Visitors to the CONTROL trade fair (from 14 to 17 May, 2013, Stuttgart Trade Fair) can find out all about the new FARO TrackArm at the FARO Stand 3404 in Hall 3.

The FARO TrackArm is the most versatile portable 3D measurement system available. It brings together the long range and high accuracy capabilities of FARO’s Laser Tracker with the flexibility and consistency of the FaroArm.

The seamless combination of these metrology devices expands the FaroArm’s working volume, allowing it to be quickly repositioned anywhere within the Laser Tracker’s measurement range; while remaining in the same coordinate system and the same software interface. This solution is ideally suited for the automotive, aerospace and heavy machinery industries as well as for suppliers of large parts to industries such as tunnel & mining and hydro & wind power.

The FARO TrackArm unites the FARO Laser Tracker Vantage, which has a range of up to 80m (262.5 ft), with the entire FaroArm product family – Edge, Prime or Fusion – into a long-reach, six-degree-of-freedom probe. New innovative adapters enable the integration of the Tracker and the Arm. This improved solution also eliminates the need for a synchronization cable between the units and the system can be operated wirelessly with the FaroArm’s built-in capability. CAM2 Measure 10 software provides a simple user interface to quickly switch back and forth between the two systems. Attach FARO’s Laser Line Probe to the Arm to enable extended scanning and non-contact inspection ability for reverse engineering, CAD-to-part analysis, and inspection purposes.

Visitors to the CONTROL trade fair (from 14 to 17 May, 2013, Stuttgart Trade Fair) can find out all about the new FARO TrackArm at the FARO Stand 3404 in Hall 3.

>>More on FARO’s TrackArm

See the photos of FARO’s chopper designed by Paul Jr. Designs, of the televisionshow American Chopper on our Facebook Page. Visitors at the FARO stand have the opportunity to be photographed on the powerful machine that was created exclusively for FARO’s 30th anniversary.

As with most custom choppers created by Paul Jr. Designs, the FaroArm was used to manufacture the birthday bike. It is important for PJD to be able to create unique pieces with speed and efficiency. Some elements, including the fuel tank, the seat pan and the cover of the primary belt give a glimpse of the real talent that goes into the design of each piece. All these elements have complex shapes and contours difficult to understand or replicate by hand.

The FaroArm scans the exact shape and location of the parts. The design and creation of cardboard templates are thus basically useless. The data collected by the arm can immediately be imported to a CNC machine or waterjet cutting tool to produce parts with high precision in perfect shape from the very start. The FaroArm therefore reduces waste, saves time and increases overall efficiency.

For more photos of the FARO Chopper visit our Facebook Page or come and visit us at Control and get your photo taken!

Stuttgart Trade Fair, 14-17 May 2013
Booth 3404 in Hall 3

To facilitate operational improvements, a 3D scan of the whole plant was commissioned and the 3DLS team took on this challenge. Scanning conditions were close to extreme since the plant production processes produced dangerous temperatures and pressures, escaping steam, harmful chemical emissions, noise and vibrations.

Read here how the 3DLS team achieved their goal.

“I’m waiting for the day where we can get 5GB of point cloud data onto the iPad quickly and easily, so for the moment, this is the only option we have!”

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Editorial team: What do you like about scanning with SCENECT?
Philipp Biermann: I always wanted a 3D scanner, so this solution is a good alternative. Unlike similar products, FARO SCENECT is a professional piece of software based on the SCENE platform, which is used for the 3D laser scanners from FARO. For a minimal investment of less than € 200, SCENECT gives you access to the world of 3D scanners and 3D modelling – an interesting topic and quite a nice “toy”. When the consumer hardware becomes available, it will be possible, with the push of a button, to give grandma a replica of her granddaughter as a Christmas present, which has been produced with a 3D printer. Or then it will be possible to smarten up an online job application with 3D image of yourself, instead of simply attaching a passport photo. It can also be used as an interesting addition to your own Facebook profile.

