Scanning Technology Overview
Scanning Technology Overview
Stationary Structured Light – 3D scanning technology projects structured light patterns on a surface and uses integrated camera(s) to translate the data it returns into a 3D mesh of the item. The sensor typically remains stationary while scanning and it may be accompanied by a turntable to rotate the part to capture 360 degrees of the shape. Advantages include speed, resolution, and the ability to capture complex profiles. Verisurf excels at filtering, meshing, and surfacing the dense, 3D scan data sets produced by structured light scanners.
3D Laser Line – Scanners measure the intersection of a laser light beam projected and reflected from a surface to and captured by its integrated camera to generate 3D data. Portable CMM arm-mounted versions provide portability and high articulation during data capture while programmable CMM and robot mounted types provide repeatability and automation. They have the added benefit of switching to a rigid, contact probe that compliments the scanner by being able to measure features that cannot be seen with the scanner, therefore the combination is a very effective paring. Verisurf easily registers multiple, individual scan passes to existing CAD geometry (or to each other) prior to surfacing and creation of a 3D CAD model.
Optical Tracker – Technologies use optical sensors to track targets rigidly mounted to a handheld laser line scanner or a contact probe. Although the optical tracking sensor needs to maintain a line-of-sight with the handheld scanner these systems provide mobility, support larger working volumes, and feature excellent resolution.
Hand Held – Scanners are manually moved around the object and have less size constraints. These scanners utilize different scan technologies including laser lines, structured light or combinations of both. Many require alignment stickers to maintain scan data alignment, which while being a small inconvenience, it has the benefit of allowing the part to move while being scanned, and that can be very beneficial for some applications. Others can align to scanned geometry or be used in combination with optical trackers. All these scanners come with their own scanning software
