FARO Rides With 'American Chopper'

FARO Rides With 'American Chopper'

Lake Mary, Fla., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARO Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:FARO), the only company with a complete line of portable 3D coordinate measurement systems for the Computer-Aided Measuring (CAM2) market, announced it has signed a shop support agreement with Orange County Choppers (OCC) -- the custom motorcycle shop featured on The Discovery Channel's popular show "American Chopper."

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000522/FLM035LOGO )

The agreement came about when OCC Artist/Designer Jason Pohl had a chance to use one of FARO's portable CMMs, the Platinum FaroArm.

"I must say I was impressed," Pohl said. "I spoke to Paul Teutul, Sr., and our General Manager, Steve Moreau, and they both felt this was a great idea. We got the ball rolling right away."

Pohl, now a self-described "digitizing freak," got hooked on the FaroArm while reverse engineering parts. He digitizes parts -- and even the contours of the random objects that add to a vehicle's individuality -- then modifies them into designs for OCC's original, 120-horsepower works of art.

In addition to utilizing the FaroArm's reverse-engineering and design capabilities, OCC also uses it to program their CNC machines. For example, exhaust pipes and handlebars must be symmetrical, but once the first piece is formed, "eyeballing" the second piece to exactly match is almost impossible. The FaroArm empowers OCC fabricators to trace the shape of the first piece, then transfer the data to the company's tube bender where it makes an exact match of the original in just a few minutes.

"OCC's teams are artists to the highest degree," FARO Hardware Product Director Shaun Mymudes said. "Our FaroArms help make their designs a reality and ensure that the entire process is more accurate and efficient than ever."

Because the machines that OCC produces are created from the ground up -- not modified -- the geometry and dynamics of the bike have to be precise to allow a rider to tackle winding roads without winding up in the ditch. In addition to simplifying fits between tanks and seats, fenders and frames, the designers at OCC check the alignment of critical dynamic parts such as axles, forks, and sprocket drives. The instrument captures each surface, and the relative position of each is displayed on the Arm's companion laptop. A complete digital file of the items are generated, then stored for future recreation in the company's CAD archives.

"FARO's technology is groundbreaking on the chopper scene," Pohl said. "We are all very excited to have this capability."

"American Chopper" airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on The Discovery Channel.

About FARO

With more than 7,500 installations and approximately 3,800 customers globally, FARO Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:FARO) and its international subsidiaries design, develop, and market software and portable, computerized measurement devices. The Company's products allow manufacturers to perform 3D inspections of parts and assemblies on the shop floor. This helps eliminate manufacturing errors, and thereby increases productivity and profitability for a variety of industries in FARO's worldwide customer base. Principal products include the FARO Laser ScanArm; FARO Gage and Gage-PLUS; Platinum, Titanium and Advantage FaroArms; the FARO Laser Tracker X and Xi; and the CAM2 family of advanced CAD-based measurement and reporting software. FARO Technologies is ISO 9001 certified and ISO-17025 laboratory registered. Learn more at http://www.faro.com/ .

About Orange County Choppers

Orange County Choppers has gained international recognition from the popular Discovery Channel TV show "American Chopper." Based in Montgomery, N.Y., the store custom builds motorcycles for well-known clients from around the world. Paul Teutul, Sr. opened the shop to fuel his passion for motorcycles after successfully growing Orange County Ironworks into a thriving business. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.orangecountychoppers.com/ .

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000522/FLM035LOGO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: FARO Technologies, Inc.

CONTACT: Darin Sahler, Global Public Relations Officer, FARO Technologies, Inc., +1-407-333-9911, or sahlerd@faro.com

Web site: http://www.faro.com/ http://www.orangecountychoppers.com/

EDITORS' ADVISORY: Hi-re image available at http://www.faro.com/Newsroom/Image_Gallery.asp

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