FARO News 2011 by FARO EUROPE GmbH & Co. KG

Things to know and important links. >> Page 12

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Technology Leap

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Product News Wireless and touchscreen technology on new FARO hardware make measuring life even easier >> Page 2

poland FARO Technologies Polska Sp. z o.o. ul. Grabiszyńska 241a 53234 Wrocław T: +48 71 33 93 27 6/8 F: +48 71 339 32 70 poland@faroeurope.com, www.faro.com/poland spain FARO SPAIN S.L. Gran Vía de les Corts Catalanes, 133 Ático C 08014 Barcelona T: +34 93 43 11 26 8 F: +34 93 42 22 57 9 spain@faroeurope.com, www.faro.com/spain switzerland FARO SWISS Holding GmbH Wiesengasse 20 8222 Beringen, Schaffhausen T: +41 52 687 19 22 F: +41 52 687 19 99 info@faroeurope.com, www.faro.com/swiss uk Faro Technologies UK Ltd 9-10 The Cobalt Centre Siskin Parkway East Middlemarch Business Park Coventry, CV3 4PE T: +44 2476 21 76 90 F: +44 2476 30 55 72 uk@faroeurope.com, www.faro.com/uk turkey FARO Turkey Ölçü Sistemleri Ltd. Şti Akatlar Mah. Çiğdem Sokak 5. Gazeteciler Sitesi No: 6, 34330 Beşiktaş, İstanbul T: +90 212 279 81 60 F: +90 212 279 81 58 turkey@faroeurope.com, www.faro.com/turkey all other EMEA countries FARO Distribution T: +49 7150 97 97 0 F: +49 7150 97 97 44 distribution@faroeurope.com www.faro.com/distribution

Things to know & important links FAIRS & ROADSHOWS Find out about upcoming events to meet the FARO team. www.faro.com/uk/events

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FARO MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS Our 3D measurement systems make measuring complex objects easy. Find out more about our products. www.faro.com/products GET A FREE DEMO! We measure your parts on-site and show you how measuring tasks can be solved with portable 3D systems. www.faro.com/demo ONLINE-SUPPORT CENTER Find the answer to your questions in our Online Support Center. www.faro.com/support

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Photo: iStockphoto.com

italy CAM2 S.r.l. Corso Allamano Canonico, 34/a 10095 Grugliasco (TO) T: +39 011 95 88 55 8 F: +39 011 95 88 59 0 italy@faroeurope.com, www.cam2.it

Photo: FARO

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Brand New FARO Edge & FARO Laser Scanner Focus3D >> Page 2

Top story - AIRBUS Superlative confidence

Rail Industry The perfect flight path for Spain’s bird train

AUTOMOTIVE - BMW More freedom, thanks to shared coordinates

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EU-EN-4REF203-170.pdf

Visit us @ www.faro.com

– FARO INTERNATIONAL –

Top story editorial Alberto Castiglioni, Chief Editor

“The Airbus decision is a superlative vote of confidence for FARO and its products.” Juan-Pablo Lemaitre Vice President Sales & Marketing FARO Europe

ear Readers,

There has never been a better time to start 3D scanning than now, with the arrival of the revolutionary FARO Focus3D. Significantly more affordable than its predecessor, the Focus3D will add momentum to the growing interest in disruptive technologies based on advances in 3D. Our Special Report looks at two European consortiums that are laying the technological foundations for interactive 3D experiences in sports broadcasting and tourism. From fast cars and large drive units in Germany, and from forklift parts in Belgium to railway sleepers in Spain, this FARO News leaps around Europe to report on the companies using FARO products to set new standards and create new opportunities. And don't forget a French innovation that could revolutionize the way we buy liquids in the supermarket. Yours,

Imprint publisher: FARO Europe GmbH & Co. KG, Lingwiesenstrasse 11/2, D-70825 Korntal-Münchingen, Phone: +49 7150 9797-0, Fax: +49 7150 9797-44, info@faroeurope.com, www.faro.com editors: Alberto Castiglioni, David Taylor, Dorien Beckers, Malgorzata Krol, Soafara Menke, Grit Schimpfermann layout: StuderGuldin GmbH CH-6300 Zug; FARO: Vanessa Sevil Kizilelma print: SV Druck, D-72336 Balingen photos: iStock, FARO, customers Date of issue: May 2011 in German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish

faro News | 2

The FARO Focus3D is the smallest and lightest 3D Laser Scanner ever built. The FARO Edge is the first measurement arm with built-in touchscreen and on-board operating system.

