3D Scanning machines have been around for 10 years or so and were a niche market and cost around £30 to £40k. Today you can purchase a scanner for as little as £1500 which plugs into your laptop ! To scan – point the scanner at an object and travel 360 degrees around it. The data is created from interference in the light pattern caused by an object’s surface and is captured by one or more cameras on the scanner to a sub-micron accuracy. The data is triangulated in the software to calculate the object’s depth and surface patterns. The data file in the form of point cloud with X,Y,Z co-ordinates can be converted into a polygon file then again into an editable 3D CAD model (Osborn Design Ltd offers this service combined with reverse engineering).
The CAD model can be used for reverse engineering enabling a part/object to be manufactured or 3D printed. Once the file is in a 3D CAD format it can be modified and improved. The 3D Scan file can also be used for quality assurance purposes, and also for legacy parts that are no longer manufactured or in stock.
This technology is quite exciting and opens up all sorts of possibilities not just in engineering, but within healthcare, museums and many more.
Hope you have a good month
All the best
Mike
Quotation corner:
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” – Steve Jobs
“Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” – Mark Twain
ps If you have enjoyed the blog please forward to those who might be interested, many thanks in advance, Mike
