FARO Edge Arm Probe Calibration

Making a habit of calibrating your Faro Arm daily is ideal to ensure accuracy of the data you are collecting. The following are steps on how to calibrate a probe using Polyworks 2019.

Disclaimer: The Faro Arm is a precision measurement tool. Please handle with care.

Items needed:

Faro Edge Arm or similar arm

Laptop with Polyworks Innovmetric Software license

USB cable - (USB to USB type B)

Hole compensation block

Double click the Polyworks icon on your Desktop.

In order to access the calibration window, an Inspector project must be open. This can be a new or existing project. Inspector is the orange round icon in the top toolbar. Double click to open.

Power on the Faro Arm and connect the USB from the arm to the laptop.

Double click "Connect Device" icon in the bottom toolbar. This connection can be made via USB or Bluetooth. In this tutorial, we are using a USB connection. Once connected, the plug icons will no longer be separate and new window will open automatically.

In order for the software to recognize where the device is located, the device must be "homed." This is a series of movements unlocking each of the pivot points in the arm. Rotate each axis until the red arrows disappear on the screen.

Double click Probing Properties icon to manage and calibrate options for probes.

Click "Select probe"

Within the probe management window, you are able to select the probe size that you wish to calibrate as well as the method of calibration.

For this tutorial we will calibrate a 6mm probe using the hole compensation method.

Use the mouse or touch pad to select 6mm box by simply clicking on the words "6mm Ball Probe."

Then click on "Hole Compensation"

Set hole compensation tool on a flat metal plate. Turn the knob to lock the magnet into place

Once selected, this Compensation Overview window will automatically open. Please read through the steps to gain an understanding of the actions to be completed. There will be a guidance window during the calibration.

To begin, click the green "Start Compensation" button.

Follow the directions on the Compensation screen.

Begin by seating the probe into the center of the hole compensation tool.

It is important not to lift the probe out of the center during the movements. This will cause an error in calibration.

Press and hold the green button on the handle during the movement down into the cutouts of the hole compensation tool. Continue this in each cut out sector. As you sweep, you will notice number of points increase at the bottom left hand corner of the compensation screen, and each time you complete a sweep down the cut out, a set out of the 4 will display.

When complete, press the red button on the handle.

After completing the 3 sweeps down through the cutouts and pressing the red button, there is one final action step. Place the probe in the center of the hole compensation tool in a straight vertical position. While holding in the green button on the handle, rotate the handle around the axis of the arm until you've twisted it all the way around. Remember not to allow the probe to come out of the center.

When complete, press the red button.

Results window will automatically open after pressing the red button in the final step of calibration.

Review your results. The FARO software will acknowledge if the calibration was successful or if it failed.

If you feel that you may have made an error during the calibration and want to improve the results, click "Restart Compensation" to begin the process again.

If you are satisfied with your results, click "Save and Exit."

This completes the calibration process and you may exit out of the Probing Properties window.