subject: Replicating And Reverse Engineering With A 3d Scanner [print this page] The intricate processes of reverse engineering and replicating tasks used in many industries and for many reasons is made far more simple when technicians use 3D scanner technology.
The higher end models of these scanners include editing software that allows users to rotate the subject being scanned 360 degrees through connection with a motorized platform. When a user begins the scanning process, the 3D scanner will make three scans at 0 degrees, with scans following at 60 degrees in a clockwise direction, then another 60 degrees and so on until a perfect replica has been digitally created.
Technology that is built into 3D scanners allows for re-creating a virtually unlimited number of shapes, making it especially useful in prototyping and reverse engineering projects. Even a human being can be scanned and replicated using this instrument.
3D scanners are used widely within the manufacturing industry. In order to create a perfect product, developers need geometrical knowledge of the product. Scanners help them see a product from every angle with accurate replication and proportion. The scanning process doesnt take long, and results are in most every case uniform.
The technology built into this type of scanner allows users of the instrument to digitally re-create very small objects such as a penny, with all the subtle (to the naked eye, anyway) height variations on its surface produced visually on a computer monitor. A user also can scan gigantic objects such as skyscrapers with all of their intricate surface detail and have the building perfectly replicated.
Replicating and reverse engineering with a 3D scanner takes place in industries including the medical industry, the dental industry, the fashion industry, the entertainment industry and the art industry. These scanners are versatile, easy to use and, in most cases, cost effective.
Their size ranges from small, hand held models all the way up to large, heavy duty models. Companies select the type of scanner theyll be using based on the specifications of the task it will be used for. Key elements in selecting a scanner are the field of view and depth of field, and resolution and accuracy.
Just how accurate are 3D scanners? Some that have most recently appeared on the market provide a high accuracy of 40 m and a 1.31 million-pixel sensor. As noted, the task at hand will dictate how powerful and accurate a scanner needs to be, so design and manufacturing shops have a range of choices for their specific uses.
In summary, 3D scanners have provided product design engineers and a range of manufacturers with the ability to see every aspect of a design shape, which assists them in learning which modifications to the product might work and which wont. It would be impossible for the human eye to see and read these design shapes, and it would be a laborious process, even if it could. Scanner technology makes what used to take huge amounts of time a very quick and accurate process.
