July marked the 20th anniversary of the Coordinate Measurement Systems Conference, the only conference solely devoted to the users, services and OEM manufacturers of close-tolerance coordinate measurement systems, software and peripherals.

This year’s conference and exhibition was held in San Jose, California, and included products from more than 40 vendors, including FARO Technologies Inc., Leica Geosystems, Metrologic Instruments Inc. and Romer CIMCore. Prominent at this year’s show were a number of metrology products geared toward in-place 3-D measurement of large assemblies such as aircraft, automobiles and even a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur. Some of the technologies displayed included laser trackers, radar trackers, photogrammetry and articulated inspection arms.

Nearly 20 technical seminars were presented by representatives from both industry and research, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, The Boeing Co., Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Airbus and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

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