New FARO Laser Trackers Offer Up to .0002" Distance Accuracy

LAKE MARY, Fla., March 30  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARO Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:FARO), the world's single source for a complete line of portable CAM2 solutions, has released new Laser Tracker X and Xi models capable of .0006" and .0002" distance accuracies, respectively. The new FARO Trackers also feature an expanded temperature range for greater adaptability to harsh manufacturing environments.

"The new Tracker X and Xi are twice as accurate at distance measurement as the previous models, exceed our closest competitor's accuracy, and continue to provide the most all-around precision of any trackers on the market," FARO President and Co-CEO Jay Freeland said. "Those advantages -- combined with 66 percent larger temperature range of -15 degrees C to 50 degrees C (5 degrees F to 122 degrees F) -- make the FARO Laser Tracker the most flexible and cost- efficient laser measurement device of its kind."

The .0006" and .0002" typical accuracies at 10m are half of the Maximum Permissible Error (MPE), which is part of the new ASME B89.4.19 Standard for laser tracker performance evaluation.  In the future, all laser tracker manufacturers will be required to calculate their specifications based on this procedure.

"We are the first laser tracker manufacturer to conform to this new standard," FARO Laser Division Senior Technical Product Manager Chuck Pfeffer said. "In fact, we are the only manufacturer with an ISO-17025 accreditation based on this procedure."

FARO Laser Trackers are portable contact measurement systems that use laser technology to accurately measure large parts and machinery across a wide range of industrial applications. Each measures XYZ coordinates with its laser by following a hand-held mirrored, spherical probe that is guided along the surface to be measured. The 3D position of the probe is reported in real-time with high-accuracy angular encoders and the XtremeADM feature.

XtremeADM also enables the FARO Laser Tracker to easily handle beam- breaks. If a person or object comes between the Tracker's beam and the probe, the user can immediately re-acquire the beam and continue measuring, without the need to hold the target steady to allow for the distance to be reset as with other systems.

In addition to offering up to 0.001" 3-D, single-point accuracy and 230- foot range, both X and Xi models include Self-Comp -- which eliminates the previously time-consuming and user-intensive compensation process with a one- button, fully automated, five-minute compensation routine -- and Smart Warm- up, which heats the Tracker to an optimal temperature in half the time so users can begin measuring more quickly. The FARO Tracker X model also has an Instant-On Laser for immediate measuring capability, compared to 20 minutes for competitors' trackers.

About FARO

With more than 10,800 installations and 4,900 customers globally, FARO Technologies, Inc. and its international subsidiaries design, develop, and market software and portable, computerized measurement devices. The Company's products allow manufacturers to perform 3-D inspections of parts and assemblies on the shop floor. This helps eliminate manufacturing errors, and thereby increases productivity and profitability for a variety of industries in FARO's worldwide customer base. Principal products include the FARO TrackArm; FARO Laser ScanArm; FARO Laser Scanner LS; FARO Gage and Gage-PLUS; Platinum, Digital Template, Titanium, Advantage FaroArms; the FARO Laser Tracker X and Xi; and the CAM2 family of advanced CAD-based measurement and reporting software. FARO Technologies is ISO-9001 certified and ISO-17025 laboratory registered. 

DATASOURCE: FARO Technologies, Inc.



CONTACT:  Darin Sahler, Global PR Manager of FARO Technologies, Inc.,

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Web site:  http://www.faro.com/ 

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