Touchscreens and wireless connectivity PRODUCT NEWS

In autumn 2010 FARO introduced the Focus3D and in spring 2011 the brand new FARO Edge measuring arm. Plus important new software releases. The FARO Focus3D is the smallest and lightest laser scanner ever built. It also has a revolutionary price tag and amazing new features. Thanks to a built-in touchscreen you can now start scanning without a laptop or obtrusive wires. But the integrated colour camera is a real game changer. Now you can have photo-realistic 3D colour scans with up to 70 MP parallaxfree colour overlays almost effortlessly. With storage to standard SD cards, the transfer to your PC takes seconds and the built-in battery allows up to five hours of operation without mains power. Our second revolutionary product that offers advances in usability, mobility and performance is the brand new FARO Edge: with its built-in touchscreen and onboard operating system, a laptop is no longer needed to perform quick and simple dimensional checks or to optimise system performance. You also have all the benefits of wireless connectivity, based on networking protocols, so putting one or more FARO arms into operation is easier than ever. “This is what users have been

asking for,” explains Jay Freeland, FARO’s President & Chief Executive Officer: “Unparalleled simplicity and new features that build on the benefits of our existing product line.” The FARO Edge offers as standard: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet; Smarter Sensor Technology; better ergonomics based on patented internal counterbalancing; and seamless accessory integration thanks to a quick-change Multi-Function Handle port. A further significant update: the latest version of the FARO Gage offers Bluetooth technology. Just because you do not own one of the new FARO products described above it does not mean that you cannot benefit from our usability and mobility leaps. With the CAM2 Q Remote Apple App, iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad device owners can communicate with their CAM2 Q software via Wi-Fi and thus conduct remote measurements. With CAM2 Q Remote you can run commands, change scanning modes or take points and see the results in real time. It also supports multiple operators and QuickTools. Finally, the new CAM2 Gage Software has arrived which makes repetitive measurement of serial parts easier than ever with inspection plans and image attachments.

Why pictographs? In the FARO News these icons will guide you through the different application fields of our 3D measurement technology:

Inspection Parts inspection and providing measurement reports are essential in today’s lean manufacturing environment. They help reduce production waste and losses or down time due to nonconformance.

alignment Precise alignments of any machine, fixture or part can make all the difference in the quality of the finished product.

With 14 different models ranging from the 100-seater single aisle A318 to the 525-seater doubledecker A380, Airbus is one of the world’s most important and innovative aircraft manufacturers. The A380, the largest civil airliner in service, represents the culmination of a gigantic vision, born in the early nineties, which has required a pan-European collaboration of the best suppliers and engineering firms. Now, with over 40 superjumbos in service and more than 200 on order, both passengers and airlines are enthusiastic. It is an achievement that FARO is also proud of: since 2002, Airbus has been using 33 FARO units also in the assembly of the A380’s main body section. At the beginning of 2010 Airbus and FARO signed a fresh five-year agreement: For the new A350 assembly, Airbus will take delivery of 62 FARO Laser Tracker ION units. As a result, FARO Laser Trackers will be installed in every European Airbus manufacturing facility.

calibration Calibration is required if initial setups of e.g. machine tools can’t stand the test of time and deviations appear.

Reverse Engineering

Airbus aims to provide the aircraft best suited to the market’s needs and to support them with the highest quality of service. www.aIRBUS.COM

Reverse engineering allows us to create virtually anything we can touch. To record and reproduce real items, they are digitized and displayed as fully surfaced CAD models using our 3D measurement technology.

as built Documentation Our measurement devices are able to easily and quickly deliver documentation data of digitized buildings, process plants or objects.

Photo: Airbus

Laptops are great, but how often do you wish you could take a quick set of scans or a simple string of measurements, without wires, without a computer and with no compromise. Thanks to the new built-in touchscreens of the FARO Edge and FARO Laser Scanner Focus3D those dreams are now a reality. Both products represent technology leaps and usability breakthroughs that reflect FARO's commitment to understanding and responding to our users' needs.

