GKS Inspection Services, Inc., a division of Laser Design, Inc., has expanded its Detroit-area dimensional inspection services with the addition of a third Faro portable-CMM articulated arm.

According to the company's press release, the third arm should enable GKS to better handle on-site inspection and reverse engineering services.

The new 12-foot Platinum Faro arm is equipped with both a touch probe and a 3-D laser scanner. GKS's 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.

According to Steve DeRemer, General Manager of GKS Michigan, "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." DeRemer also noted that GKS selected the largest Faro model to be able to measure large parts which are common in the area's dominant automotive industry.

Jim Andrews, Supervisor of Engineering Services at GKS Michigan, added, "While we have offered on-site inspection services for many years, we are now seeing growing demand for on-site reverse engineering services as well. 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."