most important region for air traffic and aircraft demand – specifically with China and India growing at double the rate of mature markets such as North America and Europe.

Even as the aerospace industry recovers, it will remain highly competitive. Today, and even more so in the future, the most successful companies turn to cutting-edge technology to stay ahead of the competition. Often, that means incorporating portable measurement solutions into their processes. For this industry, accuracy is the key in almost every aspect of manufacturing and there is no room for error. Portable metrology provides highly accurate measurements that are both reliable and repeatable. These devices are quick, easy, and allow measurements to be taken wherever they are needed – even directly on the production floor. Best of all, they typically provide a full return on investment in less than a year.

Read the full article in The Washington Post
Free whitepaper on aerospace tooling
Watch a video on how B-52s were overhauled

Is Manufacturing Making a Comeback in the US?

2010-12-10T07:47:00.003-05:00

The National Journal just wrote an article titled, “Act II for American Manufacturing?” and it brings a new perspective on the future of manufacturing in the US.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

The departures from the first act in American manufacturing may be more than technological. The geography will change, as will its configuration. Huge facilities with tens of thousands of workers are out. Factories won’t look like the gigantic River Rouge auto-making complex that Henry Ford built in Dearborn, Mich., in the 1920s. Compact plants surrounded by clusters of small firms that service them will likely populate tomorrow’s manufacturing landscape. Many of the factories will be in the South, where lower wages may help establish a new industrial heartland.
But something more is needed to assure a vibrant future for American manufacturing: a skilled workforce. That’s a scarce commodity these days, even in Butler County. “Every kid who grows up here wants to go to college and work on Wall Street,” said Wise Machine’s Garrard, “not follow their fathers into AK Steel.”
In any event, there is reason to hope. “The future is still in our hands,” said Kent Hughes, director of the program on America and the global economy at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, “if we don’t sit on them.”

What are your thoughts about the future of manufacturing in America? Is it doomed or as the article suggests, has a bright future as long as we continue to move forward and increase interest in the skilled trades to younger generations?

Click here to read the entire article.

FARO Featured in Local News

2010-12-07T08:42:00.000-05:00

Based in Lake Mary, Florida, FARO is just a few miles north of Orlando. Orlando’s main newspaper is the Orlando Sentinel, and they recently wrote an article about FARO and how the company could be “the region’s comeback player of the year in 2010”.

Like many other companies across the country and around the world, FARO experienced some difficult times in 2009. But in 2010 “sales and profits have rebounded at double-digit percentage rates”. Several of FARO’s key industries, including automakers and defense contractors, are beginning to buy again.

FARO also took advantage of the downturn and turned it into something positive. The company streamlined every part of the manufacturing operations, creating efficiencies and better work routines.

FARO CEO Jay Freeland commented: “The team basically created new capacity for our factory operation, though with fewer people. They can now deliver the same peak production they did before, but with a lower head count. It was a nice job of taking a difficult situation and turning it into a positive.”

Read the full article

See the New Laser Scanner Focus3D In Action

2010-12-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

On October 5th, FARO announced a ground-breaking event. FARO officially released the newest model of their large scale laser scanners, the Focus3D. Not only has the Focus3D been revolutionary to the industry, but it has also been an eye-opener to many prospects that have been delving into the possibility of acquiring a laser scanner. Starting at the low cost of $30,000, the Focus3D has disrupted the laser scanning industry in a very positive way.

As a self-contained unit, the Focus3D is 4 times lighter and 5 times smaller than its predecessor, the Photon. With the battery built in as well as the color camera, this laser scanner is the most portable laser scanning device in the marketplace. With common applications such as accident reconstruction, as-built documentation, crime scene & forensic analysis, digital factory, power & process, and surveying and tunneling, the Focus3D is already proving to be the easiest and most user-friendly laser scanner ever built. In fact, Quality Digest recently hosted a live event with FARO to show the ease of use and applicable factors that make this laser scanner best of class.

Watch the Focus3D in Action

Company Attributes Growth to Increased Efficiencies

2010-12-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

Companies around the world are looking for ways to become, or remain, competitive. One obvious way to do that is to save money. When the economy is booming, it’s easy to be less concerned about money. But, when the economy is struggling or in recovery, companies quickly look to save money. Simply put, saving money is a policy that should be followed all the time.

One company that realizes this is the Harvard Corporation of Evansville, Wisconsin. Harvard (http://www.harvardcorp.com/) designs, develops, manufactures, and sells partial-flow filtration systems and filters that remove water and dirt from oil for improved cleanliness levels for applications from aerospace to mining. Harvard’s systems reduce maintenance costs and the amount of generated liquid waste.

As other companies catch on to the need to reduce costs and save money, they turn to Harvard. The result is that Harvard has seen their sales increase 15 percent this year. “It’s because of the fact that people are looking for ways to reduce cost, and we have a reputation of helping people reduce their operational costs,” said President Otto Knottnerus.

Not only does Harvard work to help other companies reduce their costs, they also have worked to improve their own manufacturing efficiencies. They worked with the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership to gain a fresh look at manufacturing and to better develop contacts and marketing ideas. The top priority is to become as efficient as possible. “My goal is to continually be my own best competitor,” said Mr. Knottnerus. “I’m always looking to improve in every aspect of what we’re doing here.”

Most of the systems that Harvard works with have a return on investment of less than a year. This is interesting because FARO has a very similar goal. FARO develops computer-aided measurement and imaging systems that permit high-precision 3D measurement, imaging, and comparison within production and quality assurance processes. Many of the solutions that FARO provides to its customers improve those customer’s processes and efficiencies so much so, that they too see a return on investment of less than a year. As Mr. Knottnerus so correctly said about a quick ROI, “It makes it really palatable for people to do something.” Not only does it make it palatable, it only makes sense for companies looking to be competitive in today’s economy to look at and to do anything possible to improve efficiencies and save money.

The Janesville GazetteXtra.com Article
Read More about FARO

When was the last time you used 3D?

2010-11-23T15:37:00.000-05:00

If you are like most people, it is a constant in your life because you can see the world through your own eyes. The concept of multidimensional imagery is a natural phenomenon that occurs within us all. Perhaps this is why 3D technology has become a highly desirable innovation, and is at the point of maturity in the marketplace. Never before have there been so many different 3D technologies.

3D plays a major role in our lives. Everything from the energy we use to the products we consume. It is in the cars we drive and the houses we live in. Businesses are using 3D technology to enhance their business processes and products in exchange for high-quality and high-performance. Every company in the world should consider how they can utilize 3D in their industry.

Furthermore, every person in the world should consider how they can personally use 3D technology to make their lives better. The applications are limited only by your imagination. 3D entertainment has been booming lately with a number of products becoming available for consumers, but this is only the beginning. In the years to come there will be an explosion of 3D in the household. If you are not into 3D yet, you need to see what is out there.

Why 3D Camera Technology Will Be the Future

The State of 3D Imaging Standards – How Good is Your Scan?

2010-11-18T11:47:00.000-05:00

In the world of metrology, there are both contact and non-contact measurement methods. Non-contact measurement is the fastest growing segment, with new methods and technologies being introduced every year. But how do you evaluate the performance of these new products? Many people look to standards organizations for the answers.

There is an existing standard for 3D scanners, the German VDI/VDE 2634, but it is not recognized as an international standard. Two committees are working on standards for scanners (ASTM International’s E57 and ISO’s Technical Committee 213 Working Group 10), but these standards are probably several years away from being published.

There are several types of technologies and dozens of variations being used for short-range 3D imaging. These include:

Area Imagers
Line Scanners
Single-Point Scanners
CT Scanners

An internationally-recognized standard would make it possible for end users to make informed decisions on what technologies can be applied to their applications. A standard would also make it possible to compare different systems to understand the strengths in different technologies.

Even though there are no international standards, users can take it upon themselves to ask for data from manufacturers to help them understand how their products will perform in their applications.

Read the full article

Getting Started in 3D Scanning

2010-11-17T15:02:00.001-05:00

Recently, Professional Surveyor Magazine wrote an article title, “Getting Started in 3D Scanning.” It is a fantastic look into how 3D laser scanning is changing the way typical applications have been done for years. In particular, the article discusses how laser scanning is raising the bar in the surveying, construction and civil engineering industries.

With the release of the FARO Laser Scanner Focus^3D, the laser scanning industry has suddenly been shaken with a product that has captured the attention of many in the laser scanning field. Never before has the public seen such a device with its compact size, weight and intuitive operational touch-screen, be capable of providing engineers with the ideal tool. Capable of scanning at almost 1 million points per second with a 395ft scanning radius, the Focus^3Dis more portable and easy to use than ever before.

Now, professionals in the surveying field have an affordable option in laser scanning that is fast, user-friendly and convenient. To read the entire article titled, “Getting Started in 3D Scanning” click HERE.

GM Reports Profit Ahead of Stock Offering

2010-11-11T09:10:00.002-05:00

Ahead of its pending stock sale, General Motors (GM) announced a third quarter profit of $2 billion. Next week, the company will initiate an initial stock offering (IPO) of 365 million shares at $26 to $29 a share. The IPO will raise about $10 billion and allow the company’s largest current owner, the U.S. government, to reduce its stake from 61-percent to roughly 43-percent. The profit report certainly can’t hurt public appeal.

GM reported that strong profits on new cars and trucks helped the company’s 3Q numbers. The results were yet another indication of the widespread recovery among global automakers. Each of Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chrysler, and Ford reported improved numbers for the quarter as auto sales continue to rise.

“I think the results of the third quarter clearly point to the amount of progress that GM has made,” said GM CEO Dan Akerson. He said that GM is on track to make 2010 its first profitable year since 2004. This was the third straight profitable quarter for GM.

Though the company needed $50 billion in government aid last year, it has repaid or plans to repay $9.5 billion of that while the government hopes to get the other $40 billion back in not only the November 18^th common stock offering, but subsequent sales as well. The government will sell 264 million shares and will make about $7 billion in the IPO if the shares sell in the middle of the expected price range.

The U.S. government’s reduced stake is important to GM symbolically because some Americans resented the company’s taxpayer-funded bailout. The jokes that GM stood for “Government Motors” hurt not only the company’s image, but its sales.

Read the AP article

Visit GM’s website

Webinar: Reverse Engineering with Special Guests Paul Jr. and Vinnie from Paul Jr. Designs

2010-11-05T11:27:00.002-04:00

Popularity of and the necessity for reverse engineering has increased as the process has become a viable method of creating a 3D model of an existing physical part. Portable coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have become an important tool in this process.

Join us on Tuesday, November 16 to learn how to use a portable CMM to recreate a 3D model of an existing part, using both contact and non-contact technology.

Special guest speakers, Paul Jr. and Vinnie from Paul Jr. Designs, will also explain how they utilize reverse engineering to make their custom motorcycles!

Tuesday, November 16

2:00pm – 3:00pm EST

Laser Scanning Crime Scenes

2010-11-03T13:19:00.002-04:00

As 3D laser scanning continues to emerge as a viable technology for metrology applications, it is becoming a known fact that laser scanning can solve many of today’s challenges. Creating as-built conditions, inspecting components, recreating accident sites and examining crime scenes are just some of the applications that 3D laser scanners serve.

In particular the Toronto Police Department utilizes the FARO Laser Scanner Focus^3D to determine complex data left behind the scene of a crime. Scans are able to take a snapshot of a scene and preserve it indefinitely. Investigators are able to literally walk through a crime scene over and over again. New evidence can be tracked and documented. In the end these virtual snapshots can even be presented to juries in the court.

Laser Scanning is truly changing the way investigations are being conducted and solved. To read the full article titled “Coming to a Crime Scene Near You: 3D Cameras, click HERE.

Pratt & Miller and GM’s Corvette Racing Team Win With the FARO Laser ScanArm®

2010-10-29T14:40:00.002-04:00

Pratt & Miller is a world-class engineering company that takes automotive programs from concept to reality. They are a respected industry leader that provides cutting-edge engineering and manufacturing solutions to their clients. One of those clients is the GM Corvette Racing Team that competes in the American Le Mans Series.