Superlative confidence

– Rai l Industry–

Four good reasons

Mr Ignacio Ucar, Head of the Quality Management Department at GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A. says:

1 2 3 4

ccuracy: Precision is a A basic requirement for any method of quality control, but we especially like all the features that add reliability – like dust seals for example. ortability: The FaroArm is P normally fixed in a railguided gantry, which can be locked in position for the measurement of sleepers in groups of four. ase of use: Besides all the E basic operations, which are easy to learn, features like auto-temperature compensation and overload sensors make it really easy to achieve consistent results. onnectivity: the seamless C connection to the CAM2 Measure X software and beyond saves us lots of time. All the reports can be generated almost automatically.

–Engi ne e ri ng–

The perfect flight path for Spain’s bird train Rail INDUSTRY Cruising at over 300 km/h, Spain’s AVE high-speed trains need a flawless track.

That is why GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A. uses a FaroArm Fusion to guarantee the perfection of their concrete sleepers.

Spain already has the longest high-speed rail network in Europe and the second in the world, after China, but the Spanish still have extensive and ambitious expansion plans. When an AVE (bird) train is travelling at over 300 km/h the slightest inaccuracies or fluctuations in the track alignment could prove disastrous. Therefore, the rails are supported by concrete sleepers at intervals of 0,6m that are built to tolerances of +2/-1mm. One of the companies meeting the AVE’s large demand for concrete sleepers is GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A., based in Luceni, Aragon. GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A. makes 5.000 concrete sleepers per week at its factory in Luceni, which are then transported all over Spain to be added to the end of the growing railway lines. There are 5 different types of sleepers covering straight and curved sections as well as for points or station sections. The most important geometric dimensions are confirmed during the production process with an optical measurement system. However, due to inherent variabilities in the concrete pre-stressing process, GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A. has to inspect one in fifty sleepers and submit statistical reports to the Spanish Railway Authority ADIF. At least twenty different geometric dimensions need to be checked for each sleeper. Thanks to the acquisition of a FaroArm Fusion in autumn 2009, the sleeper inspection process in the Quality Department could be enhanced and automated creating significant improvements and savings.

“In the past we used an MMS and in our opinion, certain measurements could not be made correctly. So using the FaroArm is very innovative in this field. Firstly, we can get highly accurate measures of planes and angles that define each type of sleeper without resorting to mechanical templates. Secondly, the data handling of the whole process is seamless,” says Ignacio Ucar, Head of the Quality Management Department at GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A. “The CAM2 Measure X software sends the data directly to our own statistics and quality control application. That is a technological leap for us, because we used to have someone typing in every measure. Therefore, the FaroArm Fusion is replacing a number of work steps and several different tools, reducing our time, maintenance, service and documentation requirements.” Overall GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A. estimates that they can cover the same number of inspections – currently about 40 per day – with the equivalent of one instead of two full time positions.

Want a refill? EnGINEERING Innovative French sustainability

specialists have hit on a disruptive technology that could redefine our definition of bottle recycling and impact consumer behaviour worldwide. Few people remember the days when you took your old bottles to the shop, not for recycling, but to have them refilled! In France, an engineering company and an ecological distribution firm are reviving the idea for the modern supermarket consumer. In December 2009, DMS PROJECT and Eco2distrib joined forces to begin developing a liquid dispenser for the mass consumer market. The machine is like a coffee vending machine, except that consumers reuse their own bottles. After selecting the product, the bottle is filled and the price label printed. Any kind of liquid can be dispensed, but the initial tests are being conducted with liquid detergents. Eco2distrib was able to secure Henkel, the German multinational behind brands like Persil as a product partner.

GIC FÁBRICAS S.A. GIC FÁBRICAS, S.A. was founded in 1962 by CORSAN, a Spanish-based civil construction company. Today, it is a subsidiary of Isoluxcorsan - the Spanishbased multinational civil engineering and construction company and employs around 40 people in two factories. Total annual revenues of around EUR 16 million are earned mainly from government contracts.

