Receiving inspection and Vendor FAI's using an arm

That accuracy is easily attainable through even low-cost Romer/Faro units. Your biggest concern will be the consistency and the skill of the operator that uses it, especially since receiving inspection will be fast-paced and probably not often planned out ahead of time. The most accurate Romer in the world is useless if you repurpose a button-pusher to use it. I've watched no less than 3 companies' grandiose plans for Romers in receiving inspection turn into a muddled mess and eventually revert back to regular CMMs.

I agree with Chally in the fact that you have to keep in mind operator input and timing. There are to many times that companies buy these arms thinking they will just throw someone on them and everything will work out with having a plan in place. These still are metrology grade tools that do require some knowledge of inspection and understanding of alignments. These are really good in regards to having as part of your inspection process, but when it comes to fast paced and rerunning lots of parts the conventional cmm can't be beat. With conventional cmms you can put the fixturing and software in place to just load and go. For quick troubleshooting, machine setups, machine alignments, and the ability to have inspection on the floor with a laser scanner to do color mapping you cant beat a arm. Just always remember these are manual and the operator has alot to do with the results and the timing.