The team at Pratt & Miller uses some of the most advanced research and development technologies available. Where measuring with hand tools was very time consuming and created inherent inaccuracies due to individual error, an even bigger issue with using these traditional tools was that they did not offer the means to measure more complicated parts and freeform surfaces without unwanted contact.

FARO provided the accuracy Pratt & Miller was looking for at the speed they need. Co-Founder Gary Pratt said, “We use FARO to design, construct, and analyze ‘virtual’ components, CFD, and even complete cars – every facet of a project from initial conception to the finished product.” Mike Kurylo, a team design engineer, said, “The quality of the FARO equipment, the ease of training, and the knowledge of their support are all first rate. Their customer service…feels like having your own pit crew!”

In today’s ever increasingly competitive conditions, Pratt & Miller is always searching for every last bit of performance enhancement – be it in the form of speed, time, accuracy, or efficiency. FARO answers the call on each of these. That Pratt & Miller uses the most up-to-date and powerful computer software and hardware in existence, the next logical step for them was FARO.

“We’re constantly updating, expanding technology and FARO opened new parameters in manufacturing and engineering for us. FARO has really opened our eyes and they’ve been fantastic for us,” said Mr. Pratt. “Once you get something like this, you can’t see how you did without it.”

Visit FARO at SEMA 2010 in Booth #10351 and see how race teams like Pratt & Miller, Andretti Autosport, and others like Paul Jr. Designs use FARO to stay ahead of their competition.

Read the full case application

FARO at SEMA 2010

FARO Launches New 3D Imaging Product Line, Featuring the AMP

2010-10-22T10:13:00.003-04:00

Last month at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, Illinois, FARO introduced a brand new product – the 3D Imager AMP.

The FARO 3D Imager AMP is a high performance non-contact 3D imaging system, capable of collecting millions of points in just seconds. Using patented technology, the AMP achieves groundbreaking accuracy on parts, assemblies and tools never before possible.

The AMP is ideal for parts with complex shapes or large, smooth surfaces due to its ability to measure a large surface area in one shot. With the click of a button, it captures the complete, detailed image of the object within its half-meter field of view. The AMP is the perfect tool for applications in quality control, reverse engineering, and rapid manufacturing.

The AMP also offers improved measurement of dark and shiny parts that are often missed by optical systems, and with its rugged, thermally-stable design, it is right at home on the shop floor or the assembly line.

Learn More about the AMP

Webinar: Portable Metrology and the Military – Building a better product for our troops

2010-10-15T10:48:00.002-04:00

Portable measurement devices, such as portable CMMs and imagers, are an excellent solution for many military-based applications. From applications such as the inspection of critical components, to machine alignments, to rapid reverse engineering for design or modeling for repair, and even field testing and inspection and failure/repair analysis, portable metrology offers the speed, accuracy, capability, and convenience that today’s military needs.

In this webinar, we will focus on the common measurement needs of the military and how portable metrology is the best solution. We will also introduce the various types of portable probing and scanning devices and demonstrate how they can solve the specific needs of military applications and situations.

Who should attend: Current military personnel, military suppliers and contractors, and anyone interested in portable metrology can benefit them and their projects and products.

What will you learn in this webinar?

Some of the common measurement applications of the military
How these measurement needs traditionally have been met
What are some of the shortfalls of those traditional methods
The basics of various portable solutions
The benefits of using portable metrology

Join us on Tuesday, October 26^th, 14:00-15:00 EST for this free, educational webinar.

Create Efficiencies in Power Generation Applications

2010-10-07T08:07:00.002-04:00

Regardless of whether it’s in our personal lives or on the job, we are always looking for a more efficient way to do things.

One industry that can experience a considerable amount of savings by finding a faster, easier, and less expensive way to perform projects is power generation.

Regardless of which sector of power generation you refer to, it is critical that every aspect of the job is as efficient as possible. Plant downtime is costly, components require precise dimensions, and working with the right tools is crucial.

Measurement technology plays an important role in this process. In particular, the laser tracker – a portable coordinate measuring machine – is especially valuable for creating efficiencies in power generation applications.

By implementing this type of technology, users can:

Significantly reduce outage time
More accurately perform inspections and alignments
Eliminate human error
Decrease costly scrap and rework
Receive a true return on investment

Whether it’s an application with turbines, nuclear or wind components, laser tracker technology can help create those valuable efficiencies. We’re all constantly being asked to do more and more work with fewer and fewer resources and in a much faster time, all while improving quality. Having the latest in measurement technology really helps.

Visit http://www.faro.com/powergen to learn more.

FARO Introduces the new Laser Scanner Focus3D

2010-10-06T07:50:00.000-04:00

FARO is proud to introduce the new FARO Laser Scanner Focus^3D!

The Focus^3D is a revolutionary, high-performance 3D laser scanner for detailed measurement and documentation with intuitive touch-screen control that makes it as easy to operate as a digital camera.

Using laser technology to produce incredibly detailed three-dimensional images, The Focus^3D scans complex environments and geometries in only a few minutes. The resulting image is an assembly of millions of 3D measurement points in color which provides an exact digital reproduction of existing conditions.

Entirely self-contained, the Focus^3D requires no additional devices, cables or laptops. It is four times lighter and five times smaller than its predecessor and is the smallest and lightest laser scanner ever built. With its dimensions of 9.5 x 8 x 4 in. and a weight of 11lbs, the Focus^3D is so compact and mobile that users can always take it with them, wherever they go.

The Focus^3D deploys an integrated color camera with automatic and parallax free color overlay for photo-realistic 3D scans. Its integrated lithium-ion high-performance battery provides up to five hours of battery life and can be charged during operation. Furthermore, all scans are stored on a SD card enabling easy and secure data transfer to a computer.

The FARO Focus^3D is compatible with many common software applications. The flexible interfaces of SCENE, the scan processing software included with the Focus^3D, enable connection to AutoCAD as well as many other CAD applications such as Rhino, Microstation, Nemetschek and ArchiCAD. Despite all these improvements and features the new Focus^3D is more cost-effective than previous FARO Laser Scanner models.

Click here to learn more about the Focus^3D

FARO, Autodesk and Geomagic at Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage

2010-09-29T11:24:00.000-04:00

Recently we spent some time with Jay Leno at his shop with Autodesk and Geomagic as he explained how he uses the multiple technologies to retrofit and restore his amazing car collection. It's all pretty simple, really (although the intense technology behind the process is astounding) - whenever Jay Leno needs a part for one of his classic cars, he simply scans the part with a FARO Laser ScanArm and captures the original 3D data in Geomagic software. That data can then be taken to Autodesk Inventor to make modifications or to mesh the part digitally and is then sent to a Stratasys 3D printer where a prototype is created.

The prototype is an easy, quick way to verify that the part is correct and will fit properly into the car before taking the time to get it machined. This process allows Jay Leno to restore his cars to full working condition, even when dealing with models where it is literally impossible to order parts for.

While we were there we decided to have some fun with Jay Leno and took a 3D scan of his face:

He thought some "slight modifications" were in order, so after some tweaking and a pass through the 3D printer, here is the final Jay Leno replica:

Pretty close, don't you think?

Watch the entire video here.

Learn more about the FARO Laser ScanArm.

MRO and the Advantages of Capturing Data in 3D

2010-09-23T07:59:00.002-04:00

Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is a common term in the aerospace industry. In recent years, automated tools have been implemented to streamline the process of capturing the digital data of physical parts. A recent article by Geomagic’s Alberto Griffa details out the various applications for MRO and the need for 3D point cloud processing.

Griffa’s article lists four main reasons that point cloud processing is ideal for MRO projects:

It captures and reconstructs parts as they exist, enabling engineers to analyze damage and its underlying causes
It enables engineers to accurately re-create parts for which no computer-aided design (CAD) data or documentation are available
It enables engineers to analyze situations where every part is different, due to factors such as manufacturing variability and tolerances, wear patterns, and stress
It improves asset management by speeding part reconstruction and inspection of as-built vs. as-designed parts, helping aircraft to return to flight much sooner

If any of these sound like they would benefit you, then you may want to implement tools that help you gather your data in 3D.

Some people still choose to use hand tools, but it is a manual process to collect the data, and the output is only in 2D. But with a device such as a portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM), the data can be captured in 3D. A specific type of portable CMM, such as a laser scanner, allows users to streamline point cloud processing because they can quickly, easily, and accurately capture millions of points. Point cloud processing software is then used to create a surface model that can be directly transferred into CAD software.

Read the full article

Learn more about portable 3D laser scanners

PointCloud 6 - More Power for AutoCAD Users

2010-09-21T22:58:00.000-04:00

With the recent innovations of laser scanners, more and more demand has been put onto the shoulders of software developers. So much more data is being collected at a much quicker rate than ever before. Laser scanners of today are capable of capturing millions of data points.. The FARO laser Scanner Photon for example, captures up to 976,000 points per second!

This is the reason why software programs need to be more powerful and capable of handling data points. Kubit USA for example has developed and released PointCoud 6 which is a standard plug-in to AutoCAD. PointCloud 6 is now able to handle billions of points within a single DWG file. To coincide with this, FARO Cloud 6 is also available. FARO Cloud 6 is also an AutoCAD program based application which allows you to load these large data sets into an AutoCAD environment. Now working with models and as-builts is unlimited with the handling of billions of data points.

To read the entire article on PointCloud 6 click HERE.

Webinar: True Position Measurement

2010-09-16T08:08:00.002-04:00

Today, manufacturers know that feature location in part design and production is crucial. To produce interchangeable parts in a manufacturing environment, great care must be taken to ensure that the design is accurate enough to allow mating parts to work correctly. Manufacturing processes must be able to produce parts in an efficient and predictable manner and final part measurements must be done easily and with confidence.

In this webinar, we will introduce the basics of true position. We will show how true position is measured using traditional methods and hand tools such as calipers, micrometers, and gages. We will then show how true position can be determined using portable CMMs. This newer technology has greatly reduced the difficulty of measuring GD&T properties, including true position – providing accurate and convenient measurements.

What will you learn in this webinar?

The basics of true position
How true position is measured using traditional hand tools
What are some potential problems using hand tools
How true position can be measured using portable CMMs
How advanced technology can provide improved results

Join us on Tuesday, September 21^st from 2:00pm – 2:45pm EST for this free, educational webinar.

Business Tax Cuts to Help Boost US Economy

2010-09-07T15:10:00.002-04:00

In another attempt to help stabilize an already weakened economy, President Obama has introduced a new $200 billion tax cut to business across the country that plan to invest in new equipment in the short term. Specifically, this bill would allow companies to write off 100% of new investments in plants and equipment between now and the end of 2011.

It is these companies that FARO hopes to help to provide highly advanced and accurate metrology equipment to make their business more competitive and more profitable. FARO’s focus is help meet the growing needs of businesses that are striving to survive during this uncertain time.

Despite tough times, FARO continues to serve its customers by way of new products, services and even pricing. For example, the Laser Scanner Photon has been packaged in a promotional bundle that includes all the necessary components and accessories to have a complete laser scanning kit. This kit is perfect for any small to large sized business that is thinking of either getting in laser scanning or wanting to purchase an additional unit to their operation. For details on all FARO products visit www.faro.com

To read the full article on President Obama’s proposed bill, click HERE.

Personalized, Live Webinar: Introduction to Portable Measurement

2010-09-02T08:45:00.002-04:00

In as little as 15 to 20 minutes, you can see how a portable CMM is used to take simple measurements such as angles, distance, and geometry or complex measurements such as circularity, concentricity, and flatness. Watch from the convenience of your office and at a time that’s most suitable to your schedule. You can even send in your own parts and have them measured – see it work on your parts and your application live.

