(API: Rockville, MD -- Automated Precision Inc. (API) has released the latest generation of its hand-held probing and scanning instrument, the I-360. The new I-360 features an ergonomic handle grip that is easier to use when taking measurements and a lighter body weight of just 3 pounds. This maneuverability can be critical to getting accurate measurements of hidden angles or cavities where traditional measuring tools and trackers cannot easily reach.

This latest version of the I-360 builds on API’s record of developing versatile products with a range of applications. The I-360 suite of products, which includes probe-only, scanner-only, probe/scanner combination units, and wireless probe versions, are most often used for work piece and machine inspections, cavity probing, quality assurance, surface scanning, precision measuring and reverse engineering.

The new version also contains many of the features of previous I-360 models that have made the product line popular among users. These include the sensor head that does not require an external camera add-on, giving the system better accuracy than photogrammetry-based systems can achieve. This sensor head rolls and yaws a full 360° to achieve unlimited acceptance.

Along with an API laser tracker, the I-360 presents a complete measuring system, offering users the precision of a laser tracker with the flexibility of contact and probing measurements. And API offers this system at a price far below similar product lines.

“As the complexity and size of measuring surfaces grow, hand-held scanning and probing devices have become essential parts of the tracker system,” says Aaron Sabino, the product manager for API. “The I-360 is a perfect complement to our Radian laser tracker.”