That allowed us to build a complete 3D model of the whole machine in SolidWorks,” explained Stéphane Chevallier, DMS PROJECT. “After the market test, we might make a few improvements. If we alter the design or position of a part physically, then we will use the FARO ScanArm to update the CAD model. This approach allows us to work intuitively while keeping the precise digital records needed for the series production.” Currently 15 prototype machines are being tested in French hypermarkets dispensing Henkel liquid washing powders. If these market tests are successful, then Henkel could roll out the idea globally via its network of 75 international subsidiaries.

A soughT-after consultant DMS PROJECT was founded in 2008 by Stéphane Chevallier, after a successful career in the automotive industry. As a Programme Director, for Oxford Automotive, he was managing around 13 body-in-white projects across Europe. That’s where he first saw a FaroArm in action. Based on that positive experience, he bought a FARO Laser ScanArm for his own company at the first opportunity. Recently, the FARO Laser ScanArm was used on a job for Buffet Crampon, the French clarinet maker. “We were asked to scan the keys of a particularly good clarinet, to standardise the manufacturing process at a very high level,” explains Chevallier. “The small, size and complex shapes of clarinet keys made it a particular challenge in which the ScanArm head excelled.”

Four good reasons

Stéphane Chevallier, Director General of DMS PROJECT says:

ortability: As consultants P our application is always changing and we cannot be tied down to one position or location.

ase of use: As a small E company with everyone multi-tasking, it is vital to have equipment that can be learnt quickly.

upport: If we have a quesS tion, we can always call the FARO France team. They don’t even mind replying outside office hours. So they are very serious about supporting us, which is wonderful.

ensors and speed: We don’t S have to waste time worrying about environmental effects or strains and we can work really fast.

summary A new liquid dispenser vending machine designed to reuse consumer's bottles, could enable a minor ecological retail revolution. The design engineers often employ a FARO Laser ScanArm for reverse engineering.

www.isoluxcorsan.com dms project Formerly called Altair, DMS PROJECT now employs 6 people and provides consulting and engineering services to a wide range of clients in the areas of automotive, rail, biomedical, recycling and sustainable development. Prior to acquiring a FaroArm Platinum with Laser Line

Photo: GIC FÁBRICAS S.A.

The FaroArm is the portable alternative to a fixed Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) available in different versions, accuracies and lengths with up to 3.7m measurement volume.

www.measuringarms.faro.com

Thanks to the FaroArm Fusion the sleeper inspection process in the Quality Department could be enhanced and automated. faro News | 4

Photo: DMS PROJECT

Probe, DMS PROJECT used vernier callipers or other traditional tools. Now, thanks to a new automotive contact they are considering upgrading to a FaroArm

The FARO Laser ScanArm facilitates contact and non-contact measurements in one operation. It’s perfectly adapted to CAD comparisons, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering and 3D modelling.

with a longer reach.

www.faro.com/scanarm www.dms-project.com www.eco2etdistrib.com www.henkel.com

Stéphane Chevallier using the FARO Laser ScanArm in the DMS PROJECT workshop. DMS PROJECT, designed the liquid dispensing machines in a CAD process that included a FARO Laser ScanArm. “There were some parts, like the liquid pumps and sensors for which we did not have any CAD data. That’s where we used the FARO Laser ScanArm.

faro News | 5

– s pe c i a l re port–

FARO Laser Scanners are at the heart of a paradigm shift as European scientists start adding an immersive dimension to sports broadcasting and photo-sharing.

Future Immersive Experiences Immersive experiences is a buzzword used by event technology companies who enhance the quality of an event with excellent sound systems and lighting to create a memorable atmosphere. But now projects are underway that will add a new dimension to the meaning of immersive experiences, by merging the worlds of user-generated content, mobile smart phone interactivity and 3D modelling. At the same time, we are witnessing a paradigm-shift in terms of consumer involvement: broadcasters will put viewers in the TV director’s chair at football matches or concerts and tourists will experience augmented reality by simply pointing their camera at an object of interest. One could argue that the projects covered in this Special Report are simply the next step in the evolution of interactivity and user-generated content. After all, DVD fans have long been able to select an alternative camera angle, and tourists routinely upload their geo-tagged photos to Google Earth. However, the FascinatE and the VISITO projects demand a technological leap because the consumer interactions and databases are based on 3D models. With institutional funding, entirely new concepts, methods, scripts and tools are being developed by research groups from universities and specialist companies, that will create the foundation for the new era of immersive interactive experiences. Given the complexity of the tasks in hand, the FascinatE and VISITO teams were keen to start with the best possible tools and data for their research. Unsurprisingly, FARO Laser Scanners were the 3D scanning tools of choice for both projects.

