3D scanners in industry
 

What is 3D scanning?

3D scanners are similar to their 2D counterparts in that they take a physical object in the real world and digitize it into a format that can be saved, shared, and edited on a computer. Once in their digital format, 3D models created by 3D scanners facilitate engineering, design, and quality control efforts in many industries.

Unlike 2D scanners, 3D scanners allow three-dimensional capture of physical objects. Digital scanning technology, like that of Shining 3D's Freescan UE, can measure millions of points in a single measurement with a high level of accuracy (measured in microns, for reference, 1 micron equals 0.001 millimeters) and often achieves a scanning in seconds or minutes, depending on the size of the job. What is even more impressive is that these scanners can maintain this high level of accuracy on very small objects (a fingerprint for example) up to very large sizes (an engine).

Industrial 3D software and scanners

While scanners themselves are impressive instruments, the accompanying scanning software is what enables end-to-end workflows that optimize accuracy, results, and quality from start to finish of a project. For example, software like Geomagic Control X, Verisurf Inspect or Einsense Q offers simple graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that allow users to perform tasks such as 3D point cloud processing, data post-processing, as well as the generation and editing of polygonal meshes. In addition, they make it possible to calculate variations and deviations between the scanned part and a 3D model in order to perform complex metrology tasks.

In short, scanning hardware is what makes digital representations possible, and scanning software is what allows you to work with digital representations to achieve your goals. You can find out more about our professional software by contacting our industrial scanners department.

Common Applications of 3D Scanning Software

Now that we've given you a brief overview of the scanning hardware and software that makes 3D scanning possible, let's dive into some of the common use cases for this powerful technology.

Quality Control

One of the most common 3D scanning applications for scanners and software is quality control. In today's highly competitive markets, where every company strives to produce the most accurate parts in the shortest time, quality control is of the utmost importance. High-quality manufacturing processes can set a company apart from its competitors, making precise, accurate, and repeatable quality control processes an essential part of any manufacturing plan. 3D scanning software can help companies improve the quality and speed of their inspections by creating detailed 3D models of manufactured parts and providing workflows optimized for specific industries. Each part can be scanned and the digital model can be evaluated to ensure that each area of the part is within specified tolerances.

Prototyping and 3D printing

Another common use case for 3D scanning software is prototyping and 3D printing. 3D scanners allow you to take a physical product, scan it into a digital format (eg STL file format) and work with the scanned model to create prototypes which are then printed by 3D printers. The high level of precision offered by quality 3D scanners greatly streamlines this process, as the increased granularity of scan data greatly reduces the manual time required to create a solid model.

Reverse engineering and CAD creation

A very common challenge in the world of engineering and product design is reverse engineering a physical product for which you don't have a CAD file. Using a 3D scanner that captures the complex geometric features of a given part is a great way to develop a CAD file when none exists. Creating or obtaining high-quality CAD files early in the reverse engineering process can dramatically improve project results by reducing wasted time and assumptions based on inaccurate data.