Handheld Laser Scanner

Creaform

Nowadays, a 3D handheld laser scanner is becoming increasingly popular among businesses. This is due to their wide variety of benefits, including reduced operation costs and errors, as well as increased productivity. This unique, ultra-precise systems perfectly capture 3D shapes in order to inspect and analyse existing objects or environments, allowing for the measurement and collection of data on the exact shapes and orientations. Through this top-notch technology, you can guarantee the higher quality, better fitting parts that are less costly to manufacture.

If you aren’t sure yet whether to acquire a 3D handheld laser scanner for your business products, below are some of the additional benefits that might convince you to give it a shot.

Design

Handheld 3D laser scanner can be used during the design stage by beginning with a physical object and utilising it to design a CAD model. Oftentimes, designers need to work around or fit their design to existing objects. These mating parts can also be scanned and incorporated into the design, resulting in parts that fit better consistently. The process of using an existing manufactured part to create a CAD model is often referred to as reverse engineering or reverse modelling. By utilising this, new designs can incorporate and improve upon engineering optimisation already inherent to the manufactured part.

Production

3D scanning can be used to capture changes to tooling or parts that occur on the shop floor. Tooling is often “hand-tuned” to achieve the final desired look and finish of a part. Using 3D scanning, hand modifications and optimisations can be transferred from tool to tool and ensure all manufactured parts match after production. This technology can be utilised to interpret and categorised tool wear during production as well. If used correctly, it can also predict or eliminate tool failure. In the event of tool failure, 3D scan data can be used to recreate the optimised part.

Quality control

3D measurement technologies are used to analyse the “as-built” condition of parts after they have been manufactured. Typically, non-contact technology is used to quickly inspect the overall shape and size of parts, quickly detecting issues such as part warpage or overall scale issues. Contact inspections are well suited to analyse bolt-hole locations, bores, bosses and other prismatic features. Handheld 3D laser scanner is used along with statistical analysis software to keep the quality in manufacturing products.

Detailed documentation

The handheld 3D laser scanners produce comprehensive data images that every detail is well-recorded. The chance of any omission is hugely reduced, with a very small risk of error. This vast level of detail ordinarily eliminates, almost entirely, the requirement to re-visit site on the basis that measurements missed during the survey process. The detailed documentation process also allows 3D surveyors and end clients to visit sites virtually via point cloud walk-throughs or interactive 360 image viewers. This again helps eliminate the need to “actually” visit the site when virtual visits are so realistic and easy to facilitate.

Rapid measurement

Handheld 3D laser scanners have a rapid speed of data capture, which enables millions of data points to be recorded in just a matter of seconds. This ensures that large environments can be surveyed in a short timescale, making 3D surveying ideal for work on particularly time-sensitive projects when a quick turnaround is vital. The rapid nature of the 3D measurement process greatly reduces man-hours required on-site, as well as any shutdown of facilities and overall disruption. This innate speed and flexibility are of huge benefits to the measurement industry, and it is one of the reasons that 3D measurement is becoming more and more widely utilised.

Time-saving

When it comes to designing products, time is important. When designers need to design other aspects of their work to fit into the existing product, 3D measurement technologies can help to reverse engineer. This allows new designs to integrate the requirements of manufactured parts, then successfully build onto the pre-existing engineering optimisation.

Visualisation

Initial design ideas can be tough to visualise, and past designers often use physical materials like clay to remake their imagined design. With 3D scanning, the complete data of an object can be captured and then rendered into illustrative computer software. This will allow them to accurately visualise every detail of their design before producing anything physical.

In conclusion

Non-contact 3D handheld laser scanner does offer a multitude of benefits over traditional measurement practices. By reading the points outline in this article, it can be perceived that this modern and versatile tool is something you can rely on when it comes to obtaining great amounts of data in a safe, accurate, and cost-effective manner. If this post encourages you to consider using this measurement technology for your business, make sure that you seek the services of a reliable provider. That way, you are guaranteed to get nothing but highly effective solution for your business needs.