INTRODUCING THE FARO ARM

GKS Inspection Services, Inc., a division of Laser Design, Inc., has provided dimensional measurement and 3D laser scanning services for 25 years. The pride and joy of the company, their lab in Plymouth, MI, is accredited by the A2LA for Mechanical Testing and Calibration. This lab has numerous CMMs, vision systems, laser scanners, surface analyzers and other inspection equipment. GKS has other branches in Minneapolis, India and Korea, which all employ expert metrologists and engineers experienced in a wide range of manufacturing industries.

The Michigan lab is working hard to fill customers' requests for on-site inspection and reverse engineering services. GKS has recently expanded their Detroit-area dimensional inspection services by adding a third Fargo portable-CMM articulated arm. The new 12-foot, platinum Faro arm is equipped with both a touch probe and a 3D laser scanner. GKS' system configuration includes Faro's CAM2 measurement software and contact probes along with a Laser Design SLP-330 laser scanner and a high-end laptop PC, loaded with Geomagic Studio and Qualify software. "Many of our customers prefer on-site inspection of their parts. This makes a lot of sense for larger parts that are expensive to ship as well as for proprietary or delicate parts. By adding a third Faro arm, we ensure that we have the capacity to service our customers in a timely way," explains Steve DeRemer, General Manager of GKS Michigan.

GKS selected the largest Faro model, ensuring the capability to measure large parts, which are common in the area's dominant automotive industry. Jim Andrews, Supervisor of Engineering Services at GKS Michigan, said, "While we have offered on-site inspection services for many years, we are now seeing a growing demand for on-site reverse engineering services as well." GKS' trained operators can travel virtually anywhere to perform on-site services with the company's Faro arms. In some cases, it is possible to travel to the customer site, laser scan a part and create a surface model without the part or the data ever leaving the customer site.