Photo: ARRI

VISITO “VISITO Tuscany” is a project co-financed by the Regione Toscana and the European Regional Development Fund, carried out by a consortium of research and industrial partners including the Italian National Research Council (CNR

ISTI), Alinari, Hyperborea and 3Logic. The aim of VISITO Tuscany is to enhance the tourist experience before, during and after travel by allowing interaction with a 3D model based database of historic photos and information. The ground-breaking feature is that the VISITO system will be able to work out where the users are pointing the camera of their smartphone in order to augment their reality during the visit. Thus for example, if you take a photo of “Hercules and Cacus“, in Florence using the VISITO App, then it will tell you the statue was completed by Bandinelli in 1534 etc. This feature will be realised using GPS positional information from the smartphone and by comparing a compressed upload of the user’s photo with the existing image database. When you return home, after uploading your full resolution photos to your favourite photo site, you will be able to enter the 3D model of the VISITO location. As you spatially browse your photo collection, the system will render your pictures onto the 3D model in the appropriate position in real time. Dr Marco Callieri, member of CNR ISTI’s Visual Computing Laboratory (VC) explains: “Our group is responsible for getting the 3D dimensional data, aligning the photos and creating the software of the spatial browsing user interface.” “Scanning the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, one of the three VISITO sites, took 2 days using a FARO Laser Scanner. It is a very complex environment with rows of huge statues, so data processing took about 3 weeks. We scanned our first site with a TOF camera, but we were much happier once we purchased the FARO Laser Scanner.” Once the 3D model was created, the next step was to manually prime the system with a selection of photos from the massive historic Alinari photo library. Thereafter, the system takes over and can automatically recognise other photos and add them in the correct position.

faro News | 7

–s pecial re port–

On the production side, this requires the development of new capture, scripting and format transformation systems. New methods and hardware will also be needed to allow viewers to control and display the content. Eleven partners, all leaders in their respective technologies teamed up to advance this vision. Work on FascinatE began in February 2010. As a test scenario for the software development, the project members decided to capture a Premier League football game with a novel array of cameras and microphones. One of the part-

“After 2.5 hours we had all 17 3D scans on the SD card.” Dr Johannes Steurer, Principal Engineer at ARRI

ners in the FascinatE project is the legendary Munich-based Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH (ARRI). Having gained experience of combining camera footage with 3D scanning data for CGI purposes, ARRI recommended a FARO Laser Scanner Focus3D for the geometrical calibration of the camera and microphone

positions and the scan of the whole stadium. This will serve as the basis for creating virtual camera movements. Dr Johannes Steurer, Principal Engineer at ARRI, explained: “After the stadium was cleared, we scanned the whole stadium and captured the positions of the microphones and cameras using reference cards and spheres. Thanks to a short rain shower before we began, the air was clear, giving excellent results. After 2.5 hours we had all 17 3D scans on the SD card.” An immersive future The FascinatE system will take the experience of a sports match or concert to a whole new level. For example, thanks to the accurate positional information gathered with the FARO Laser Scanner, the system will accurately and automatically blend the audio from different microphones in order to suit the viewer’s chosen camera shot. “FascinatE represents a paradigm shift where directors surrender control to the end-viewer. However, the use of precise 3D positional information to create a sense of actually being there will play a big part in the quality of experience,” says David Homewood of Faro Technologies UK, one of the project’s enthusiastic supporters.

Four good reasons

SUMMARY

Karlheinz Leitner, Head of CNC Programming in the Mechanical Production department says:

•R esearch into interactive immersive technology is driving developments in the application of 3D models to broadcasting and information services. • I n the past broadcast directors called the shots depending on assumptions about the end user’s preferences and viewing devices.