The FARO Gage allows you to take accurate measurements across a wide range of industrial applications. Instead of shutting down your production line to take a part to a fixed CMM room, the Gage allows for true in-process inspection and eliminates costly quality control bottlenecks. The Gage improves upon conventional hand tools such as calipers, micrometers, various gauges, and even rulers and tape measures. The Gage can also end your reliance on hard-to-use and expensive traditional CMMs.

With an accuracy of up to .0004” and a working volume of 48”, the Gage is perfect for smaller parts and assemblies. With minimal training, machinists can quickly take accurate and consistent measurements while generating the inspection reports demanded by your customers today.

Made specifically to be used by shop floor personnel, the Gage is easier to use than fixed CMMs, but is accurate and powerful enough for advanced measurements including GD&T and SPC analysis. Setting up in seconds, it allows parts and assemblies to be measured directly on the machines producing them.

The FARO Gage is the cost-effective solution to your metrology needs directly on the shop floor.

Wind Turbine Factory Creates Jobs and Generates Interest in Wind Energy

2010-09-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

Blade Dynamics, Ltc., a 3-year-old British wind turbine company, has announced plans to begin manufacturing turbine blades and components in part of the Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans. The start of this manufacturing is said to create at least 600 jobs in New Orleans by 2015. The blades manufactured are designed to increase the efficiency and performance of very high power turbines, but the bigger impact is that of wind energy awareness, according to local environmentalists.

Many renewable energy advocates who have been trying to get Louisiana to move away from fossil fuels in producing electricity believe that this is an opportunity to become a leader in renewable energy. "We're not suggesting that this would completely fix all of our problems, but we have an opportunity here to assume some leadership in renewable energy," said Beth Galante, executive director of the New Orleans office of Global Green USA, a nonprofit environmental organization.

More and more companies are thinking about wind as a true, reliable source for energy. For example, ATI Casting Service and Creative Foam develop products such as wind blades and hubs. What is important to note is that similar to the aerospace industry and other manufacturing industries, the wind power industry requires tight tolerances in all of their parts and assemblies.

Read the full story on Blade Dynamics.
See how ATI Casting Service and Creative Foam met their tight tolerance requirements.

Using Laser Tracker Technology to Reduce Fabrication Layout Time

2010-08-26T08:47:00.002-04:00

Custom Engineering is a quality-driven fabrication and machining company located in Erie, Pennsylvania. They specialize in medium to heavy fabrication and contract machining. As their name implies, they enjoy the challenge of “custom” jobs, and they have always invested in the technology needed to complete these jobs on time and on budget.

But Custom Engineering was faced with a problem. They needed to measure large baseplates fabricated from structural beams along with plate steel with machined flatness requirements and multiple hole locations. The largest of these baseplates is 39 feet long by 15 feet wide. Traditional measuring methods just couldn’t provide the accuracy and detailed inspection reports that their customers required.

The solution they chose was a portable coordinate measuring machine called the FARO Laser Tracker. It allows them to inspect hole layout, flatness and location, along with other difficult inspection routines, simply and precisely. Its long range is also ideal for inspecting the large parts.

“Fabrication layout time with the FARO Laser Tracker is taking roughly half the time it used to take with traditional methods,” commented Dave Guriel, Quality Manager at Custom Engineering. “The old method required roughly 6 hours, but with the Laser Tracker we can complete this same measurement in 2.5 to 3 hours.”

Read the Complete Story

Documenting Architectural Facades with the Laser Scanner

2010-08-24T08:07:00.000-04:00

Renovating historical landmarks requires a careful balance between preserving the architectural elements that characterize the generation of the original build while updating items to support modern life. Thus was the burden consultants faced when designing plans for a $30 million restoration of the Northwestern Mutual Life building in Milwaukee, WI.

Bridging the gap between innovation and tradition, SightLine utilized Laser Scanning technology to generate the measurements necessary to restore the classic beauty. Sightline collected the measurements with the FARO Laser Scanner. The Laser Scanner is capable of capturing data from a distance of 395ft. This is ideal for objects that are out of reach or may require unobtrusive tactics to gather data. With a 360° horizontal and a 320° vertical range, the FARO Laser Scanner has the largest field of view in phase shift scanning.

To read up on how Sightline successfully scanned the Northwestern Mutual Life Building, click HERE.

Webinar: Simplified Measurement Routines

2010-08-20T10:00:00.002-04:00

Guided measurement routines can help companies become more competitive by improving their overall product quality while reducing manufacturing costs. Many of the measurements needed to produce a part are repetitive – the same measurement in the same location over and over. A customized measurement routine guides users through these measurements time and time again. These simplified routines can reduce inspection time by as much as 75% by eliminating the time spent setting up repetitive tools, by eliminating user error, and by ensuring measurement consistency.

In this webinar, we will introduce the principals behind guided measurement routines and the benefits to be gained from using them. We will also show a real-time example of how these tools work. As part of the measurement software CAM2 Q, QuickTools allow procedures to be automated, nominals and tolerances to be entered, and reports to be automatically generated – all resulting in reduced inspection time.

We will show you how these easy-to-use tools can reduce your inspection time and save your company money.

Watch the Recorded Version

The Future of Manufacturing is in the Third Grade

2010-08-18T17:26:00.000-04:00

With the help of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), our manufacturing future is starting to be shaped by investing in manufacturing education at a very young age. This summer, over 4,200 boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 14, are attending 214 sessions at the Gateway Academy, a summer camp program that introduces science and engineering. It appeals to students with hands-on, project-based courses where students have fun while applying the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

During these sessions, students are learning everything from how to make cars out of paper, catapults out of mouse traps and robots using computer software.Saul K. Fenster, PhD, president emeritus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), University Heights, Newark, N. J., and president of the SME Education Foundation, says that "In our current economic conundrum, the nation is finally beginning to realize how critically important the manufacturing industry is. As manufacturing job losses continue to be reported, we need to make sure young people (and parents who influence their decisions) are not confused about the issues. The excitement and self-motivated learning experience we saw at the summer camp is an example of how we can open the eyes of young people to their career potential."

It is clear that in order to keep our traditional manufacturing communities alive, and to further grow innovation, it is important that we start recognizing that the future lies within the youth of today. The reality is that careers in manufacturing are becoming increasingly enviable. U.S. policy-makers are recognizing that having a manufacturing base that is strong, efficient and innovative is essential to our country’s economic future and our country’s world environment. As companies begin to re-think off-shoring, and consider re-directing their manufacturing and production facilities back to the U.S., skilled workers are and will be needed.

As innovation expands advanced technologies, educators need to be better educated about their digitally enamored students, and how better to reach them with learning processes to which they can relate. Preparing for a career in manufacturing is no longer based on following the education standards created fifty years ago.

Read the entire story.

Lean Leadership Lessons

2010-08-12T14:08:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought of taking lean leadership lessons from man’s best friend? An article by Mark R. Hamel details what he has learned from training his German shepherd. Known for being highly-intelligent dogs often used for police and military work, this breed still needs to be provided with the proper training in order to fully utilize their innate abilities.

Hamel details in his article the top five lessons about lean leadership that he has learned from his dog-obedience sensei (teacher):

Lean leaders must learn proper behaviors and techniques from the external sensei so that they in turn can coach others within the organization.
Lean leaders cannot abdicate their responsibility for transformation to the external sensei.
The followers in the organization can only absorb so much from the external sensei during the sensei’s relatively short time at their gemba (place). The long-term effect (or lack thereof) is purely up to the lean leaders.
Lean leaders must be absolutely (and pragmatically) consistent in message, principles, systems, and tools; otherwise, the workforce will become confused and frustrated.
Even though lean leaders often know what to do, how to do it, and why they should do it, they often don’t do it. A good external sensei will keep them honest.

To read Hamel’s complete article, click here.

To go along with lean leadership, it’s also important to use manufacturing tools that support lean principles. Portable CMMs are tools that help you meet six sigma and lean manufacturing standards. They create efficiencies in environments where you are forced to do more with fewer resources.

Learn More about Tools that Help You Achieve Lean Manufacturing

FARO SCENE 4.7 Officially Released

2010-08-10T09:05:00.001-04:00

FARO is pleased to announce the release of SCENE 4.7, SCENE LT 4.7 and SCENE Record 4.7 and would like to thank all users who gave valuable input for the improvement of our post-processing software. With this release, we deliver a new version of the FARO Laser Scanner software that will improve your ability for productivity, your mobility and ease of use in many directions.

Some of the newest features that you’ll find are: 64-bit support, multi-core processor support, SCENE Web-Share functionality, enhanced window styles, new menu structure, new Object Marker tool bar, gap filling functionality in 3D views, and ZFC file importation. The new SCENE 4.7 features more efficient point cloud handling and visualization due to the new 64-bit architecture which extends the usable memory. The new version also incorporates “one-click” Web-Share functionality. Scanned images can now be put on the Internet, thus enabling industries such as architecture, engineering and law enforcement to share scan information with customers, suppliers and partners without the need of additional software. Each of these features have been carefully selected and implemented into SCENE to make this the most innovative post-processing software in the market.

Users who already own SCENE 4.6 are able to upgrade to SCENE 4.7 at no cost! To upgrade your existing SCENE software to SCENE 4.7 click HERE.

Applying New Technology and New Thinking for Dramatic Returns

2010-08-05T08:19:00.002-04:00

E-ONE is a worldwide designer and manufacturer of fire rescue vehicles. They provide state-of-the-art equipment that is recognized for its superior capabilities. Headquartered in Ocala, Florida, E-ONE (www.e-one.com) is the industry leader in product innovations, new technologies, and exceeding their customers’ expectations. Innovation has long been the company’s driving force and continues to be the impetus behind their pursuit of new technologies to answer today’s demands.

As could well be imagined, there are many parts on any fire rescue vehicle that need to be measured and inspected during the manufacturing process. To measure this collection of parts, E-ONE used an assortment of hand tools including micrometers, digital and dial calipers, dial indicators, precision rules and straightedges, and even the basic tape measure. These hand tools, however, resulted in their own set of problems.

E-ONE considered several options to resolve their measurement needs. The first option was to do nothing and continue to absorb the inherent rework cost of their existing process. Another option was to go with dedicated inspection fixtures. These, however, have their own cost factors and do not offer any real flexibility. Another solution was to go with a portable CMM, an articulating measurement arm.

After considering different measurement arms, E-ONE decided on the FARO Laser ScanArm®. Their decision was based on the demonstration they saw of the product and its technology. The Laser ScanArm combines the contact measurement ability of the FaroArm® Fusion with the non-contact scanning ability of the Laser Line Probe attachment. With CAM2® and Geomagic® software, E-ONE is able to complete inspections and create reports in one easy process. The combination allows them to reverse engineer several parts and better define needed requirements.

“The ScanArm allows incoming inspection sampling and immediate response (root cause) to part or fit up issues,” said James Musick, Quality Administrator at E-ONE. “This changes us from a completely reactive culture to a proactive one with the ability to immediately identify and correct root cause problems.”

E-ONE combines proven capability, reliability, and durability with innovations that transform fire rescue efforts. By applying new technology like the FARO Laser ScanArm and new thinking, E-ONE is bringing about change and finding better ways to protect the people and the industry they serve.

Read the full case application

Manufacturing Touts One Year of Growth

2010-08-03T11:03:00.001-04:00

For a while now we have been highlighting the successes of various manufacturing companies and their suppliers. Amidst the caution still out there, it seems as though the continuous growth of the nation's manufacturing sector might really be a positive sign for our economy. For a solid year now, the manufacturing sector has seen continued growth and more companies now say they are ready to hire.

While the growth has slowed over the past few months, measures of production and new orders are still growing which signals future business. The industry experienced strong growth last year because companies were restocking after the recession. Although manufacturing only accounts for about a fifth of our economic activity, it is still good to hear that sustained growth is occurring in an otherwise down economy.

"The July report suggests that manufacturing will grow for the rest of the year, and more quickly than the broader economy, said Dan Meckstroth, chief economists for the Manufacturers Alliances/MAPI, an industry association," reported the AP. This doesn't mean a necessary creation of new jobs, though, as manufacturing companies continue to invest more money on processes than people.

