Debco Tool & Die Cuts Inspection Time in Half with the FARO Laser ScanArm - FARO - #1

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FARO, FaroArm and the FARO Logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of FARO Technologies, Inc. © 2008 FARO Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 04REF202-101.pdf Created: 11/19/08 Debco Tool & Die Cuts Inspection Time in Half with the FARO Laser ScanArm® Debco Tool & Die of Indianapolis, Indiana manufactures and repairs custom tooling and stamping dies. Founded in 1978, Debco (317-545-4636) serves the automotive, stamping, appliance, and medical industries. They easily work with small and large parts with complex form shapes. PROBLEM One of the many parts Debco needs to inspect is a form-die cavity – total dimensions: 12x16x3 inches – for a fan blade. They previously used a hand template with grid lines laid out to xyz-coordinates. This method was not fast enough and took too long to program from the collected data. SOLUTION Debco needed a better process. They looked at traditional CMMs and other laser scanners as an improved solution, but decided to acquire the FARO Laser ScanArm. For them, speed and accuracy were the most important factors and the ScanArm fulfilled those requirements. Debco uses their ScanArm to inspect parts for quality reports. They’re able to inspect for tolerance without removing parts from machining centers. When the machine is finished milling, they simply check the part for accuracy before removing it. This ability to scan, measure, and program results right at the machine – in situ – is a tremendous advantage. With the ScanArm it is easier and much quicker to check quality. They can even go to a customer’s facility, scan/chart details while in-press, and e-mail those measurements back to their shop in order to start machining right away. They also use the ScanArm to reverse engineer older parts for repair and duplication. This is a new capability where they can quickly scan and download measurement data directly into their programming software. It’s so easy to use that Debco began using their ScanArm the day they received it and it was eagerly accepted by their engineers. They now hard-probe measure daily and laser scan with it every week. RETURN ON INVESTMENT For Debco Tool & Die, one clear advantage of the FARO Laser ScanArm is its ability to dramatically reduce the length of their quality assurance process. “We’ve cut our inspection time by 50-percent and saved roughly $75,000 to $100,000 by using FARO,” said President Mike Hill. Perhaps the greatest value was the ability to reverse engineer parts and tools. Debco thinks in terms of “old-school” (using a duplicating machine that was very labor intensive) and “new-school” (FARO’s cutting edge technology). What once took 300 labor hours now takes only 2-3 hours. That’s a difference of a couple of month’s work down to one afternoon! “This was a big investment for us,” said Hill, “but we’ve had nothing but return – and I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without my FaroArm.” Tool & Die — Custom Tooling & Stamping www.faro.com • 800.736.0234