FARO's Exclusive SENSOR Probe by Renishaw Improves Productivity, Data Confidence

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FRANKFURT, Germany, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARO Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FARO), the world sales leader in portable computer-aided measurement arms and laser trackers, announced that its strategic alliance with Renishaw has produced the FARO SENSOR, an advanced probe for measurement arms that increases user productivity and confidence in results.

"What makes the FARO SENSOR probe unique is that data is taken only when in contact with the part, unlike other probes that keep collecting points even when the hard probe leaves the work piece," FARO President and CEO Jay Freeland said. "That causes rework and creates errors that have to be removed later. The FARO SENSOR eliminates that wasted effort - including the guesswork as to which points need to be deleted. Users will know without a doubt that their measurements are more exact than ever."

Exclusively developed for the Quantum FaroArm, the FARO SENSOR is a contact-sensing rigid probe that functions as three sensors in one to offer hard probe, touch trigger and scanning capability.

To operate, users simply guide the SENSOR along the surface of the object to be measured. Points are measured as soon as the probe contacts the surface, eliminating the need to press capture buttons, as with other probes. The Quantum's laptop computer simultaneously illustrates the 3-D measurements on- screen and records all of the data. It creates a 3-D "blueprint" of a part or machine component, making it an all- in-one portable tool for performing inspections, tool certification, CAD-to-Part analysis, and reverse engineering.

Drawing on Renishaw's metrology expertise, the innovative sensing technology within the FARO SENSOR is also:

  • Easy to use, significantly reducing complexity of the measuring process by minimizing operator influence
  • Designed for durability to endure day-to-day use in tough industrial environments
  • Equipped with a range of styli that allow it to accurately probe intricate and hard-to-reach features

    • Along with the new Laser ScanArm V3, the FARO SENSOR probe makes its world debut at the 2007 EuroMold Show in Frankfurt, Germany.

    About FARO

    With more than 14,600 installations and 7,000 customers globally, FARO Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, and markets portable, computerized measurement devices and software used to create digital models - or to perform evaluations against an existing model - for anything requiring highly detailed 3-D measurements, including part and assembly inspection, factory planning and asset documentation, as well as specialized applications ranging from surveying, recreating accident sites and crime scenes to digitally preserving historical sites.

    FARO's technology increases productivity by dramatically reducing the amount of on-site measuring time, and the various industry-specific software packages enable users to process and present their results quickly and more effectively.

    Principal products include the world's best-selling portable measurement arm - the FaroArm; the world's best-selling laser tracker - the FARO Laser Tracker; the FARO Laser ScanArm; FARO Laser Scanner LS; the FARO Gage, Gage- PLUS and PowerGAGE; and the CAM2 family of advanced CAD-based measurement and reporting software. FARO Technologies is ISO-9001 certified and ISO-17025 laboratory registered. Learn more at www.faro.com

    About Renishaw

    For over 30 years Renishaw, one of the world's leading metrology companies, has supplied products to manufacturing companies worldwide, all designed to increase productivity and improve product quality in a competitive manufacturing environment.

    The company has a wide product range and a customer base across a broad spectrum of different industry sectors. Renishaw was best known for its probe systems for co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and CNC machine tools, supplying many engineering companies in the sectors of aerospace, automotive and precision piece-part manufacture. However the company has successfully diversified into other product areas, such as encoder systems for position feedback, dental CAD/CAM systems, laser calibration products for machine performance control, and Raman microscopes for spectral analysis of materials.

    In the year to 30 June 2007, Renishaw generated revenue of 180.9 million pounds Sterling and profit before tax of 32.7 million pounds. The Renishaw Group currently has 51 locations in 30 countries, with over 2,100 employees. More information at www.renishaw.com

    SOURCE FARO Technologies, Inc.
    CONTACT: Darin Sahler, Global PR Manager of FARO Technologies, Inc.,
    +1-407-333-9911, Darin.Sahler@faro.com/
    /Web site: http://www.faro.com
    http://www.renishaw.com
    (FARO)

    "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding FARO Technologies Inc's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.