Investment in technology to help companies grow when customers are spending less is still important at this point in time. Companies need to continue to lean out their processes and become more efficient not only to do more with less but prepare for the continued growth but limitation of additional staff.

Learn more about technology to help create efficiencies in manufacturing.
Read the full article.

GD&T - What Is It and Why Do I Need to Use It?

2010-07-29T08:02:00.000-04:00

A common term in the world of metrology is Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, also known as GD&T. You may hear this term often, but what does it really mean? Do you know when and where you should be using it? And exactly how does metrology equipment fit in?

GD&T is a symbolic language, developed by engineers, for engineers to communicate the design characteristics of a part clearly, consistently and unambiguously that are fundamental to its correct function, in order to enable manufacturing to know how to produce parts and for inspection to know how to verify whether or not those parts will be fit for purpose at the design stage.

GD&T is an indispensible tool, but in common with most tools it needs to be treated with respect and handled in the right way to get the most out of it. In too many cases GD&T is misapplied – causing a return to the days of trial and error, resulting in time and cost deficits instead of realizing the expected benefits.

If you are trying to guarantee the assemble-ability and/or interchangeability of components, and trying to make your manufacturing processes more cost effective, then GD&T may be for you.

Some of the main benefits of using GD&T are

• Decreased recurring costs

• Decreased overhead costs

• Reduced design changes

• Increased profits and growth

• Producing a better product

• Customer satisfaction

Portable coordinate measuring machines offer a quick and easy way of applying and checking the feasibility of GD&T schemes during development and for monitoring in-process compliance.

Watch these recorded webinars to learn the understanding of the time, engineering, and cost benefits that proper implementation of GD&T can provide.

GD&T Part 1

GD&T Part 2

Reconstructing Dinosaur Fossils Using the FARO Laser Scanner

2010-07-27T14:14:00.002-04:00

Paleontologists from the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History are working towards reconstructing the anatomy of missing bones of a juvenile Apatosaurus. With approximately only 15% of the bones collected, scientists look to digitally reconstruct the rest of the bone structure using the model of the adult Apatosaurus currently on display in the Museum. Reverse engineering the large skeleton would be the best solution.

The FARO Laser Scanner Photon proved to be the ideal solution. With a measurement range of 395 FT. and a high resolution capture of 711 million pixels per scan, the FARO Photon was able to provide the researchers the required data to reverse engineer the adult skeleton into a CAD based model. FARO’s post-processing software, FARO Scene, automatically registers each scan together for a complete point cloud mesh.

Paleontologists and researchers all agreed that laser scanning can open up new avenues to studying and rebuilding the past, specifically anything fragile in nature and delicate to handle. By applying a non-contact laser to such objects, it allows researchers the benefit of examining features without degrading the specimens.

To read the full article titled “Reconstructing Dinosaur Fossils Using the FARO Laser Scanner” click HERE

Using a Forward-Thinking Approach to an Ancient Process

2010-07-22T08:29:00.002-04:00

Based in Mansfield, Texas, Trinity Forge is a modern, closed-die forging plant that specializes in complex shapes in a wide variety of sizes to meet the most stringent customer specifications. Trinity’s commitment to quality requires them to not only stay on top of customers’ needs, but to stay ahead of them. That’s why Trinity Forge was the first closed-die commercial forge in the United States to receive ISO 9000 certification and why they continue to invest in the latest forging and machining technologies and quality controls.

As might be imagined with a forging company, Trinity Forge must inspect very large dies – often weighing from 500 to 4000 pounds. To inspect such large and cumbersome dies, the typical practice was to pour a plaster cast and then measure that cast on a fixed CMM. The difficulty with this method was that the inspections were of the cast impressions and not of the actual die faces. Trinity wanted to improve their inspection process to include scans of the entire die face, the actual die face and not just the impressions. Gaining this scanning capability would give them the ability to track critical die wear features, learn from the die wear, fix potential problems before they became actual problems, and engineer tooling changes to alleviate wear.

After surveying potential solutions, Trinity Forge decided to use the FARO Laser ScanArm® with Geomagic® Studio/Qualify 12 software. This hardware/software combination gives Trinity the total solution they were looking for to upgrade their inspection process.

By implementing the FARO Laser ScanArm solution into their processes, Trinity Forge is now able to check dies in about half the time as they did before using older techniques. They don’t have to pour a plaster and wait for it to cure. Scanning is very quick and, on average, it takes only one hour per die and thirty minutes of modeling time.

“The speed at which we can operate is a great value to us,” said Sheppard. “Several new dies from the CNCs can be scanned in the morning and approved in the afternoon. Reverse engineering of parts, maintenance of parts, or die models are all a snap using FARO.”

Read the full case application

Positive Signs at Farnborough Air Show

2010-07-20T07:53:00.002-04:00

The Farnborough International Air Show is one of the world's most iconic global aviation events, held in Farnborough, England every two years. The show kicked off yesterday, July 19th with a day of conferences, seminars and exhibitor presentations. With a record-breaking $88.7 billion worth of orders announced during the show's last appearance in July 2008, many are wondering what the show will bring this year given the recent economic setbacks of the past year.

The show is reported to be off to a good start, with Boeing and Airbus bringing in billions of dollars worth of aircraft sales on Monday, a seemingly positive message to the global economy. Many industry watchers consider the FIA show to be a key test of the industry's health so many are watching closely to see how the rest of the week will unfold. With more than 1,000 exhibitors (only down slightly from the 1,393 from the 2008 show) and delegations from Egypt, Taiwan and Morocco for the first time, many believe that the show may be a sign of the market starting to turn.

The AP reports, "There is a renewed enthusiasm to look forward again among the airlines," said Howard Wheeldon, a senior strategist at BGC Partners, who upped his forecast for commercial plane orders at the show to 400 from 300 after the early bust of announcements Monday morning.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes President Jim Albaugh said the market "has come back faster than we expected" and the Chicago-based company has twice raised its internal forecasts for the number of orders at the biennial show.

Still, some stay cautious about the near-term outlook, such as Bombardier Commercial Aircraft President Gary Scott, saying that airlines needed to be sure they could sustain recent post-crisis gains before had they "balance sheet and courage to order airplanes in significant quantities again."

Regardless, it seems as though all eyes will be closely on the turnout of this massive show. Time will tell if the initial rush of orders is truly a sign of the start to recovery for the aerospace industry.

Read the entire story.

Learn more about the Farnborough International Air Show.

A Laser Tracker is only as Good as its Target

2010-07-15T09:22:00.001-04:00

A laser tracker and its target goes hand in hand. Regardless of how accurate the laser tracker is, the quality of the measurements is directly affected by the precision of the target. It is this concept of working together that sets laser trackers apart from non-contact laser measurement systems. The laser tracker and its target comprise a system that together determines the tracking performance, and most importantly, the accuracy of the measurement.

The majority of laser tracker users choose a spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) as their target. There are many different options available, with the most common being the glass panel SMR. These targets tend to have high accuracy and are also more affordable than other models. However, their one major downfall is their ability to break. These targets are fragile, and if dropped, become useless.

The answer to this problem is the break resistant SMR. Typically these targets would be more expensive and you would have to sacrifice the high accuracy you would get with a glass panel target. However, a new line of SMRs has been released that has an accuracy that is equal to or better than a traditional glass panel SMR, while having the added advantage of being break resistant. They also come at a lower cost that before – some are even less than a traditional glass panel SMR. These targets contain a single element retroreflector with a gold coating. Since the retroreflector is constructed of a single element, there are no separate glass panels that can shift or break over time.

Learn more about these new laser tracker targets, including the World’s Most Accurate Break Resistant SMR.

Growth Spurt Expected for Nuclear Power in the United States

2010-07-13T09:22:00.003-04:00

With the economic recovery still being in a state of array, one thing is for certain; the federal government has put enormous amounts of funding towards energy efficient programs and infrastructure. Roads, highways, energy plants and even wind farms are part of the steady growth that the US government wants to see happen in the next few years to help boost the economy.

One particular segment that the US is looking towards is the nuclear power industry. Only 20 percent of electricity is generated by nuclear power. The US Department of Energy projects a rise in electricity in the upcoming years, therefore, nuclear power is being strongly considered to alleviate the burden of other power generating outlets.

What does it mean for other energy supporting industries like FARO? Well, with the projected increased building projects in the near future, companies will be looking to be competitive at every level. To do this the newest and most advanced technologies are sought after to minimize cost and most of all, time. For example, when considering the expansion of nuclear power plants, the FARO Laser Scanner Photon is the ideal tool for planning and documenting existing or new facility additions. Piping and electrical circuit mapping can all be quickly documented in 3D and preserved for future upgrades. The FARO Photon will help drastically reduce work stoppages, properly plan maintenance checks and visualize asset layout before actual installation. To read more information on the FARO Laser Scanner Photon click HERE.

To read the Quality Digest article titled “Growth Spurt Expected for Nuclear Power in the United States” click HERE.

To watch a webinar on portable metrology solutions and the power generation industry, click HERE.

The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining

2010-07-08T18:27:00.000-04:00

Established in 2003, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) addresses and supports the broad manufacturing and machining needs of the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its suppliers. Since its inception, the NCDMM has continued to expand its network of contacts and alliances to become increasingly involved with the manufacturing and machining issues facing DoD organizations and their contractor community.

The NCDMM’s staff of experienced manufacturing and machining engineers is the nucleus of a world-class team. Appropriate teams of Center engineers work with individual organizations to quickly and efficiently meet the goals of assessing issues, developing solutions to meet those needs and advance capabilities, demonstrating solutions to reduce risk and accelerate implementation, implementing solutions to advance operations, and training personnel to enhance their skills and knowledge base.

The Center has projected financial savings that exceed $478 million to date for companies that have implemented “best” solutions. The NCDMM targets a minimum of 30% cost reduction, but solutions can result in as much as a 70% reduction in fabrication cost. Implementation of these solutions result in improved schedules and lead times, the ability to overcome material and design limitations, and improved quality.

The NCDMM has a vast network of over 80 Alliance Partners that work them to indentify, develop, demonstrate, and deploy new solutions in partnership with the Center. One defense supplier that benefitted from the NCDMM and its Partnership with FARO was McNally Industries of Grantsburg, Wisconsin. McNally is a full service manufacturer providing product design and testing as well as make-to-print manufacturing. After traditionally using an assortment of measuring tools including a fixed CMM, McNally turned to the NCDMM for a recommendation for a solution that was both accurate and fast. Based on the Center’s recommendation, McNally acquired the FARO PowerGage. The Gage allows for accurate measurements to be taken right on the production floor. McNally uses the Gage everyday and inspection times have been reduced and operator error eliminated. They have also gained the ability to send computer generated inspection reports to customers.

The relationships the NCDMM continues to build with its Alliance Partners, the DoD, and, most importantly, its suppliers have a positive impact on the manufacturing operations of these critical companies. The Center provides clear benefits that impact all of us – defense industry suppliers and everyday citizens alike.

Learn more about the NCDMM

Full case study where NCDMM recommends FARO to McNally

Improve Manufacturing Efficiencies

2010-07-01T09:32:00.003-04:00

In today’s environment, we are all being asked to do more, but with less resources. This is especially prevalent in manufacturing – there is a constant need to create efficiencies within manufacturing processes.

One of the aspects of manufacturing where efficiencies can be created is in measurement/inspection. Why does manufacturing need highly-accurate measurements? An increasing number of manufacturers require even more precise measurements for products with various complexities, sizes, and shapes. Metrology helps guarantee the precision and quality of an ever-widening range of products and production processes.

In today’s highly competitive markets where time is money, portable metrology boosts efficiency by supplying the ability to accomplish a job with minimum expenditure of time and effort. The global marketplace requires improved metrology in order for manufacturers to remain or become more competitive.

Traditional inspection tools such as calipers and micrometers are easy to use and inexpensive, but their use for complex parts is very limited, they have high levels of measurement variability or human error, they are not repeatable, and cannot work directly with CAD.

