3D measurement specialist FARO has announced the strategic acquisition of MWF-Technology, a Germany-based innovator of mobile augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) solutions.

MWF’s technology allows large, complex 3D CAD data to be transferred to a tablet device and then used for mobile visualisation and comparison to real world conditions. This enables real time, actionable manufacturing insight for in-process inspection, assembly, guidance and positioning.

Located just outside of Frankfurt, Germany, MWF’s mobile AR solution jipAR (now known as FARO AR Inspect) is used by some of the top aerospace and automotive companies in the world in their assembly workflows to dramatically reduce cycle time and significantly reduce manufacturing costs.The solution includes a compression software tool for converting 3D CAD data into a mobile format, enabling intuitive navigation through the 3D data, as well as a hardware kit that includes a 3D ready iPad and alignment tools.

FARO AR Inspect is expected to lead to productivity gains for measurement applications in not only manufacture and metrology, but also surveying, construction and BIM. By adding augmented reality to workflows, these users will be able to interactively access detailed information about the surrounding world.

News ways of capturing and visualising 3D data will be the focus of an exclusive feature article in the upcoming
February/March issue of Position magazine. 

AR Inspect complements FARO Virtual Reality (VR) Viewer, which enables an immersive and interactive experience in a simulated 3D environment. It facilitates decision making in a real world context, avoiding users to spot flaws or potential risks before implementation.

“With the introductions of Mobile AR and VR solutions, we are at a seminal moment where we can enable our customers to evolve their thinking and actions beyond doing it the right way to doing it the best way every time,” stated Dr. Simon Raab, FARO’s President and CEO. “They will benefit from error detection at even earlier stages of the production, construction or design process.”