Editorial team: What tips can you as an IT expert give about installing the software and about the hardware?
Philipp Biermann: The installation of the software is conveniently simple – Download, Install, finished. The necessary hardware drivers for Windows are also installed in the process. The software does however require the 64-bit version of Windows 7. No 32-bit version is available. So you should check in advance whether the systems requirements are met, before you buy the hardware. Windows 8 is not yet supported at the moment, but presumably that will not be a problem soon. To use the software for more than 30 days, you should register it straight away. That’s also free of charge.

Editorial team: Kinect or Xtion PRO LIVE, you have tested both motion sensors with SCENECT. Which is your favorite?
Philipp Biermann: Kinect and Xtion differ in only one respect: The Kinect hardware requires an external power supply, whereas the Xtion can be powered via the USB port. When used as a 3D scanner, this turned out to be a not insignificant factor: Small items can be easily recorded with a Kinect but when it comes to people the additional power supply for the Kinect can cause problems. To record an object or a room with Kinect or Xtion, you have to walk around the object with the sensor or move about the room. For that reason a 360-degree recording with the Kinect is quite difficult, if not entirely impossible – unless you have a very long power cable and the help of a second person. For the same reason outdoor recordings with a notebook are almost impossible with the Kinect. In my opinion the Xtion is definitely the better buy.

Editorial team: What do you particularly watch out for when scanning? Are there any tricks that you can use to achieve an especially good result?
Philipp Biermann: In order to achieve the optimum recording it is advisable to walk slowly and smoothly around the object to be scanned. A little practice is required for this. Moving objects cannot be recorded in this way, but a person sitting quietly is no problem for the motion sensor or the software. The scanning process takes about 5 minutes. The bigger the object to be scanned the better the result. A person or any bigger object is perfectly suitable. The important thing is to maintain a distance of approx. 60 cm between the object to be scanned and the sensor – any less than that and the sensor is “blind”.
One very useful advice is to attach the Xtion PRO LIVE with adhesive tape to the screen of a notebook, for example. Then you have optimum freedom of movement.

Due to the growing business of Relicarte they were looking for a new scanner which would allow to digitize larger subjects with increased accuracy and with less processing time and the search began. Relicarte was introduced to the FARO product range and purchased a Laser ScanArm Quantum with Geomagics package.

Earlier this year Relicarte also decided to buy a FARO Laser Scanner Focus3D as they move towards digitizing heritage sites as part of developing new services for the Museum and heritage industry.

Relicarte has created ‘My-museum’, which delivers a fully interactive platform that provides online visitors with immersive access to cultural media, from fully rendered 3 dimensional arte-facts to film, text, music and beyond.‘My-museum’ is further designed as public engagement tool through which users can communicate with the Museum and their fellow visitors, generating a vibrant cultural conversation.

>>Read more

FARO will be demonstrating several advanced metrology products, including the FARO Edge that boasts the lightest and smallest laser line probe and touch-screen computer for basic measurements at stand number G03. Also on display will be the FARO Gage with barcode scanner and the company’s innovative new Laser Tracker Vantage that is ideal for accurate, large volume measurements.

Date: 30th April – 2nd May 2013
Location: Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre
Warwick Road
London SW5 9TA

We start day 1 with a keynote speech from 3D Systems‘s CEO Abe Reichental. Other so called Power Speeches include WebShare at Volvo, Autodesk, Laser Scanning & CGI – The new way of imaging, and, 3D documentation of the Cloaca Maxima by Indissoluble.

In the afternoon’s workshops you can choose between different technical, special, and learning sessions including sessions on mobile mapping, civil engineering, architecture & heritage.

Secure your seat here.
We look forward to meeting you in Strasbourg!

HR Wallingford is a consultancy in civil engineering and environmental hydraulics. The company boasts an international track record of achievement in applied coastal research.

Key to this work is their state of the art physical modeling facility in Wallingford. This facility includes six wave basins ranging in plan size from 25 x 32 m to 75 x 32 m and three wave flumes ranging from 45m to 100m in length.

Housed in a purpose built modelling hall, these basins are used to investigate how breakwaters and other coastal structures behave when subjected to both ‘frequent’ i.e. day-to-day wave conditions as well as ‘storm’ conditions including hurricane or cyclonic conditions.

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