FARO Tracer M Laser Projector for Factory Metrology

FARO has recently launched the Tracer M Laser Projector. This new solution allows users to reduce the expensive delays associated with the alignment and assembly of large components, help improve process precision, and negate the need for physical templates and hard tooling.

The Tracer M uses Advanced Trajectory Control (ATC) to deliver fast projection. ATC provides superior dynamic accuracy and a rapid refresh rate which minimizes flicker. Photogrammetric targets are used to enable the best fit alignment of the projected image onto the surface or object, thereby allowing the projected image to be consistent with the CAD model.

For larger assemblies and for use in space-constrained areas, multiple Tracer M projectors can be controlled from a single workstation to provide large-scale virtual templates in one coordinate system. The risk of human error and costly scrap during assembly is significantly reduced, in addition, manufacturers are able to avoid the time and expense associated with using large, heavy templates.

Read More.

Drone Hero Europe 2017

Think 3D has recently entered the STORMBEE into the Public Drone Hero Europe 2017 award.

The Belgian company has combined the FARO Focus 3D X 130 with a drone to create the world’s first high precision 3D scanning drone. A common problem faced by many users of our laser scanner was that it was a very time consuming process for them to create 3D models of sites from a stationary position. In order to increase productivity and make the process of scanning sites more efficient, Think 3D came up with the concept of combining the FARO Focus 3D X 130 laser scanner with a drone. After a research period of 4 years, STORMBEE was created which now allows Think 3D to deliver requested 3D models to clients within a 24 hour time frame, much faster than a company that does fixed scans.

Drone Hero Europe is a contest for everyone to participate in which allows teams to show their innovations in the field of drones to a large public audience. It also gives the innovators a chance to connect with potential customers or partners.

The winner of this competition will receive an all access pass as well as an exhibit space in Las Vegas at the Commercial UAV Expo Americas. The competition is open until 12.00 on 22nd June 2017.

In order to see the STORMBEE video and vote, please Click Here.

FARO’s Speed and Accuracy aids Rail Project

The use of a FARO Focus3D X 330 Laser Scanner helps to ensure the delivery of precise precast concrete structural elements to the Ordsall Chord project, part of Network Rail’s £1bn+ railway upgrade plan for the North of England.

A joint venture between Skanska BAM Nuttall is currently involved in delivering the Ordsall Chord, part of the Great North Rail Project to improve railway services. The project will help to increase connectivity across towns and cities and enable the Government’s so-called Northern Powerhouse initiative to boost economic growth in the North of England.

Since October 2015, work has been taking place on the Ordsall Chord.  This new section of track will create a link between Manchester city centre’s main train stations; Victoria, Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly, for the first time.  However, for this vital piece of track to be fitted, a huge amount of preparatory work needs to take place.  This includes realigning existing track-, building new bridges, removing disused arches and restoring Grade I listed structures related to what is a section of the world’s first passenger railway.

The delivery of incorrectly sized precast concrete elements had the potential to cause long delays to the Ordsall Chord project and to disrupt road and rail travel. To help eliminate this possibility a fool-proof system of laser scanning the critical structural elements has been adopted.

Dan Binney, Skanska BAM, Senior Engineering Surveyor explained. “Work on the Ordsall Chord involves reconfiguring the existing railway between Eccles and Deansgate, Eccles and Manchester Victoria and Deansgate and Salford Crescent stations. Other work includes the installation of two new bridges, the renovation of an existing bridge, the widening of a viaduct and establishing a new track lay out.

“The track changes will allow the 300 metre chord, a brand new section of railway, to connect with the new layout. As part of the project, a range of large, precast concrete, structural elements are manufactured off-site. Although we are able to make on-site adjustments to accommodate very minor size discrepancies, the delivery of precast structures that fall outside our specified dimensional tolerances would render them useless and cause massive time delays.

FARO – AMS Webinar

FARO are working together with AMS on an automotive Webinar to inform viewers about our 3D measuring and scanning solutions.

Inno-Tech Days Oxford 2017

The next FARO Inno-Tech Days event will be held on the 18th May 2017 at the Science and Technologies Facilities Council in Oxford.

On display will be a wide range of our latest innovations including:

– the longest range and most accurate laser projector ever – the FARO Tracer M
– the truly mobile FARO Focus^S Laser Scanner for fast, secure and reliable scanning
– the recently launched mobile remote controlled Vantage S and Vantage E Laser Trackers with hot swappable batteries
– our latest robot-compatible automation solution – the FARO Cobalt Array Imager 

AGENDA:

To register please Click Here.