Photo: Siemens AG

FascinatE FascinatE, standing for Format-Agnostic SCriptbased INterAcTive Experience, is an EU-funded research project that aims to allow end-users to interactively view and navigate around an ultra-high resolution panorama of a live event. The output will be intelligently adapted to suit anything from a mobile handset to an immersive panoramic display and the audio will intelligently match the chosen shots.

– Mec ha ni c a l Engi ne e ri ng–

•T he FascinatE project will put the viewer in the director’s chair and allow immersive exploration of the available camera angles during a live concert or match. •S martphone users know you can use GPS to locate a pizza, but the VISITO App will allow create a seamless link between your camera phone and a rich database of historical information and photos. •F ARO Laser Scanners are the tools of choice for the scientists who are opening these new dimensions of augmented reality. www.fascinate-project.EU www.visitotuscany.it www.faro.com/focus

Speed and flexibility gains in electrical motor production Mechanical Engineering The German industrial manufacturer Siemens is well equipped with a number

of FARO arms to speed quality control and increase production flexibility in the Large Drives Business Unit.

Photo: iStockphoto.com

About 210 employees are involved in the unit's mechanical manufacturing department on Vogelweiherstraße in Nuremberg. Supporting them is a team of 8 metrologists in the quality control / measuring department. In 2005, they acquired their first FaroArm Platinum, to replace a conventional 3D coordinate measuring system and a range of manual methods. Excited by the substantial timesavings, Siemens added another four FARO arms when the Quantum became available.

Piazza della Signoria in Florence, one of the VISITO sites, has been scanned by a FARO Laser Scanner.

faro News | 8

ccuracy: This is paramount A in quality control. It is the basis for everything else.

peed: We estimated that we S have been able to make total timesavings of 50-60% in the measurement department.

rice: All the FARO arms we P have bought are very good value for money, especially when you consider the massive timesavings.

ensors: The overload and S temperature sensors ensure that we can totally rely on the data output from the FARO arms.

The manufacturing quality control department of Siemens Large Drives Business Unit uses five FARO arms.

The German-based industrial multinational Siemens needs no introduction as a global leader in drives, automation, transport, building technology, lighting and industrial solutions. Within the Drive Technologies Division, the Large Drives Business Unit makes motors and the associated transformers and control components that are found in railway locomotives. Further products include drive systems for machines used in the textile, packaging and printing industries.

Meanwhile, the VISITO project is focused on the user’s curiosity, bringing to life archive material and personal memories through 3 dimensional browsing. The combination of these two approaches promises some truly exciting and revolutionary new 3D immersive experiences.

“We heard about FARO products at an exhibition and then attended an Open House event organized by FARO Europe. Having seen the equipment demonstrated we were no longer surprised by the astonishing time savings that we were able to achieve with FARO arms,” explained Karlheinz Leitner, Head of CNC Programming in the Mechanical Production department. "We estimate that we are now making time savings of 50 - 60% over our previous methods of measurement. Furthermore, using the FARO arms has many wider benefits.” Parts are made in batches, and every time a new batch is started, the first part needs to be taken to the quality control department and approved before the rest of the batch can be completed. With a FaroArm, the time required for measuring is sub-

stantially reduced; so smaller batches have become more economical. This increases production flexibility. Parts can even be measured while still mounted in the manufacturing machine thanks to the portability of the FARO arms. Normally parts to be measured range between 0.2 and 1.2m in size, but sometimes parts exceed the standard 2.4m volume of the FaroArm Quantum. However Leitner is unperturbed: “Using the leapfrog method with magnetic reference points, the range can be easily extended.” The Siemens Large Drive Business Unit works with Delcam PowerINSPECT software, which integrates seamlessly with the FaroArm. When a new part is introduced, the quality team creates a measurement program based on the available 3D plans. This defines the required measurements and tolerances. Thereafter, the operator can simply take the measurements and automatically generate a report. “All in all, we are very pleased with the productivity increases that we could achieve thanks to the ease of use of the FARO arms.”

