Faro Arm Review

     Often times, one of the toughest aspects of engineering is gathering accurate dimensions of a product. Last time you had to measure something and you picked up a tape measure, did you stop to think about how accurate that tape measure was? Most people just take it for granted that the device they are using will provide them with an accurate result. In engineering, preciseness is key to the operation of some products. This is why in recent times a device known as a Faro Arm has been developed to help measure items down to the thousands of an inch.

What is it? What does it do?

     A Faro Arm (Figure 1) is a piece of equipment that uses computer aided software to take measurements from a ball on the tip of the arm. The arm is mounted on a table or a tripod next to the item being measured. Then, the operator moves the arm so the tip is touching the object. A data point is then taken. The operator can move around the object taking as many data points as they wish. When finished, these data points will appear in the computer software where analysis can be performed.

Figure 1 Faro Arm

(Source: www.faro.com)

Ranking Criteria 

     For this review, the new Faro Arm technology will be put through a high level of scrutiny. In some cases, due to the fact that most engineers are familiar with a measurement tool known as a calipers, comparisons will be drawn between the two. The categories under which the Faro Arm will be tested are:

• Ease of use and time needed for measurements

• Ease of measurement

• Interpreting the measurement

• Accuracy of measurement

• Dimensions of object being measured

• Cost

Product Review 

    The setup of a Faro Arm is not as quick as just pulling out a calipers because the arm is relatively large in size. The device requires a large amount of time to attach to a steady surface, start-up the computer and arm, and launch the computer software. In most cases, all of this equipment is too heavy to carry with one set of hands. Therefore, the technology is not the most practical for quick measurements.

     Faro Arms work by placing the tip of the arm on the surface and pushing a button to record a data point. This can then show up as single points, circles, or lines in the computer software. Taking measurements are as easy as taking a picture; just point and shoot.

     Unfortunately, interpreting the measurements and analyzing the data collected is not as easy. The software program is not as user friendly as it could be. To use the program you would either need training on it or spend a great deal of time working with it. Having a background in engineering modeling programs, such as Creo Parametric, would help out tremendously.

     If you do happen to master the software and are confident the software interpreted what you measured correctly, the Faro Arm is one of the most precise pieces of equipment a person can use. According to www.faro.com the repeatability of the arm can be as low as 0.0009 of an inch. Even if a calipers is calibrated daily it would not even come close to measuring that precise.

     A Faro Arm will measure medium to very small sized objects. The largest model available on www.faro.com comes with the reach of only six feet. In most cases this would be sufficient enough, but in areas such as the automotive industry, the reach may come up short.

     The biggest question thus far, may be the cost of the unit. For a baseline model, one can be obtained for as little as $15,000. Unfortunately, depending on the application, you may not be satisfied with a low-end model. Depending on the accuracy, arm reach length, and options, Faro Arms can range up to as high as $85,000.

Is A Faro Arm Right For Me? 

     Depending on the application, skill level, and budget, a Faro Arm can be a useful tool. There are a variety of applications that could only be measured with a tool like this. If you are experienced with 3D modeling software you will be able to pick this software up with ease. When used correctly, the arm and software can be a very precise way to reverse engineer or check the quality of an object. If multiple object have to be checked for quality, taking repeated measurements is even easier. Overall, a Faro Arm is an extremely solid tool to use in certain specific applications.

An Insight to the World of Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering has become an expanding field in recent years. This blog is designed to familiarize viewers on the field of mechanical engineering and the considerations that surround it. You may or may not realize the impact, but mechanical engineering has a crucial impact on your everyday life. From the refrigerator that keeps your food cold, to the car you drive to work, to the power that is emitted by the light bulb you turn on when you wake up in the morning, mechanical engineering is everywhere. Although it is a very ancient practice, there are certain divisions that have made extreme strides in recent years. 

Mechanical engineering is a very wide discipline. People employed in this field can fulfil jobs of designing new product, manufacturing products, and building and maintaining mechanical systems such as power plants or heating and air systems. For fulfillment in these careers, a mechanical engineer should have a profound interest in how things are build and why they work the way they do. Often, people forming a career as a mechanical engineer were the children who destroyed things by taking them apart to see what was inside. 

On a college education side, mechanical engineers must be trained in areas of material science, static and dynamic structural analysis, thermodynamic and fluid analysis, and computer design programs just to name a few. Materials science can be an important tool to forecast how materials will react based upon their properties or to design a completely new material. Static and dynamic analysis deals with making calculations on objects that are at rest or in motion. These calculations could be with forces, velocities, or moments of inertia to name a few. Thermodynamic and fluid analysis deals with the prediction of how energy will effect heat and temperature or fluid motion. Depending on the engineers’ job, computer design programs can be their most vital tool. These programs easily allow the 3D visualization of products at a conceptual state. Very complicated designs can be easily presented in great detail with dimensions like shown below in Figure 1. Programs like these save time and money while driving innovation of tomorrow’s products. 

Figure 1

Values are important in any engineering discipline. If attention to detail is not followed, a lot of the products a mechanical engineer may deal with can be dangerous to users or bystanders. It is understood that new designs will go through heavy scrutiny and testing before the concept will ever hit a public eye. This ensures the value of a high level of safety. Mechanical engineers also value optimizing products or systems. Most mechanical engineers go into a task with the mindset that everything can be improved in some way. Then using engineering analysis to find and make the improvement, the engineer will make changes to the product or system. 

                Using the skills and values listen above, mechanical engineers have a hand in almost every product that is made in the world. Day-to-day life would be very primitive if it were not for mechanical engineering. Products in industries like automotive, aerospace, energy conversion, automation, and manufacturing would not exist or be as safe as they are today. Everyday, tasks such as driving a car become fearless and natural due to innovations and new technologies designed by mechanical engineers. 

                In summary, this blog is designed to give an inside look at mechanical engineering and the concerns surrounding it. From this first blog post, one can conclude that mechanical engineering plays a vital role in the world. Day-to-day life would become very difficult and cumbersome if the products innovated from mechanical engineering did not exist. Mechanical engineers must be skilled in a wide variety of areas to effectively perform their duties to the standards and values of their profession, as well as, the world.