Eurosia and FARO: the perfect mix of BIM services and 3D Laser Scanning

Eurosia S.A. is a European group delivering BIM solutions to the AEC and EPC sectors in the Benelux, France, the UAE and the UK. The main goal of Eurosia as a company is to provide surveyors, general and MEP contractors with accurate BIM models to use in construction or renovation projects. The need for BIM modeling is constantly increasing with regard to construction or renovation projects.

Cedric Brusselmans, co-founder of Eurosia explains the problem they wish to solve: “The main challenge that we observe in various countries such as the Benelux and France – is that they consist mainly of medium to small companies of surveyors. This means that if they have to create a 3D model based on a point cloud, they may lose time, thus decreasing their productivity and revenue. In fact, while spending time on creating the 3D model, the surveyor may not be able to accept new projects. Our team try to take that burden away from them. Surveyors deliver us the point cloud and we create a full 3D model for them according to their specifications.”

In the process of Eurosia, surveyors can either upload their point cloud to the Eurosia server or Eurosia organizes a courier service to pick up the surveyor’s USB stick or mini-hard drive containing the point cloud within 24 hours (for point clouds that are too big in size – above 10 GB – and cannot be sent via usual channels). They then indicate which types of deliverables they would like to acquire. There will be a conversation between the surveyors and Eurosia’s project manager to ensure that standards, specifications and scope of work are matching with the requirement.  As Eurosia is taking care of the BIM model creation, surveyors can focus on their core business. Eurosia also offers 3D animation (virtual reality) services: such animation shows the building in its future state and actual environment.

Mr. Brusselmans explains: “We started this journey with FARO when we were exhibiting next to them at a trade fair in France. Naturally you start talking to your trade fair neighbors. Our respective teams saw the added value of each other’s solution. Following this event, we requested a meeting with FARO to show their different products. It was at that time we both saw that there was a connection between our services and that the combination could provide a great solution for surveyor companies. As a whole, a laser scanner is the opening door to many. This combination can also improve project efficiency for construction and installation companies.”

Eurosia sees itself working in collaboration with companies such as FARO to ensure that they can provide a good service level and adequate support to their clients. Once a BIM model and the BIM process is in place for a project, the collaboration among the different stakeholders can be smoother and more efficient. They all have the same data from the BIM model (drawings and measurements), which decreases the number of mistakes in construction and ultimately avoids extra costs and waste of time for all stakeholders.

Think 3D first to commercialize 3D drone scanning

The use of 3D scanning for industrial environments has already been done since the 3D laser scanner has been invented. However, scanning with a fixed solution often provided problems, technicians often had to do dangerous climbs to be able to scan everything, machines had to stop working, etc. Belgian company Think 3D has found the solution by combining the FARO Focus3D X130 with a drone to create the world’s first high precision 3D scanning drone.

Think 3D is a Belgian company that provides 3D CAD models for complex industrial installations ranging from different sectors such as petrochemistry, steel, pharmaceuticals and the food industry. Think 3D is called in when the companies want to make changes to their installations and need a full 3D CAD model of their installation. The customer can then use this model as they please, to give to the architect, add to specifications or to create a 3D tour of the facility with.

To read more Click Here.

Point clouds point the finger for law enforcement and public safety

Daniel Oxley, Account Manager – Public Safety, Europe North, FARO Technologies UK Ltd discusses how the ability to precisely scan and capture important macro and micro crime- and incident-scene information can revolutionise forensics and legal proceedings

Advances in 3D scanning technology and its associated hardware have created a new paradigm in the ability to interrogate crimes and incident scenes in more detail than ever before. As well as measuring and preserving minute details, the technology will also speed up forensic processes and save significant legal time and costs.

With applications in arson, crime, homicide and accident analysis, to name but a few, the technology also removes many of the human factors and accidental biases that could skew or hinder subsequent investigations. By providing unaltered, unambiguous and unbiased total-scene coverage, the level of detail on offer really is a game changer.

Photos on their own are no longer adequate. The investigators may not photograph the whole scene or could accidentally miss items that may be vital to the ongoing investigation. With FARO’s 3D scanning technology this is no longer an issue, as it will record everything. Users cannot only capture the scene a lot quicker – saving up to three or four days and significant labour costs – but they will also have complete scene data. What is more it is all measurable. This is essential for automotive collisions or for comparison to personal-interrogation data from crime scenes, relating to suspect location, reach, attitude and position.