The Faro Laser Scanner Photon makes it possible to accurately scan large spaces indoors or outdoors in very little time.

www.measuring-arms.faro.com

SIEMENS AG summary Siemens AG is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. For over 160 years, Siemens has stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. In fiscal 2010, revenue totaled some €76 billion and net income €4.1 billion. At the end of September 2010, Siemens had around 405,000 employees worldwide.

www.siemens.com

On the Vogelweiherstraße in Nuremberg, the manufacturing quality control department of Siemens’ Large Drives Business Unit uses five FARO arms to make significant timesavings and increase production flexibility.

ww.automation.siemens. w com/mcms/drives/en

faro News | 9

– A u t omoti ve–

BMW's choice of the FARO Track ScanArm was based on these benefits:

1 2

I ntegration: The combination of FaroArm and Laser Tracker in one system gives the ideal combination of range and precision. Only one laptop is necessary for the control of both products. reedom: Each device shares F the same reference coordinate system allowing you to instantly switch to the tool that is most suitable for the required measurement.

onnectivity: The FARO sysC tem integrates with the BMW wireless vehicle network.

lexibility: The Laser Tracker F and the ScanArm can also be used individually for different jobs.

The FARO Track ScanArm seamlessly combines laser tracking, measuring arm and laser scanner capabilities into a single package that solves the problems of sight lines and coordinate sharing.

ww.faro.com/laserw tracker www.measuring-arms. faro.com

More freedom, thanks to shared coordinates

Eliminating customer frustration on shipped spare parts

Automotive FARO has suc-

interview Using a FARO Gage

cessfully integrated three proven measuring systems into one product – the Track ScanArm. It is a mobile system with particular efficiency advantages for interior and exterior measurements of vehicles.

to verify incoming spare parts quality standards, Eveline Depoortere, a Belgian mechanical engineer plays a key role in an interesting success story.

At BMW's Dingolfing and Regensburg plants, in Germany, the FARO Track ScanArm is being used. It combines the FARO Laser Tracker, the 7-axis FaroArm Quantum and the Laser Line Probe V3 into one system. With shared coordinates and PolyWorks software handling the front end, all three devices can operate seamlessly together allowing an unprecedented level of measuring flexibility. For the BMW metrologists who measure components and fittings during pilot and production phases, the Track ScanArm system represents a major step forwards. “In the past, there was always an interruption to your workflow,” explains Roland Schlüßl, Key Account Manager at FARO. “Either you scanned the outside with a laser scanner giving you the volume coverage and speed, or you used a measuring arm to go for measurements inside the vehicle. To combine these two approaches introduced complications.” But the FARO Track ScanArm solves the problem elegantly. The coordinate system is shared between the Laser Tracker, scanner and arm, giving the ultimate flexibility. “The FaroArm which can be moved around, receives the coordinate system wirelessly from the Laser Tracker (or vice versa), so you can measure anywhere inside the vehicle using all seven degrees of freedom without having to worry about cables, sight lines or references!” The initial presentations of the

Eveline Depoortere, Mechanical Engineer

Photo: BMW Group

Four good reasons

– He av y Ma c hi ne s –

The Laser Tracker is suspended from the ceiling in Dingolfing. As a result, the possibility of any 'outside contact' can be excluded.

FARO Track ScanArm date back to 2006, but BMW was looking for a system that would also integrate with their wireless vehicle network. In 2009, FARO came back to BMW as the first metrology company to offer this capability and the project began to take shape. During the installation phase, both FARO and BMW specialists contributed their expertise to the custom development. In Dingolfing, the Laser Tracker is suspended from the ceiling, which ensures good coverage of several work areas and means that it won't be knocked or moved inadvertently. “But if you need the Laser Tracker elsewhere, it only takes about five minutes to take it down and use it anywhere else,” says Matthias John, Senior Laser Tracker Account Manager at FARO. Referring to the mobility and flexibility of the system, he states: “You can use any one of the system components individually, which is often done to

alleviate bottlenecks all over the factory. We learned substantially during the implementation. The FARO Track ScanArm is now a refined system that other car manufacturers are starting to use.”

