Eagle's Lair
Members Roster

December 8, 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Team North American Eagle™ is pleased to announce a partnership with FARO Technologies, Inc. They design, develop and market portable, computerized measurement devices and software. FARO’s products allow NAE™ Engineers  to perform 3-D inspections of parts and assemblies.

Using a FARO Laser Tracker and FaroArm Mark Flubacher, Jeff Squibbs and Larry Kuehn completely digitized the entire exterior surface of the Eagle. Digitizing is the process where the entire vehicle is put into the computer for later use for data analysis, rapid prototyping and structural analysis. The partnering with FARO Technologies will allow NAE Engineers to now utilize CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), FEA (Finite Element Analysis), aerodynamic studies and stress analysis of structure components.

The data learned can be used to modify and build wind tunnel models and perform rapid prototyping. There are other doors this technology also opens. For example, if we need to replace damaged panels, we can develop 3-D molds and build composite structures. We can even use the data to create a 3-D model for use in the gaming industry. Who knows, maybe the next Microsoft Simulator will be of the Eagle!  1/10 scale models can be built for industry trade shows. The opportunities are limitless using FARO Technology.

The process of digitizing the vehicles outer surface is straight out of Star Wars.  The FARO Laser Tracker X V2 is a portable contact measurement system that uses laser technology to accurately measure large parts and machinery across a wide range of industrial applications. It has a 230-ft. range, achieves 0.001” 3-D single-point accuracy, and is rugged enough for the shop-floor environment.  Mark and Jeff set up the equipment outside and performed a 360 degree scan of the entire vehicle.

The system measures 3-D coordinates with its laser by following a mirrored spherical probe. With high-accuracy angular encoders and XtremeADM (Absolute Distance Measurement), it reports the 3-D position of the probe in real-time. This system enables NAE™ Engineers to measure and align large parts and assemblies, on the 56 foot long Eagle.  Click on this link to see a video illustrating the FARO Laser Tracker.

FARO Products work seamlessly with Dassault Systèmes  CATIA V5 software and Verisurf Software.

Together the North American Eagle™ and FARO Technologies will make history when we break the 763 MPH World Landspeed Record.

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