Primary point cloud data can be captured using an ultra-portable FARO S Series Laser Scanner, which scan can a scene to an accuracy of ±1 mm. Offering minimal set up, the unit is also self-levelling so is incredibly easy to use. Complementing the S Series scanner, and for hidden or tight-access areas, the Faro Freestyle Handheld Laser Scanner can provide extra detail for specific areas in static crime scenes or, thanks to its impressive portability, for crush events in vehicle accidents, where deformations can be easily recorded for further analysis. When additional levels of accuracy are required, for finer details in shoe prints, bite marks or tooling scrapes, the FARO Forensic Scan Arm is a portable contact/non-contact measurement system that offers a resolution of 0.05 mm – less than the thickness of a human hair.

To process and present the cloud data, FARO offers dedicated 2D- and 3D diagramming and advanced animation software, like FARO Zone 2D, Crash Zone, Crime Zone or the SCENE software. For example, using SCENE’s intuitive ribbon-based approach, users can leverage the software to not only view the scene, but also calculate suspect heights based on photos. Using optional modules, blood spatter origins can also be determined, as can bullet trajectories. Finally, for crime scene visualisation, in courtrooms for example, FARO’s Video Pro plug in for SCENE, allows users to navigate to any point and view scenes from any angle. Floors and roofs can be removed and videos can be created that can be shared and viewed on line or with virtual reality headwear.

With many judicial and law-enforcement applications already in place – including deployment by the International Criminal Court in Holland – 3D scanning is the new benchmark for fast, easy and accurate collection of vital scene data and it is already making a real difference in the world of forensics.

More information is available at http://www.faro.com

Scan2Print

FARO, 3D Systems and Canon 3D Printing, will be co-hosting a Scan2Print event on Thursday 4th May 2017.

Taking place at the Canon Open Experience Centre, Uxbridge. the free event’s program will focus on the exciting opportunities delivered by the latest 3D Printing and 3D Scanning technologies, to enhance the efficiency of product design processes.

Real life customer examples will illustrate how informed manufacturers, engineers, and product designers are combining 3D Scanning and 3DPrinting to achieve record levels of productivity, efficiencies, and cost-reductions.

FARO’s advanced 3D solutions enables fully digital workflows by capturing real world geometry for the purposes of empowering design. The company’s advanced technologies allow innovations to be realised, faster design cycles to be completed, and not least, they enable users to become more competitive.

Date: 4th May 2017
Time: 9:30am – 2pm
Location: Canon Open Experience Centre, Uxbridge

Click here to view the Agenda.

Register here.

Sir John Soane’s Museum

In collaboration with FARO and ScanLAB Projects, Sir John Soane’s Museum in London has embarked on the Explore Soane Challenge which involves giving a global audience access to its archive.

Thanks to the latest 3D scanning technology offered by FARO, The Museum was able to scan its collections in order to create an online digital archive. The Soane Museum is one of a kind. Built by distinguished 19th century architect Sir John Soane, it was a home, library and museum in one – housing his collection of artworks, sculptures, furniture and artefacts. At his death in 1837, Soane left his house and collection to the nation, stipulating that it should be kept open and free for the public’s inspiration and education.

Almost two centuries later, FARO, ScanLAB Projects and The Soane Museum have embarked on a unified project to create an online digital archive of the Museum. The project utilises the latest developments in 3D technology to scan and digitise a wide selection of rooms and objects. This includes Soane’s Model Room, and the ancient 3,500 year old Sarcophagus of King Seti I.

For 180 years, the house has remained meticulously preserved through conservation and restoration. Nevertheless, Explore Soane continues this ambition in a new, powerful way. The teams will be adding more rooms, and several more objects to the digitised collection in order to inspire and educate, precisely as Sir John Soane wished.

Teams from ScanLAB have been utilising a range of cutting edge scanning technologies from FARO. Large spaces such as rooms and stairwells have been captured using LiDAR scanners such as the FARO Focus x 330, whilst smaller objects are scanned using the latest FARO Arm scanner and photogrammetric software. The data now forms part of an archive not just for the Museum but also for future and overseas researchers interested in studying the Museum and the many models collected by Sir John Soane himself.

“At Faro we strongly believe that the future is to digitally preserve and record every artefact or site of interest for future generations.  Our mission is ‘To enable mankind to easily and accurately connect the physical world to the virtual world.’  The tools that we use to document collections have become more user friendly and cost effective which makes it more accessible to more people.  We want to make our heritage our future.” (David Southam, FARO)

Click here to explore Sir John Soane’s Museum.