The mainstays of Aberdeen-based L&N Scotland’s inspection regime are its three recently-purchased Faro QuantumS ScanArms, where they help maintain the quality of products that include subsea production flow spools, chemical injection lines and control systems equipment.

Quality engineer at L&N Scotland, Robert Knowles, says: “The technical advancements in Faro’s latest generation of ScanArms have enhanced our precision capabilities and accelerated inspection throughput.”

Although L&N Scotland’s new QuantumS ScanArms have delivered significant benefits to several company departments, it is in the area of subsea control system manufacturing that they have provided the biggest advantages, as QC inspector Adrian Chalmers points out: “We produce complex, pre-manufactured subsea control system kits that feature a large number of very long pipes. These pipes feature intricate compound 3D shapes with challenging dimensional tolerances. Further complicating matters, the pipes are located in close proximity to each other.”

He adds: “As it was the ideal combination for our requirements, we specified our three new ScanArms with Faro Prizm laser probes. Importantly, as the pipes in our kits can spring and flex under physical inspection, the accurate non-contact scanning capabilities of our QuantumS ScanArms have provided a major advantage. We can now precisely scan the most complex-shaped tubes and compare our findings to their CAD models. Then, if needed, we’re able to instantly send any required bending correction information back to our CNC bending machine. Also, when required, we can reverse engineer existing pipes and create precise models for use at any point in the future.”

The accuracy specifications for the Quantum ScanArm product line-up is certified according to ISO 10360-8 for non-contact CMMs. Faro says it is the first portable measurement arm manufacturer to publish its non-contact accuracy specifications according to this standard.

For further information
www.faro.com