Portable coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) such as articulating arms, laser trackers, and 3D laser scanners provide manufacturers the flexibility, accuracy, and repeatability necessary to compete in today’s efficient environments. They can be used in a variety of locations throughout one plant, provide improved product quality, reduce scrap, comply with Six Sigma and ISO standards, and allow you to write, save, call up and use inspection routines.

Watch the Improving Manufacturing Efficiencies webinar

Manufacturing to Bounce Back in Near Future

2010-06-29T08:19:00.000-04:00

To say that the US economy is dependent on manufacturing is an understatement. Millions of jobs were lost during the most recent recession. The state of the union is filled with optimism as every business sector is looking ahead to see if the economy can sustain steady progress.

Ball State University has recently conducted a study that reports a ranking of the 50 states based on economic position for the best turn-around in the manufacturing sector. The study reveals that the Sun Belt States seem to be in best position for a quick recovery. Due to low taxes while maintaining government spending for public services, a few states have laid out the ground work for manufacturing companies to flourish.

While this recovery is gaining momentum, FARO will be key in supporting the manufacturing sector. All of our products allow companies to operate leaner and more efficiently. The mission behind our products is to reduce scrap, decrease work stoppages and increase productivity. The FARO Laser Scanner Photon, for example, scans large scaled objects in half the time compared to traditional methods. Architects, project managers and designers spend less time in the field and more time innovating structural procedures.

To read the full article by Ball State University titled “Report: Nation’s Manufacturing Sector to Bounce Back in 2011–2012” click HERE.

3D Metrology Resource Center

2010-06-23T07:57:00.002-04:00

Looking for a place to find information on 3D metrology and its applications? Look no further! We have developed a full resource center, geared toward educating the market on the technology of 3D metrology. In the resource center, you will find a variety of documents, videos and webinars to help you understand how to apply this amazing technology.

With all of the advancements in engineering, quality control and manufacturing it can be hard to keep up - especially in times when we are all forced to do more with less. Decreased staff, shrinking budgets and the demand for more output than ever before has left most of us frustrated and tired. There are solutions out there, though, that can help improve processes and increase efficiency - making it easier to meet tougher demands with less resources.

Take some time to look through the materials provided in the resource center and see how the different types of 3D metrology might apply to your company. There are numerous case studies of how organizations just like yours were able to implement a portable 3D metrology solution and save both time and money. Additionally, there are educational white papers and webinars geared toward efficiency and ways to improve your processes.

Visit the 3D Metrology Resource Center now!

List of Top 500 US Manufacturers Released

2010-06-18T08:10:00.000-04:00

With all of the attention on the Gulf of Mexico and the oil spill catastrophe, it was interesting to see that Industry Week named Exxon Mobil and Chevron as the top two companies from their 2010 report on the 500 largest publicly held US manufacturing companies based on revenue. We’ll have to wait and see if recent events will change the landscape next year. It seems we’ve all become more aware of just how much money these types of companies bring in. They were also the top two companies in 2009. General Electric and ConocoPhillips (also two energy companies) came in 3^rd and 4^th respectively.

Despite a tough year, “many manufacturers improved profits or returned to profitability in 2009”. There was a 30% drop in net income on this list in 2008, so it is nice to see a 6% increase this year. William Strauss, senior economist and economic advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, noted that manufacturers cutting back their expenses (in some cases beyond the necessary amount) contributed to the recovery.

In the metal fabrication industry, overall revenue fell 27% to $73.9 billion, which included a 53% drop for United States Steel Corporation. Even though two oil companies took the top two spots on the list, they also saw a large drop at 35%. Healthcare companies actually saw an increase, and the alternative energy market continued its upward climb. First Solar Inc, for example, experienced a profit growth of 84% in 2009.

View the complete Top 500 List

Reverse Engineering Using Laser Scanning

2010-06-15T15:30:00.002-04:00

This month FARO presented a webinar on reverse engineering using laser scanning. This adopted technology has become routine for rapid prototyping and CAD comparison. Because laser scanning captures free form surfaces with using point clouds, the data is extremely reliable. The usage of checking fixtures is becoming a process of the past. The cost of maintaining these fixtures as well as storing both play in favor to convert to laser scanning.

With the FARO Laser Scanner Photon, reverse engineering parts is not limited to only small or medium sized components. With a range of 395ft, the Photon is capable of capturing large scaled objects such as castings, trucks, yachts and even structures. The flexibility and speediness of the Photon allows users to gather the data in hard to reach areas and process the scans within the same day. Manufacturing can benefit greatly by implementing 3D laser scanning into the process.

To read the full “Reverse Engineering Method Using Advanced 3D laser Scanning,” click HERE.

To watch the recorded version of the webinar, click here.

Increasing Productivity, Accuracy, and Customer Base

2010-06-09T08:16:00.000-04:00

Harvest Technologies, based in Belton, Texas, provides rapid prototyping and manufacturing for a wide range of industries – including oil and gas, automotive, medical, consumer goods, power tools, and aerospace. With over 30 years of engineering experience, Harvest has been leading the way in rapid prototyping for over ten years – having developed several proprietary techniques of post-processing and finishing rapid prototypes.

Rapid prototyping (RP) uses a technological process to produce complex 3D objects in a short period of time, usually days rather than weeks. Tight tolerances are a must and capturing contour measurements of various prototypes creates difficulties. When working with complex measurements, traditional measurement tools such as calipers don’t work, create guesswork, human error, and inconsistent results. Harvest needed a better solution to answer their customers’ needs.

Thanks to one of these customers, Harvest chose the advanced technology of the FARO Laser ScanArm®. The ScanArm’s ability to capture high end surface measurements and its ability to take fine point measurements for use in stereolithography (STL) files was key. The ScanArm allows Harvest to scan complex contours and place them into a CAD model using Geomagic software. Tolerances are verified when the scanned prototypes are compared to an original 3D model, providing first article and CAD-to-part inspection capability.

What used to take days, now takes only hours with the ScanArm. Products are created in less time, more cost effectively, and without the waste caused by human error. Any deviations are caught with the very first part, not after creating piles of scrap during a faulty production run. More importantly, deviations a caught before a part is ever sent to a customer.

“It’s a great tool – well worth its weight in gold,” says Jason Morgan, Stereolithography Production Manager at Harvest.

Read the full case application

Watch a recorded webinar on Rapid Prototyping

3D Laser Scanning Speeds Up Building Condition Surveys

2010-06-02T08:27:00.000-04:00

Building Surveys emerged as a profession in the 1970’s and originated in the United Kingdom. Since that time it has become a well known profession that consists mostly of experienced surveyors. It is these surveyors that are being increasingly employed at all levels of the construction process. These building surveyors undertake a wide array of tasks such as: construction design, building works, project management and building surveys.

It is these building surveys that can be critical to the entire construction process. Not only does the documentation need to be accurate but it usually requires a timely delivery. An article on facilitiesnet.com discusses the advantages of using laser scanning technology in the surveying process. As it highlights the speediness of the technology, it is important to note that the FARO Laser Scanner Photon is the fastest phase-shift based laser scanner in the marketplace. With 976,000 points captured per second, the Photon is able to produce detailed point clouds up to 120 meters. Surveyors, who understand the importance of accuracy and saving time, rely on the Photon to enhance the building process.

To read the full “3-D Laser Scanning Speeds Up Building Condition Surveys,” click HERE.

FARO Sponsors Two Andretti Racecars

2010-05-26T13:49:00.002-04:00

If you didn't already know, FARO is the proud sponsor of two of the cars on the Andretti race team. That's right, we are true race fans at heart! Official sponsors of the #26 car, driven by Marco Andretti, and the #37 car, driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay, we are pleased to support the team.

Not only does FARO support the team on the track, but off the track as well. Andretti Autosport uses several pieces of FARO equipment to work on their cars and make them even better on race day. In their continuing goal of excellence, Andretti reverse engineers full-size race car parts to improve the accuracy of the team’s wind tunnel models. They use this information as a starting point for design modifications.

In the past, getting the data took a very long time, and Andretti needed the information faster with more freedom and flexibility. This is where we came in to help. With the Laser ScanArm, Andretti was able to complete tasks quickly such as verifying the position of aerodynamic parts on race cars. With the ScanArm, Andretti saved about 2-3 days on average per project that needed surface scans. This increased data is extremely valuable to the team and thier continued success.

The next race you can watch the Andretti team in is the 2010 Indianapolis 500, live on ABC at 12:00pm on Sunday, May 30th from Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.

Learn more about the FARO Laser ScanArm.
Follow the Andretti Race Team.

Importance of Inspection

2010-05-20T17:04:00.001-04:00

In order for manufacturers today to be competitive and reduce costs, it is critical for them to find production mistakes before their customer does. An article in Quality Magazine recently detailed this point.

One of the first things that companies need to do is change the way they think about inspection. It can no longer be seen as an “expensive, complicated and time-consuming operation that limits their profitability”. Years ago that may have been the case, but advancements in technology have brought high-tech inspection methods to the masses and have made it both easy to use and affordable.

The earlier a problem is discovered, the more money is saved. If the product is too far along in the manufacturing process, more re-work will need to be done, taking more time and resources. Also, the part may even be at a point where it would need to be scrapped, and the process would need to start over.

One of the advances in inspection technology is the development of portable CMMs (coordinate measuring machines). While fixed CMMs have been used for decades, many times they are not the most flexible solution. It can take a considerable amount of time (especially for larger parts) to move the part to the CMM. For many manufacturers, portable CMMs are preferred as they enable you to get the high accuracy inspection results, but with the flexibility of being able to measure “in situ” directly on the machine producing the part.

Read the entire article

Read a white paper on portable CMMs

Laser Scanning Gains Acceptance in Manufacturing Factories

2010-05-19T11:50:00.001-04:00

With the current economy and that slow recovery ahead of American businesses, corporations have been forced to look at their business model to make drastic improvements. One of the most popular used terminologies that came from business restructuring was “lean manufacturing.” Lean manufacturing is defined as a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful. It is a concept that encourages improved efficiencies in manufacturing and cutting down of any overhead.

In order to do this many factories and manufacturing facilities have to reassess their plants and make modifications. Thousands of square foot space full of machinery and assembly lines has to be moved, realigned or replaced. The analyzing and management of these resources is known as Facility Management.

Facility management has typically been conducted using tape measures and older methods of documenting existing equipment and floor space. It is known to be a long and arduous process. However, in recent years laser scanning technology has given hope to engineers and surveyors. Products like the FARO Laser Scanner Photon can provide a 3D point cloud of any environment within minutes. Scanning at almost a millions points per second, the Photon provides accurate documentation that be measured, layered and used to model asset improvements in any plant environment.

The article titled “Creating Virtual Factories” discusses more details on the progressive usage of laser scanning technology and the key benefits.

To read the full article laser scanning in a global economic recovery, click HERE.

Manufacturing Stabilizes - Time to Invest in Technology

2010-05-18T08:07:00.004-04:00

Despite the fact that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's general economic index fell to 19.1 from 31.9 in April, it seems as though manufacturing is still continuing to do well. Rather than focusing on the slower May pace, the report reveals that manufacturing seems to be leveling out to a stable, sustainable pace of growth.

"Corporate America has underinvested in capital growth, so we're in for a period of very solid growth of equipment and software spending and that will provide a support for manufacturing," said Eric Green, chief market economist at TD Securities, Inc. in New York.

As companies continue to see an increase in demand, more and more will start capital spending once again. With leaner work forces and higher volume, manufacturing companies need to find ways to become more efficient in their processes and continue to do more with less. Investment in technology is definitely one of the best ways to gain efficiency and increase productivity. For manufacturing companies, technology such as portable coordinate measurement machines is a likely solution.

Many businesses have already benefitted from implementing portable CMMs, not only improving their processes but saving time and money as well. In some cases, measurements that were taking them weeks are now being completed in days. As signs point to this high level of production being the norm for quite some time to come, it's important to consider investing in technology to make it easy to get through it with smaller staff and less shifts.

