FARO Focus S 150 or S 350 - What are improvements over the predecessor models FARO Focus X 130 and X 330?

Improvements of FARO Focus S 150 bzw. S 350

FARO Focus S 150 and FARO Focus S 350 are a further development of FARO's X series.

Significant product improvements have been made in the scanner's scanning accuracy and IP rating.

The IP rating of the FARO scannerhas been enhanced: Now, the scanner has IP54 rating and, thus, it is protected against splashing water and dust. There are no official indications for FARO Focus3D X 130 and X 330. But we must note that we didn't identify any extreme problems concerning dust when we used FARO Focus3D X 130.

Der FARO Focus S 150 ist durch das neue IP54 Rating noch besser gegen Staub und Spritzwasser geschützt.

As already mentioned, the measurement accuracy of the scanner has been enhanced. The accuracy of FARO Focus S 150 / S 350 scanner systems is +/-1mm. But we have to consider the precise specifications of the manufacturer. For FARO Focus3D X series, "just" +/- 2mm accuracy were indicated. Moreover, the angular accuracy of the scanner has been optimized: It's 0.005° for horizontal measurements; it's a little bit less for vertical measurements.

With FARO Focus S 350, the manufacturer achieves maximum scanning range that no FARO scanner possessed before. Regarding FARO Focus S 350 with a range of 350 meters, the scanning range is increased by 20 meters in comparison to the predecessor model X 330.

A further advantage of FARO Focus S series is the extended operating range from - 20° to + 50°. It's an interesting enhancement since the scanners of the X series sometimes had difficulties outdoors. Moreoverm, FARO Focus X series has difficulties in extreme heat (e. g. in Dubai). At excessively elevated temperatures, the X series could be used only to a limited extent.

Der neue FARO Focus S 150 hat einen erweiterten Arbeitsbereich und eine höhere Messgenauigkeit.

FARO Focus S 150 possesses dual GPS receiver; even GLONASS is supported. This way, positioning a scanner outdoors shall be optimized; especially in Northern Europe. This data is used for Cloud2Cloud registration. We still have to test if this feature allows a practical improvement for registration of scanner data.

According to the manufacturer, FARO Focus S 150 and S 350 shall have even better scanning properties at sunlight. But we couldn't test it yet. During our test scans, reduced noise of FARO Focus S 150 scan data could be identified. The measurement speed of the scanner and laser class 1 are identically equal to teh predecessor.

A new feature of FARO Focus S series is on-site compensation. This feature allows to identify improved values in the field and immediately use them. Thus, this function could be prove to be very useful. Unfortunately, we couldn't check the efficiency since the scanner will be delivered not until the first first quarter of 2017.

Furthermore, the structure of FARO scanner S 150 and S 350 shall be technically simplified. This innovation shall enable faster maintenance and calibration of FARO S series.

Summary of advantages of FARO Focus S 150 and FARO Focus S 350

The improvements and strengths of FARO Focus S 150 and S 350 are the extended operating range regarding scanning range and temperature, a better measurement accuracy of about 1mm and Ingress Protection class IP 54. In addition, there are some more noteworthy innovations such as self-calibration and accelerated service due to structural changes.