FARO CREAFORM has added handheld 3D scanner compatibility to CAM2, its dimensional inspection software, extending a workflow previously built around FaroArm portable CMMs and Vantage Laser Trackers. The update pairs that hardware support with three software additions, a Smart Alignment workflow, enhanced color mapping, and cross-section analysis, aimed at manufacturers checking cast parts before machining.
The casting problem the release targets is verifying that enough material sits in the critical areas of a raw casting before a shop commits it to machining. Getting that wrong means scrap or a failed machining run. CAM2 now lets a team position, analyze, and validate a casting against the CAD model digitally, and the handheld scanner support means that data can be captured by non-contact scanning as well as by a probe or tracker, inside one software environment.
Smart Alignment, built on an Advanced Best Fit Alignment method with material distribution optimization, is meant to position scan data against a CAD model more quickly and accurately on complex castings, which FARO CREAFORM frames as giving more confidence before machining and fewer downstream corrections. Enhanced color mapping makes deviation results easier to read and share across a team, and the new cross-section analysis lets internal features be evaluated virtually rather than only from the outside.
FARO CREAFORM positions the release for automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, energy, and general manufacturing, and stresses that the workflow keeps automated repeat inspections and report generation. "Manufacturers require actionable inspection data early in the production process, when decisions have the greatest impact on quality and cost," said Thorsten Brecht, vice-president of innovation applied solutions and CX at FARO CREAFORM.
The update also reflects how FARO and Creaform's ranges are converging under one platform. Francois Lachance, manager of software product management at FARO CREAFORM, said bringing scanning and inspection closer together lets manufacturers keep full traceability while capturing measurement data more flexibly. FARO CREAFORM, based in Lévis, Québec and Lake Mary, Florida, is a business unit of AMETEK.