Learn more about portable CMMs.

Auto Part Suppliers Rebound

2010-05-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

Last week, the AP reported that “Companies that crank out gears, hoses, gauges, and other parts for US automakers are making a comeback.” They went on to report that not only are many of these companies profitable again, but some are cautiously hiring after months of layoffs. The revival of these suppliers, and the auto industry as a whole, is driven by rising auto sales and the suppliers’ own painful cuts during the downturn.

These companies are among the more than 2000 US companies that make just about all of the 10,000 parts that make up a single car or truck. You name it and they make it. Though many of these suppliers are concentrated in the Great Lakes area, many more are in several southern states and Texas or California. They employ more than 420,000 people and are part of the complex supply chain that turns sheet metal and plastic into Chevys and Fords.

Some of the biggest suppliers like Gentex, BorgWarner, and Federal-Mogul have even reported millions in first quarter profits – a reversal of huge losses from early 2009 when the auto industry nearly collapsed. One supplier in particular, American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM), announced it had earned $16.3 million in the first quarter. By comparison, AAM posted a $32.7 million loss in the first quarter of 2009. AAM, which makes drive train and chassis systems, believes the profit turnaround came from higher production demands for sport utility vehicles and trucks at Chrysler and GM.

Michigan’s Oakland Press reported that AAM’s co-founder and CEO Richard Dauch said, “AAM’s financial results for the first quarter of 2010 continued a positive trend of improved profit and cash flow performance.” He also credited the “favorable impact of improving global industry conditions” and cost cutting as reasons for AAM’s turnaround.

AP Article by Tom Krisher

FARO and the Automotive Industry

Preparing for the Manufacturing Upswing

2010-05-07T10:57:00.011-04:00

A recent study conducted worldwide by IBM, Hannover Messe, and Plant Engineering of more than 1,300 plant engineers found that over 60% of US plants and more than 70% of international plants do not have a maintenance strategy in place. The study also found that more than half of the global manufacturers used the recession to upgrade equipment and training.

For the companies that used the down-time to improve their processes and get better equipment, they are probably much better off coming out of the recession. Sometimes our instincts tell us to just sit tight, not to make any significant changes as we don’t know what the future will bring. But this is exactly the time to take advantage of slower schedules. The end result is what gives companies that competitive edge and allows them to hit the ground running when business starts to pick up again.

Results also indicated that the immediate future of manufacturing will focus on producing more with less. The only way to do that is by taking your processes, refining them, and making them more efficient.

There are several tools available to help with these tasks. For manufacturers of many products, quality control and assurance procedures are critical. To take this time to review the current QC processes that are in place, and ensure that the correct tools are being used, can result in greater success on the upswing. Portable coordinate measuring machines (Portable CMMs) allow manufacturers to quickly and easily perform quality checks on their parts. They allow the term “lean manufacturing” to actually become a reality.

Learn more about portable CMMs

Will the global economic recovery spur 3D laser scanning?

2010-05-04T17:04:00.000-04:00

With such an uncertain economic future ahead of us, businesses are turning to lean manufacturing and newer technologies to become more efficient and profitable. Sustaining any kind of profit has been very difficult to achieve for most industrial and commercial companies.

The article “Will the global economy recovery spur 3D laser scanning?” describes how 3D laser scanning is a thriving geospatial technology. With the limitation on resources and labor, laser scanning allows businesses to conduct data collection and proper planning without having the enormous overhead that projects were so prone to in the past.

FARO has always provided customers with metrology devices that enhance their processes to be the best in the world. Our entire product line of Arms, Laser Trackers and Laser Scanners are designed to provide the quality that customers can stand by.

The FARO Laser Scanner Photon is no different. The FARO Photon is the most advanced and fastest phase-shift laser scanner in the industry. It allows engineers to scan large objects and environments in less time than most other laser scanners while still capturing accurate and detailed data. It is this type of advancing technology that will improve the business cycle for many companies from the recession into the next economic up -swing.

To read the full article laser scanning in a global economic recovery, click HERE.

GM Announces $890 Million in Plant Upgrades

2010-04-30T15:59:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, GM announced that it is investing about $890 million to upgrade five North American factories as part of its fuel-efficient small-block engine program. The investments include facility renovations and installation of new, highly flexible engine machining and assembly equipment and special tooling for manufacturing efficiency and engine quality.

The investment includes $400 million for its Tonawanda, NY plant; $235 million for the facility in St. Catharines, Ontario; $115 million for Defiance, Ohio; $111 million for the Bedford, Indiana plant; and $32 million for its Bay City, Michigan plant. In addition to the monetary investment, the announcement consists of plans to create or retain more than 1,600 jobs in the five factories. Many of the newer positions will be filled by laid off GM employees.

The AP reports that GM has chosen the Tonawanda Engine plant to build a new V8 engine. This is the second big investment in the Tonawanda plant announced this year. In February, GM announced the western New York facility would receive $425 million in upgrades to begin building a new version of the four-cylinder Ecotec engine in 2012.

GM, the largest US automaker, is boosting its spending on more fuel-efficient engines as governments push for reduced pollutants and as rising fuel prices drive consumer demand for vehicles with better fuel mileage. Since emerging from bankruptcy in July, GM has invested $1.5 billion at 20 US and Canadian facilities and restored or created 7,500 jobs.

“GM is investing in our plants, restoring and creating jobs and making progress toward our vision of designing, building, and selling the world’s best vehicles,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America.

Read GM's press release

AP article in Chicago Tribune

The Future of Space Exploration

2010-04-22T16:01:00.003-04:00

President Obama outlined his strategy for NASA on April 15 at the Kennedy Space Center. While he proposes to spend an additional $6 billion over the next five years, he has also discontinued the Constellation Program, which was meant to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020, noting the program was less important, over budget, and behind schedule.

So what will the additional funds be spent on? The President sees us going deeper into space, and staying there longer. He said this new plan will actually send more astronauts into space over the next ten years than previously planned. He even expects us to be orbiting Mars by the mid-2030s with a landing on the red planet not much farther into the future.

With the Constellation Program being cancelled, and the space shuttle fleet being retired at the end of 2010, the only way that Americans will be able to get into space is aboard the Russian Soyuz capsules. Commercial vehicles are an option, but it will be years before they are ready.

Some famous astronauts expressed their concerns about this new proposal. They wrote a letter saying “the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity,” and that the cancellation of the Constellation Program is “devastating”.

Created in 1958, NASA is an important part of American history as well as its future. NASA’s vision is “To understand and protect our home planet, to explore the Universe and search for life, and to inspire the next generation of explorers...as only NASA can.” Whatever your opinions are on the changes, it’s sure to be an exciting ride as we continue to learn more about the Universe, and it turn, learn even more about ourselves.

3D Laser Scanning for Marine Applications

2010-04-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

In recent years laser scanning technology has developed into an adopted method of documenting as-built conditions. More commonly, 3D laser scanning is seen as a required practice for industries such as architecture, civil engineering and construction. Managing a building’s lifecycle through the entire process by the use of 3-dimensional data has changed the way projects are designed and delivered.

However, with the increased accuracy and longer range of laser scanners come new applications. GKS Global Services, an international provider of scanning services has pioneered laser scanning techniques. One of these techniques has been using 3D laser scanning for marine applications and ship building.

Much of the vessels that you see today do not have digital documentation or CAD models. Even though they are designed using 3D data, vessels are still assembled with minor errors or discrepancies. GKS now provides laser scanning for large vessels that either need to be refurbished or need to be assembled for the first time. Using the FARO Laser Scanner Photon, GKS is able to scan up to 120m or 395ft. With a high degree of accuracy and a resolution of up to 711 million pixels per scan, the data collected to enough to show where piping, frames and hulls may align or be offline. Marine engineers are discovering that laser scanning can provide them dependable CAD models that can be used to design and retro-fit older vessels as they age in years.

To read the full article on how GKS conducts laser scanning for marine applications, click HERE.

BAE Systems Named World’s Biggest Arms Maker

2010-04-15T07:53:00.000-04:00

The New York Times reported that BAE Systems has “topped the list as the world’s biggest armaments company.” The company has “sharply expanded its sales of armored vehicles for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The report said that BAE moved up two spots in 2008 with military sales of $32.4 billion, surpassing rivals Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics.

Based in the UK, BAE is the first non-US company to hold this spot. Despite not being a US company, BAE does more than half its business in the US. In fact, North American companies dominate the list with 60-percent of the arm sales of the top 100 companies. It’s noted that Chinese firms were absent from the list despite the Institute ranking China’s military spending as second only to the US. It is explained that Chinese firms would rank higher, but there is inadequate or unreliable information.

Global news source AFP reported that BAE had arm sales of 20.98 billion pounds ($32.4 billion) compared to Lockheed Martin’s 19.36 (29.9) and Boeing’s 18.9 (29.1). SIPRI arms-industry expert Susan Jackson noted, “BAE really shows the increasing internationalization of the arms industry and the attractiveness of the US market.”

It is also very interesting to note that BAE’s sales were greater than the gross domestic product of 105 countries (according to SIPRI). Along those same lines, the total sales of the 100 largest defense groups had arms sales of 249 billion pounds ($384 billion). That figure is more than three times the size of the total development aid of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) countries, which was only 77.73 billion pounds, or $120 billion.

Read the full article in the New York Times

BAE Systems

Turbine Upgrade using Portable Measurement Technology

2010-04-01T09:11:00.000-04:00

During a turbine upgrade project at Rocky Mountain Hydro Electric Plant, Oglethorpe Power Corporation was tasked with finding ways to trim the schedule. The plant is a pumped storage facility located in the Appalachian mountains of Northwest Georgia, approximately 62 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Oglethorpe is the nation’s largest power supply cooperative which provides electricity to 4.1 million Georgia citizens.

A Senior Engineer at Oglethorpe had been looking at a system that was gaining notoriety in the metrology industry for attaining measurements with phenomenal precision using laser technology. This instrument – a laser tracker – can be used to perform critical measurements for “as found” and “as left” conditions pertaining to disassembly and reassembly of their pumped storage turbine generator.

The laser tracker was used in several aspects of this project including alignment and reverse engineering. Click here to read the full story.

Laser Scanning a Historic Prison

2010-03-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

GKS Global Services is one of the leading laser scanning service providers in the laser scanning industry. They pride themselves on scanning complex large scale geometries and environments in which traditional measuring methods wouldn’t be an option. One particular project called for GKS to scan 2 million square feet of floor space of an old penitentiary prison. The data collected would be used to create a virtual walkthrough for a simulation game to aid in the planning and execution of prison riots drills.

GKS conducted its scanning of the prison within one week’s time using the FARO Laser Scanner Photon. Not only were the scans completed in time, but the accuracies of the data far exceeded the customer’s expectations.To read the full article on how GKS conducted its scanning on the prison, click HERE.

The National Tooling and Machining Association

2010-03-25T16:58:00.000-04:00

Organized in 1943, the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) is the national representative of the custom precision manufacturing industry in the United States. The mission of the NTMA is to help its members achieve success in an ever increasing global economy through advocacy, advice, networking, information, programs, and services. Its nearly 2,000 members design and manufacture special tools, dies, jigs, fixtures, gages, special machines, and precision machined parts – generating sales in excess of $40 billion a year. Many of these members are small, privately owned and operated businesses.

Tooling is, essentially, the means of production. It is custom-designed and made to manufacture specific products, often in quantity. The products produced by this tooling must be made to desired levels of uniformity, accuracy, interchangeability, and quality.

Machining involves the use of a wide variety of machine tools – ranging in size from small automatic lathes for miniature parts to enormous boring mills – to cut or form material (most often metal) to precise shapes and dimensions. The industry is perhaps the most technologically-advanced of all small manufacturers and enjoys widespread use of computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machines, computer-aided design (CAD), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) techniques.

