3-D Scanning

All of our work begins with the process of 3-dimensional scanning. Scanning can be accomplished in several ways depending on the parts material, size, required accuracy and desired downstream applications. The scanners we use or have access to are Computed Tomography X-ray (CT, both industrial and medical); white light optical; fixed bed laser; portable laser and CGI* process.

Industrial and Hospital CT

The advantage of CT is that both visible and hidden areas are accurately revealed with no harm to the original part. High-resolution industrial scanners can cover a wide range of sizes and materials. Hospital scanners are invaluable for scanning forensic and biological entities.

White Light Scanners

These scanners provide a quick and accurate method of scanning parts either having large or small areas. The scanner progressively scans adjacent areas and, at the same time, recording registration marks to insure data continuity. White light scanners are portable providing offsite scanning in remote areas

Fixed Bed Laser

These canners consist of a traditional CMM bed with a non-contact laser scanner replacing the touch probe. The bed records the X – Y dimensions, the laser providing the Z dimension. Accuracy is around +/-0.001 inches (0.0254 mm)

Portable Laser Scanner

These scanners uses a precision portable arm with laser scanning head. The advantage is that the laser head can squeeze into areas that fixed bed or white light scanners fail to reach. It also can be taken to out door field locations, where the conditions are generally not favorable for white light scanners.

CGI Scanner

The CGI scanner has a unique niche when scanning replaceable objects. The scanner mills the surface of the part, which is embedded in a contrasting epoxy matrix. A high-resolution digital scanner records the exposed part. The part (or parts, multiple parts can be scanned at one time) is milled until completion. All the slices are thus pre-registered and the software groups the slices into their respective point clouds or solid models.

Small parts such as electrical connectors find CGI scanning particularly useful because it can reveal the fine detail found in those parts.