Cole Manufacturing Saves Valuable Time in Fast-Paced Job Shop with the FaroArm - FARO - #1

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With a tradition of technological advance, Cole Manufacturing (colemfg.com) has stayed at the forefront of changes in the tool and die industry. Their pursuit of the highest quality in tooling and metal stamping has lead to shorter lead-times and more accurate tooling for their customers. By diversifying with newer technologies, they serve the largest customer the same as they serve the smallest. Cole is based in West Bend, Wisconsin and specializes in metal stampings, fabrications, weldments, and assemblies. They meet the tooling needs of their customers with the goal of minimum material use in mind. This thought process begins in part design, continues through prototyping, and on into actual production. Cole focuses on precision, quality, and a quick turnaround. PROBLEM: On a daily basis, Cole measures or inspects their various parts. These often range from fabricated weldments, stampings, tooling fixtures, stamping die components, and CNC/stamped tubes. These parts were measured by an assortment of hand gages, height gages, large verniers, and even tape measures. This hand-inspection method presented several problems. Traditional tools couldn’t cover the entire measurement range Cole needed, and they simply weren’t accurate enough. These tools also didn’t have the capability to interface with CAD, which limited Cole’s reverse engineering options. SOLUTION: Experienced with FARO, Cole knew the Platinum FaroArm – equipped with CAM2 Measure X software – would provide them the flexibility and portability they needed. The FaroArm is adaptable to a wide variation of inspections and its portability makes it an invaluable part of their everyday operations. Quickly accepted by their engineers and operators, the FaroArm was clearly a more efficient way to perform needed tasks. Additional benefits of the FARO solution were its ability to create one-off inspections for set-up and the output of inspection documentation. The FaroArm provided faster inspections, the capability to measure more complex geometry, and aided in comparing customer CAD data to finish prototype parts. ROI: For Cole Manufacturing, the return value of their FaroArm solution was more than simple time and money savings, or even reduced scrap. The greatest value came in the flexibility and adaptability of the device for their fast-paced job shop. “After FARO’s great support group helped us with initial set-up, we had a seamless integration,” said Quality Assurance Manager John Berst. “Tube inspection jobs that used to take four hours can now be completed in 45 minutes or less. In the two and half months since acquiring our FaroArm, we’ve saved 100 hours of work time.” Cole Manufacturing Saves Valuable Time in Fast-Paced Job Shop with the FaroArm T H E M E A S U R E O F S U C C E S S ® Ma n u f a c t u r i n g — Me t a l F o r m i n g FARO, THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS, FAROARM, XTREMEADM and SCANARM are registered trademarks and trademarks of FARO Technologies Inc. © 2008 FARO Technologies Inc. All Rights Reserved. 04REF202-090.pdf Created: 8/4/08 w w w . f a r o . c o m • 8 0 0 . 7 3 6 . 0 2 3 4 ACCREDITED Certificate # L1147