The tooling and machining industry is critical to the country’s economic health as it impacts nearly every other manufacturing industry. The industry supplies the necessary precision tooling and machining for such vital industries as defense, automotive, aerospace, transportation, nuclear, and many more. In fact, nearly every manufacturer interacts with the contract tooling and machining industry.

Learn more about the NTMA
Read a white paper on aerospace tooling

Visit FARO at WESTEC 2010 - Booth #2901

2010-03-23T09:17:00.002-04:00

WESTEC 2010, the West Coast's definitive manufacturing event, starts today in Los Angeles, CA. If you are in the area and plan to attend, make sure to stop by Booth #2901 and visit us! We have all of our 3D measurement products on display, ready for you to come and see how easy they are to use - and how powerful they can be. Our team is on hand to help you understand how our products work and how they can best help you improve your processes and increase efficiency.

Showcased in the booth will be:
The FaroArm Quantum - Improving quality and reverse engineering processes by rapidly verifying or scanning parts with confidence and accuracy. Learn more about the FaroArm now!

The FARO Gage - A portable CMM that increases measurement productivity and flexibility while enhancing accuracying in any production environment. Learn more about the FARO Gage now!

The FARO Laser ScanArm - The perfect contact/non-contact measurement system for inspection, point cloud-to-CAD comparison, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering and 3D modeling. Learn more about the FARO Laser ScanArm now!

The FARO Laser Tracker ION - The most advanced, state-of-the-art FARO Laser Tracker ever introduced. This is the most accurate laser tracker available while still simple and easy to use and maintain. Learn more about the FARO Laser Tracker ION now!

The FARO Laser Scanner Photon - With the Photon you have the ability to complete large scale measurements and get as-built documentation, all in a matter of a few minutes. Learn more about the FARO Laser Scanner Photon now!

The Return of Manufacturing

2010-03-18T09:12:00.005-04:00

While manufacturing jobs are still disappearing, US companies keep on producing. “American factories continue to churn out hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods annually – everything from Ford trucks and Boeing airplanes to Gordon & Smith surfboards and Viking appliances.” (msnbc.com)

US manufacturing has been changing over the years focusing more on items that require fewer workers to produce them, and provide a much greater value. Even the lower cost items that are produced here are usually done so with less people and more automated machines.

The article on msnbc.com makes a good point, in that most people do think of American manufacturing as large companies such as Caterpillar, General Motors, and Boeing. However, there are many smaller businesses making items that support these companies by providing specialized parts and services.

In order for these smaller companies to remain competitive, it’s also important that the parts they produce and the services they provide are top-notch. Quality control and assurance procedures are an important part of this.

As we all continue to watch as the economy starts to slowly recover, we are reminded that having efficient business practices and lean manufacturing processes can help prepare us for the future – as we can never be sure what it will bring.

Laser Scanning an Ice Rink’s Mechanical Room for Facility Management

2010-03-16T08:25:00.001-04:00

A very suitable application for 3D laser scanning is facility management. Facility management is defined as the maintenance and safe operation of a commercial or industrial plant, building or factory. Pre-planning and documentation of as-builts are critical when designing modifications to the infrastructure.

A recent example of such an event occurred at a municipal ice rink. An engineering firm was contracted to install a new geoexchange cooling system in the mechanical room. Downtime was a great concern to the client so incentives were actually included in the contract for the engineering firm.

In order to beat the deadline GKS Global Service was brought in to conduct 3D laser scans of the mechanical room with the existing system. Within an hour six scans were conducted to capture the 30’ x 50’ room. The resulting 3D CAD model allowed the mechanical engineers to plan the install within separate phases. New fittings could be installed without interfering with existing pipes and critical lines were shut down with only minimal downtime. The FARO laser Scanner Photon proved to be the tool to not only exceed the customer’s deadline, but to also provide accurate detailed modeling data which would have taken up to three weeks using old traditional methods.

To read the full article on Laser Scanning for Facility Management on Quality Digest, click HERE.

Antron Cuts Reverse Engineering Time in Half

2010-03-11T07:57:00.001-05:00

As a leading innovator in the highly competitive contract manufacturing market, Antron Engineering and Machine specializes in design for manufacturability. Specifically, this means they focus on improving product design and lowering final product costs without sacrificing quality. With these goals and with proven results, Antron has become a value-added contract manufacturing partner to the world’s leading OEMs.

Examples of the many parts that Antron must measure and inspect are the aluminum crank shafts and motor covers for various motorcycles. These parts have a variety of irregular and complex features and a large range of sizes. These parts were previously measured with a traditional fixed CMM, but this resulted in a very time-consuming reverse engineering process.

With a company goal of flexibility, diversification, and continual renewal of technology, Antron is committed to the use of new technology to answer both old and new problems. As they looked for a better solution than their fixed CMM, Antron considered several competing technologies. With the FaroArm Platinum, they were able to reverse engineer their parts and build native SolidWorks models without any intermediate steps. This reduction in needless steps resulted in a significant amount of saved time and reduced engineering costs.

As it is with any manufacturing company, time equals money and the FaroArm definitely saves them money.

“The time savings we have realized have been a great value to us,” said Engineer Don Clifford. “I would estimate that the FaroArm has cut our engineering time by 50-percent.”

Read the full story

Avatar at the Oscars - Upset or Triumph?

2010-03-09T14:49:00.003-05:00

As most of you well know, Avatar won three Oscars Sunday night: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Now, the majority of the headlines around will be screaming that this is a huge loss for Avatar, since they lost out for Best Picture to Hurt Locker. Of course, it is certainly a shame since Avatar has been touted the most successful film of all time, but you should not focus on what was not achieved. The focus should be on what WAS achieved...

The fact that a movie created and produced in 3D technology winning three Oscars shows the path our technology is on for the future. 3D technology is changing the way we view movies. In fact, 3D technology is changing the way we do everything. Forensic scene documentation, inspecting aircraft engines down to micrometers, recreating historic chapels and theaters - there are very few areas that 3D technology does not have its hand.

So, rather than focusing on the fact that Hurt Locker beat out Avatar for Best Picture, realize that winning three Oscars is really a tribute to 3D technology - and a glimpse of what is to come.

See the full list of Oscar winners.
Learn more about 3D Technology.

Quality Control vs Quality Assurance

2010-03-04T07:50:00.000-05:00

Two common terms in the metrology world are quality control and quality assurance. Some people may think these terms are interchangeable. However, each actually has its own meaning and is used in specific circumstances. So let’s explore them…

Quality control is defined as “a system for ensuring the maintenance of proper standards in manufactured goods, especially by periodic random inspection of the product” (answers.com). Examples of quality control are testing, inspections, etc. These activities are used to find defects in goods that are being manufactured – the deliverable itself is being validated.

Quality assurance “refers to a program for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service, or facility to ensure that standards of quality are being met” (Wikipedia). Examples of quality assurance are performing quality audits, defining processes, and training. The person performing the audit does not necessarily need any expertise regarding the deliverable – he/she can still successfully evaluate the process used to create the deliverable.

Both quality control and quality assurance are important in any manufacturing environment. Quality control is actually a part of the overall quality assurance process. Without proper quality control measures, quality assurance results will suffer.

There are many tools available to aid in performing quality control and quality assurance activities. Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are just one of the many options. A popular, easy-to-use type of CMM is the portable CMM. They are simple to operate and can be used directly on the shop floor.

Learn more about quality and portable CMMs.

A Look into the Latest Technology Tools for Crash & Crime Documentation

2010-03-02T07:54:00.000-05:00

An interesting article appears on Lawofficer.com regarding the recent technology trends involved with accident & crime scene investigations.

If you’re a fan of CSI, Bones or Law & Order than you probably have come across typical items during the investigation such as caution tape, tape measures, tweezers and chalk lines. But have you ever noticed the more recent interesting scientific methods for forensic analysis or accident scene investigation? Next time you watch an episode, pay special attention to electronic devices such as laser scanners which are taking these types of investigations to another level.

The FARO Laser Scanner Photon 120 has the capability of scanning at a blistering rate of 976,000 points per second! The FARO Photon has a built-in adjustment feature that allows the investigator to balance speed and scan quality according to the scenario. What makes the FARO Photon the perfect tool for capturing spatial data for crime and accident scenes is that its field of view is the best in class for phase shift laser scanners. With a 360° horizontal and a 320° vertical field of view, the FARO Photon is able to capture more detail in an area without having to take multiple scans. It operates perfectly as a one man operation so scanning can be done quickly and effectively. The color camera option overlays high quality detailed photographic images over the point clouds. This can be critical to identify blood splatter, tread marks and other pieces of evidence that need to be visual. In the future, you’ll see more and more law enforcement and investigation bureaus using laser scanning technology to help solve the toughest cases.

To read the full article on 3D Scanning in Crash & Crime Diagramming, click HERE.

MacDill AFB Keeps Tankers Flying Using a FaroArm

2010-02-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

“You break it, we mend it.” That’s a common phrase for members of the 6th Maintenance Squadron’s Fabrication Flight at MacDill Air Force Base, just outside of Tampa, Florida. The flight of more than 40 Airmen is divided into Structural Maintenance, Metals Technology, and Non-Destructive Inspection. Part of their mission is to repair and maintain various parts of the KC-135 Stratotankers located on the base.

“There’s no structure or part required to keep the KC-135 Stratotankers flying that we can’t make,” said Senior Master Sgt. David Loop, 6 MXS fabrication flight chief. “Given the time and manpower to get the job done, our team will do it.” To assist them in their effort, the Maintenance Squadron uses state of the art machines like the FaroArm®. Devices like the FaroArm help the Fabrication Flight members design, weld, or create material that has been discontinued.
“The FARO is a three dimensional machine that we use to create or design materials needed that no longer exists,” said Staff Sgt. Henry Dungan, 6 MXS metals technology craftsman. “We use the machine to map out the object which appears virtually on the FARO after which we use the OMAX water jet to create (it).”

Not only is creating, mending, and welding the material to be used on the aircraft a part of their specialty, but so is inspecting particular parts brought to them from the maintenance crews. Basically, the Flight’s mission extends to whatever is asked or needed of them.

During the Haitian Relief efforts, the Fabrication Flight members worked hand in hand with the other maintainers to keep the MacDill tankers flying and mission ready to successful carry out the tasks given.

The term “You break it, we mend it” extends to include, “If you suspect it, we check it, if you break it, me make it.” As Sergeant Loops says, “The Fantastic Fab Flight keeps the aircraft flying high and safe.”

Read the full article in the MacDill AFB News
Learn more about the FaroArm

Lessons from Toyota: Importance of Quality Control

2010-02-23T13:49:00.000-05:00

While the investigation into what caused the safety-related problems with Toyota vehicles continues, the situation reminds us all of the importance that quality control plays in almost every industry.

The term quality control became common in the 1950s. W. Edward Deming proposed the process known as “statistical quality control” to counter the process in place for inspecting manufactured products after the war. Even though these statistical controls could be expensive, he argued that implementing these measures ultimately saved companies money. (Small Business Encyclopedia)

According to the Wall Street Journal, “Toyota Motor Corp. is considering ways to bolster procedures for checking the quality and reliability of cars” and “is aiming to announce changes to its quality and disclosure practices”.

Not learning from this very public mistake would be a shame, as Toyota will need to spend a lot of time and money not only on fixing the problem, but also on rebuilding its brand and confidence among consumers.

One important lesson to be learned from this is that although there is a cost associated with implementing proper quality procedures, purchasing quality control devices, and refining manufacturing processes, simply not ending up in a situation where your entire brand is on the line can be priceless.

Learn more about FARO’s quality control devices.

Economists Urge US to Invest in Manufacturing

2010-02-18T07:49:00.002-05:00

Steve Minter of IndustryWeek wrote yesterday about the reasons why the US needs to invest in manufacturing. One economist pointed out that "our ability to field competitive domestic manufacturing industries is deteriorating and too few understand the implications for the U.S. economy."

