FARO introduces a mid-market laser scanner to grab a bigger client base. Is the new device worth it?
FARO has announced the introduction of a new midrange laser tracker to its top-tier Vantage product line.
The VantageE laser scanner from FARO. (Image courtesy of FARO.)
Laser trackers are traditionally used to precisely measure larger objects by positioning optical targets on the item to be measured and then scanning that object with a laser tracker mounted to a tripod. Because of their accuracy, laser trackers have been used in applications like large part inspection, large assembly alignment, robot calibration and dimensional analysis.
But as you can imagine, owning such a specialized tool comes at a steep price. In an effort to expand its market a bit more, FARO has now introduced a mid-level tracker to its Vantage line, the VantageE.
According to FARO, the VantageE was designed for customers who don’t need the breadth of measurement range that comes with the premium Vantage model. While the VantageE won’t have the same range as its older and more venerable forebear, it can scan to a range of 25 meters and leverages the company’s fifth-generation TRuADM (Absolute Distance Meter) technology. With TruADM, users can power up the VantageE and continuously scan or take measurements by running a spherical optical probe over the surface of the item or assembly being inspected. True to its easy-to-use bonafides, TruADM allows users to continue with a scan, even if the tracker’s beam has been interrupted while the probe is repositioned to further interrogate an object.
If users find that operating a tripod is too cumbersome a method for inspecting their products, whether because they’re too small or too irregular in their shape, the VantageE can also be mounted to the FARO Super 6DoF (Degrees of Freedom) TrackArm, which can lend a more fluid scanning workflow to most operations.