LAKE MARY, Fla., Feb. 26 -- FARO Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FARO) the world leader in portable computer-aided measurement hardware and software, announced the launch of its new family of 3-D Laser Scanners called Photon 80 and Photon 20. The new Photons, which replace the Company's Laser Scanner LS 880, 840 and 420, offer greater clarity, accuracy and portability.

"The Photon is FARO's sixth new product release in seven months," FARO President and CEO Jay Freeland said. "It represents not only our commitment to this product line and the diverse markets it benefits, but also our dedication to developing innovative 3-D laser scanner technology faster than any other company in the world."

The FARO Photon Laser Scanner is a portable, computerized measurement device that scans, digitally recreates and records all of an object or area's dimensions, creating what looks like a "photograph" on the computer screen - but in 3-D. The captured data can be used to create a digital model for reverse-engineering, quality assurance, inspection, CAD-to-part comparison, factory planning, investigation, and automatic object recognition in modeling.

The new Photon's sleek styling is fortified by technological advancements, including:

300% less noise for greater clarity
200% better positional accuracy
Higher sensitivity for better detection of objects that are distant,darker and more oblique
Easy high-quality color overlay
Increased mirror rotation speed
Faster minimal scanning times

Among the new accessories is a high-definition color bracket, as well as a handle for safe and simple portability. When combined with the super-compact Power Base Battery, the Photon offers more than six hours of uninterrupted scanning performance.

"Customers who field tested our new Laser Scanner are excited," said Dr. Bernd-Dietmar Becker, FARO's Director of Laser Scanner Marketing and Product Management. "The Photon is a breakthrough and offers huge opportunities for markets that require very high fidelity 3-D image capture. This embodies FARO's reputation as the leading provider of high-quality measurement and imaging devices."

The Photon will be beneficial in various industries, including Cultural Preservation, Architecture, Process, Piping and Power Industries, Aerospace, Automotive and Shipbuilding, Automated Quality Assurance Systems, Foundries, Forensic, Tunnel and Mining, as well as Toy Reproduction.

"The Photon's attractive pricing, ease of use and solid customer support make it painless for businesses to adopt this powerful technology," Freeland said.

About FARO

With approximately 16,000 installations and 7,400 customers globally, FARO Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, and markets portable, computerized measurement devices and software used to create digital models - or to perform evaluations against an existing model - for anything requiring highly detailed 3-D measurements, including part and assembly inspection, factory planning and asset documentation, as well as specialized applications ranging from surveying, recreating accident sites and crime scenes to digitally preserving historical sites.

FARO's technology increases productivity by dramatically reducing the amount of on-site measuring time, and the various industry-specific software packages enable users to process and present their results quickly and more effectively.

Principal products include the world's best-selling portable measurement arm - the FaroArm; the world's best-selling laser tracker - the FARO Laser Tracker X and Xi; the FARO Laser ScanArm; FARO Photon Laser Scanners; the FARO Gage, Gage-PLUS and PowerGAGE; and the CAM2 Q family of advanced CAD-based measurement and reporting software. FARO Technologies is ISO-9001 certified and ISO-17025 laboratory registered.