So what are those implications? Well, it has become clear over the passing yearst hat the rest of the world has stepped up to the plate and raised its game for manufacturing superiority. It can be argued that we are simply evolving toward more high-tech industries and therefore our traditional manufacturing is declining. Gregory Tassey, economist for the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), points out that "the high-income economy must be the high-tech economy" and that manufacturing is a necessary element as it supports 70% of industry R&D spending.

He continues to say that many mainstream economists have failed to appreciate the complexity of the manufacturing sector and the need for multi-tiered supply chains and clusters of facilities that facilitate the communication and collaboration needed for product development, testing and rapid entry into commercial production.

To support a technology-based manufacturing sector, Tassey recommends tax incentives that would boost the average R&D intesity for domestic manufacturers to 6%, twice what the Obama administration is proposing. It is important that we maintain a strong domestic manufacturing front and that its supported throughout the entire technology lifecycle. With other countries such as China and Japan just barely trailing the US in patent applicaiton rates, we need to make sure we are investing in our future through manufacturing.

Read the full story.

FARO Releases FARO Scene 4.7 at SPAR Conference 2010

2010-02-17T07:50:00.001-05:00

This year’s SPAR Conference in Houston, Texas was filled with excitement, big hits and a lot of scoring. No, we’re not just talking about the Super Bowl event. We’re talking about FARO’s newest release of FARO Scene Software for the Laser Scanner. FARO officially released FARO Scene 4.7 which continues to bring the most innovative laser scanning processing software to the 3D market.

The new Scene 4.7 features more efficient point cloud handling and visualization due to the new 64 bit architecture which extends the usable memory to view scan files. This new version also incorporates “one-click” Web-Share functionality. Completed scanned images can now be exported to the Internet, thus enabling industries such as architecture, engineering and law enforcement to share scan information with customers, suppliers and partners without the need of additional software. The new Web-Share functionality s natively built into the FARO Scene 4.7 software and requires no additional software add-ons to publish scan data on the web.
In order to publish scan data onto the Internet, FARO has created a security feature which enables the user to create a login name and password so that files are protected. With this security feature, scan data is protected and shared with only authorized users, clients and partners of any particular project.

FARO Scene 4.7 will be delivered with every Laser Scanner. Current users of any version of FARO Scene 4.X will be provided an upgrade at no cost. The new version of FARO Scene 4.7 will be available in April 2010.

Reverse Engineering Basics

2010-02-09T14:52:00.002-05:00

Have you ever encountered instances where you do not have design documentation on the parts you need manufactured? What about the need to create accurate “as-built” documentation, or the need to perform reliable analysis of parts when you don’t have the design information available?

Popularity of and the necessity for reverse engineering has increased as the process has become a viable method of creating a 3D model of an existing physical part. Portable coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have become an important tool in this process.

Join us on Wednesday, February 17th to learn how to use a portable CMM to recreate a 3D model of an existing part, using both contact and non-contact technology.
Click here to register.

Software Tips & Tricks: Geomagic - Showing all the Polygons

2010-02-04T09:24:00.004-05:00

When working in the software, it sometimes appears that the polygon model has many holes in it.

The reason for this is that the model has many polygons. To help the computer system, especially the graphics card, the software reduces the number of polygons on the screen. This is only graphical. If this is not preferred, you can go to the “Manager Panel” and press the little computer. Almost at the bottom you can change the settings for that particular model.

When you know your graphics card is good enough to handle many polygons in a model, it’s also possible to change the threshold to switch to less polygons on the screen in a more permanent way.

Go to: Tools – Options – under “Graphics” – Primitive Settings. Here you can change the number of points, ordered points, and/or polygons from where less will be shown on the screen.

3D Laser Scanning to Convert Building into BIM

2010-02-02T13:32:00.002-05:00

Building Information Modeling or BIM is defined as: “the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle. It typically uses 3-dimensional, real time, dynamic building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and construction.”

In today’s world of advancing technology, cost management systems, computer aided drafting and project management, the construction industry is steadily experiencing a revolutionary change. Life cycles of the building process are dramatically decreasing. With companies such as Clark Construction Group LLC and Hunt Construction Group leading the way with BIM, it’s no wonder why more projects will be built more efficiently than ever. Their most recent project is phase IV of the Veteran Administration’s Southern Nevada Healthcare System medical campus. Direct Dimensions was called in to laser scan the facility with the FARO Laser Scanner Photon. With a range of 395FT. the Photon was able to capture large areas with extreme detail. It is these high resolutions cans that provided the necessary information for the contractors to be used to avoid spatial issues prior to installing plant systems in the existing facility.

To read the full article on 3D Scanning in BIM and the FARO Photon, click HERE.

Ansco Machine Cuts Inspection Time by 80%

2010-01-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

Like many successful shops across the country, Ansco Machine is a progressive company. With over 30 years of design and manufacturing experience, they turn a critical eye to the design and functionality of the parts they produce. They actively look for cost savings and efficiencies in both their processes and in their finished products.

Ansco is a full-service contract shop that specializes in milling and turning up to 78” in diameter. They seek out challenging work and one of the many projects they took on was the machining of a cast iron housing that weighs about 750 pounds. The part was too large and cumbersome to be inspected by Ansco’s traditional bridge-type CMM. It was also difficult to check location and relation between features using other conventional methods like dial bore gauges. The older technology was just not sufficient in terms of size, time, or cost.

To take on this very large and challenging job, Ansco sought out the best technology available to ensure their success. They have a long history of looking for ways to improve their processes to expand their business and capabilities, so this was not something unusual for them.

The technology Ansco sought out was the FARO Gage. The Gage is a portable CMM that was designed to enable users to speed through measurement challenges with the most accurate results possible. “The FARO Gage is the perfect solution for this project,” said Wes Suladi, Ansco’s QA Manager. “It is not only the right size to get at all of the features we have to measure, but its accuracy gives me the confidence that what is being reported is true.”

What used to take Ansco over an hour and a half to inspect using conventional technology can now be done in less than twenty minutes using the FARO Gage. That is almost an 80-percent reduction in work time and that equates to a real cost savings in time and productivity.

Ansco’s ability to look past older methods to improve their processes is another example of how progressive and advance-minded manufacturers move to get the best technology that supports their work and their success.
Read the full story

General Dynamics Gets $118M Navy Contract

2010-01-26T16:20:00.003-05:00

As posted in a recent story in Mass High Tech, General Dynamics Corp.’s Electric Boat unit has landed $118 million from the U.S. Navy for engineering services on ballistic nuclear missile-equipped submarines, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Under the deal, an option on a previously won contract, Electric Boat will design a missile compartment on submarines equipped with nuclear missiles. Electric Boat will design the compartments for the replacement to U.S. Navy Ohio-class submarines and a new submarine for the U.K. Royal Navy.

The work is expected to be completed by December 2012, and will have the biggest impact on Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont as work will be performed in Groton, Conn.; Newport, R.I.; Quonset, R.I.; and Newport News, Va.

The defense industry had its share of rough times in 2009 like the rest of us, but certainly came out much better than average throughout all the economic downturn last year, receiving more than $380 million in contracts for work on submarines back in October. With general manufacturing slowly rising in this early part of 2010, we anticipate to see more and more contracts like this as the year progresses - a very good sign for suppliers and manufacturers.

Read the full story here.

Nation’s Largest Public Power Provider Enhances Analysis

2010-01-22T15:01:00.001-05:00

For more than seven decades, the Tennessee Valley Authority has improved the quality of life in the Tennessee Valley. As a federal corporation and the nation’s largest public power provider, the TVA touches millions of lives. It generates more electricity than any other public utility in the nation and serves about 8.8 million people.

The TVA’s power system is one of the most reliable and efficient in the nation. It has maintained 99.999 percent transmission reliability. Achieving such remarkable consistency requires precise measurement and maintenance of hydro stations and their hydroelectric turbines and generators.

Over time, the concrete used to build dams and other structures shifts, expands, and contracts. This can cause an entire dam to shift. Main rotational bearing surfaces can become deformed due to these pressures, sometimes to the point of becoming elliptical and potentially seizing up.

These important maintenance measurements were previously done with piano wire, optics, and micrometers. These tools lacked the 3D capabilities needed to properly analyze the distortions of embedded components.

Right from the start, the TVA established a unique problem-solving approach to fulfilling its mission-integrated resource management. As Pulitzer Prize winning author James Agee wrote in 1933, “TVA has put a bold foot through a beehive of problems both practical and ethical.” Each issue faced by the TVA is studied in its broadest context and weighed in relation to the others. The TVA has held fast to this strategy of integrated solutions, even as the issues changed over the years.

The FARO Laser Tracker provided such a solution for the TVA. The Tracker allows them to correct deficiencies that were previously unknown. They use the Tracker to measure component deformation and to determine where and what place machining is needed.

Being able to measure in actual 3D and then display results that are easily referenced to integral level was an important feature for the TVA. The 3D capability greatly enhances the analysis of distortions of embedded components. This allows for a more accurate assessment of actual equipment conditions and helps return that equipment to better condition.

With improved information, they are able to make better decisions on what repairs are needed. The improved maintenance helps reduce costly outages, to both the TVA and to its millions of customers.

3D Scanning in Forensics Part 2

2010-01-20T16:34:00.000-05:00

As discussed earlier in our Blog (3D Scanning in Forensics Part1) our next entry deals more with the advantages of using 3D laser scanners compared to other methods of capturing data. 3D laser scanners are able to capture thousands of data points per second. The FARO Laser Scanner Photon, for example, has the capacity of capturing 976,000 points per second which is comprised of 711 million pixels per scan! That’s a lot of data. In forensic science, any data that is missed or overlooked could mislead a crime scene in the wrong direction.

One example of this is footprints. Traditional photography cannot give the precise measurements and description as a 3D rendered point cloud. 3D laser scanners have the advantage of capturing the evidence without disturbing the scene. This can be vital in the example of footprints, a decaying body or blood splatter. With the quickness of using laser scanners with the depth of data provided, forensic science will continue to look to 3D laser scanning to correctly investigate crimes.

To read the full article on 3D Scanning Helps Engineers Bore Precise 2.2 mi Tunnel, click HERE.

How Does Quality Control Play into the Automotive Industry's 2010 Future?

2010-01-14T07:56:00.004-05:00

As reported in the AP, we are starting to see "signs of increased confidence that the US auto market bottomed out last year and will improve in 2010." There have been reports of many automakers considering hiring new employees as they anticipate a recovery in vehicle demand this year. The anticipated high demand also has manufacturers like GM considering reopening some closed factories.

What does this mean for the manufacturing industry? Well of course an increase in vehicle production means an increased demand for parts and services. Many of the automotive suppliers that faced one of their hardest years to date in 2009 are eagerly anticipating what 2010 will bring. The Detroit Free Press reports, "The start of the Detroit auto show was a day for looking ahead with hope," where "automakers talked about the production they're adding back for hot-selling models" and "General Motors and Ford vowed a blitz of competitive vehicles."

With the increased demand ahead in 2010, Chrysler, now owned by Fiat Group SpA, is not only paying close attention to managing the increased volume carefully but also on the quality of the cars they produce. "The best way to change the public's perception of poor quality is to produce better vehicles," said Sergio Marchionne, the head of Chrysler. With the other US automakers likely following in this same fashion to gain back market share in 2010, we will have to expect the demand on first and second tier automotive suppliers will be greater than ever to produce high quality parts with a very minimal margin of error.

In a year as important as this, it is crucial for everything to go right within the domestic automotive industry. The production must be on point, the pricing affordable yet profitable, the decisions sound, and most importantly the quality in place. This will likely be a "make it or break it" year for the US auto companies, and it would be a shame to see them fail over quality issues. With increasing competition from the foreign markets, especially in the past few years, domestic automakers have a lot to overcome in 2010. Outlooks seem hopeful, though, with most analysts anticipating moderate growth in 2010 with a stronger pickup toward the end of the year.

Read the full story from the AP.
Read more about how to control quality issues.