TVH – Group Thermote & Vanhalst is the worlds leading supplier of preowned forklift trucks, aerial platforms and industrial in-plant vehicles. Founded in 1969, the firm began purchasing, reconditioning and selling old military lift trucks in Belgium and Germany, but with the limited availability they soon turned to Japan. During this first major expansion period, thousands of new and second-hand forklift trucks were bought in Japan for repair, overhaul and sale on the European market. Today, TVH has on average, 1,900 second-hand forklift trucks in stock and over 5,000 new and

BMW Group

THERMOTE & VANHALST

The BMW Group with the three brands BMW, MINI and RollsRoyce Motor Cars is a global leader in premium car sales with 25 manufacturing sites in 14 countries. FARO arms have been in use for well over a decade at the car factories in Regensburg and Dingolfing.

Thermote & Vanhalst (TVH) was founded in 1969 by Mr. Paul Thermote and Mr. Paul Vanhalst. Trading secondhand, new forklift trucks and spare parts they established first an European and then a global base of suppliers and customers with a workforce of over 2,200 people and subsidiaries on all continents. TVH is organised into 5 divisions: Forklifts, Parts, Handling Equipment, Rental Equipment, Service And Repair. The Quality Approvals Department of the Parts Division is led by Roger Arits, and Eveline Depoortere is the Measuring Engineer.

www.bmw.com

www.tvh.com faro News | 10

second-hand forklift trucks are sold each year. The need for pre-sales repair and after-sales care of thousands of different forklift trucks led to the explosion of the spare parts business, which is now the mainstay of the company. FARO NEWS asked Eveline Depoortere, measuring engineer, about her job and why she uses a FARO Gage. Eveline Depoortere: 20,000 customers in over 162 countries make use of our stock of 450,000 different parts. If we send a part to a customer on the other side of the world and they have difficulty getting it to fit, then that creates a lot of frustration, costs and delays. So my job is to ensure that all incoming mechanical parts are within acceptable tolerances. I joined TVH in 2000 after completing my BA in Mechanical Engineering at the KATHO Highschool of Kortrijk. The first seven years, I was using conventional methods to measure parts and there were many dimensions that I could not check. In particular, we had remarks about ovoid brake drums, concentricity and misaligned holes. So in 2007, we purchased a FARO Gage; it increased my productivity by about 50% and the suppliers have noticed it. So you could go home after lunch? I wish...! (laughs). Actually we got the FARO Gage at the perfect time because business really took off since we launched our e-commerce platform. Perhaps more firms wanted to save money by buying on the free market. Thanks to the FARO Gage I was able to keep up with the growth of the company. How many parts do you measure per day? On average about fifty – brake drums take longer and it depends if I am creating a new programme or calling up the measurement programme for an existing article.

What interesting developments have you experienced since working with the FARO Gage? Thanks to the FARO Gage I can measure the concentricity of the brake drums and the position of the pitch circle, so all the brake drums we ship are now perfectly balanced and we rarely have customer questions about these parts. The work is actually very varied with such a range of parts. There is always something new to learn, or a new programme to create. Recently, FARO offered us the new Aberlink software. We decided to go for it because it allows me to see the results of a measurement immediately on the screen. That has increased my productivity by another 20%. Right now, my second baby is on the way and as with the first child, I expect to keep working until shortly before the birth. Thankfully the FARO Gage is very ergonomic. With features like the internal counterbalancing it is really no effort to use. Also it is very easy to learn, so we can easily train a back-up to cover my role when I am on maternity leave.

Four good reasons

Eveline Depoortere says:

ccuracy: The FARO Gage A is much more accurate than our previous methods, so now we can be 100% confident when we despatch a spare part.

peed: I am significantly S more productive since I began using the FARO Gage and the new Aberlink software gave me a further 20% boost. The investment pays for itself in a short time.

ossibilities: Important P dimensions that were previously impossible or impractical are now child's play.

ase of use: We could easily E train someone else to cover me during maternity leave. So many steps are now automatic thanks to great features like article code programmes, overload and temperature sensors.

summary • TVH has built a global business around pre-owned industrial inplant vehicles and lifts.

• A FARO Gage is used at goods-in to approve the quality of spare parts and ensure customer satisfaction.

The FARO Gage is a compact, high-performance coordinate measuring machine that can be conveniently mounted in just about any area of the shop floor.

www.faro.com/GAGE

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