Links grow with measurement leaders Faro
Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:09:00 BST
University acquires Faro laser tracker ION IFM model, Faro ScanArm and Faro Focus 3D
METROLOGISTS at the University of Huddersfield have acquired new, state-of-the-art laser measuring equipment and are forming a special relationship with the world-leading company that made it.
The University is home to the globally-renowned EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology, which is already equipped with advanced equipment. But now the facilities have been boosted by a Faro laser tracker ION IFM model manufactured by the US-based multi-national Faro, regarded as leaders in 3D measurement technology.
Within the partnership agreement, Faro also support the University with a Faro ScanArm and Faro Focus 3D.
The aim is that the EPSRC Centre will form research collaboration with Faro, providing the company with expert feedback on the products and contributing ideas for new developments, says Dr Andrew Longstaff, Senior Research Fellow.
Pictured with the University's new Faro laser tracker ION IFM model is research fellow Dr Xiaomei Chen.
Extreme portability is a key advantage of the new laser measuring equipment, he added. The devices could be carried to a component for measurement, rather than the other way around. The laser tracker, the measuring arm and the large volume 3D scanner would find a wide range of applications.
The laser tracker – a portable co-ordinate measuring machine – is ideal for large scale applications and will be used for the measurement and mapping of large volumes components such as machine tools, said Dr Longstaff.
The Faro Focus 3D will be part of the facilities of the University’s new 3M Buckley Innovation Centre, and will be available for use by firms that locate there. With a range of 120 metres it is now possible to generate large point cloud scans to effectively digitise in 3D buildings, structures and components for a multitude of investigative purposes.
The Faro ScanArm will be used in a broad range of specialist applications – for example there are plans to use it for the measurement of wheels on behalf of the University’s Institute for Railway Research, enabling the University to inspect geometry using traditional probing methods, or utilise the laser capability for non-contact inspection or reverse engineering.
New research fellow
The EPSRC Centre has recently appointed a new research fellow, Chinese born Dr Xiaomei Chen, and she has been quick to familiarise herself with the Faro laser tracker.
After studies at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, she joined the Changcheng Institute of Metrology and Measurement. She relocated to Europe in 2008 to work for the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), which is Germany’s equivalent of the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, which has an important presence at the University of Huddersfield, now being based at the 3m Buckley Innovation Centre.
