In one of my previous jobs, I worked in a metrology lab at a large consumer electronics company. One of the first tools I learned how to use was a 3D scanner. But I soon learned that there was some resistance to the technology within the company. And rightfully so! Just because a new technology looks cool does not mean it will provide any meaningful value.
But over time, customers of the metrology lab came to rely on the unique data that only 3D scanning could provide. And although there were always sceptics that preferred data from more traditional metrology equipment, 3D scanning grew to consume nearly half of my lab’s work.
These days, 3D scanning is widely accepted as a legitimate inspection technology. But what about you? Have you taken the time to consider how it might help you make better parts? Perhaps it is time you consider or reconsider 3D scanning as a viable inspection technology for your parts because 3D scanning is thorough, its reports are intuitive, and the turnaround time is surprisingly short.
So Much Data
When measuring parts with more conventional methods, like with coordinate measuring machines, a discrete number of points will be collected. In most cases, the points collected are measured with the intention of constructing features and evaluating tolerances. In order to speed up the measurement program, the number of points acquired are usually kept to a minimum.
But with 3D scanning, the number of points are several orders of magnitude larger than the number of points collected with conventional methods. The several million points collected with scanning also cover the entire part, whereas conventional methods typically do not measure points near the edges of features to avoid missed measurements.
With the huge amount of data provided by 3D scanning, it is much easier to spot issues that may not be highlighted by points collected with a CMM. Things like machine paths, burs, dents, and chips can all be easily identified from simply comparing the scan to a CAD model. This brings us to our next point: reporting.
Intuitive Data Visualization
When it comes to inspection reports, tables filled with numbers are still the most prevalent type of report. And since most inspection plans measure specific dimensions and tolerances, tables do make sense! But if you’re trying to quickly understand where your manufacturing process needs improvement, it can be difficult to read through a big list of numbers to understand what direction to take.
3D scanners excel at providing 3D plots, usually in the form of heat maps, that make it easy to understand what may be wrong with a given manufacturing process. These plots can be overlayed onto the scanned part’s surface or the CAD model to show which areas of the part have too much material and which areas have too little. And since data has already been gathered on the entire part, alignments can be changed on the fly to better understand where the source of the problems are.
Fast Turnaround Times
But what about turnaround times? As any inspector knows, customers always want data as fast as possible. Traditional inspection methods, like CMMs and OMMs, can inspect some parts very quickly, but it can take a significant amount of time (typically several hours or more) to write a program to do it.
3D scanning, on the other hand, does not require a program since the entire part gets scanned. This allows for CAD comparison reports to be generated within a couple of hours.
Summary
If you’re one of those people who have overlooked 3D scanning as a viable inspection method in the past, hopefully this article may have swayed you over to the dark side. Because 3D scanning is comprehensive, easy to interpret, and fast, maybe it is time for you to give 3D scanning a shot.
If you are ready to take the plunge, why not try Sentinel 3D Scanning? Sentinel 3D Scanning offers high-accuracy 3D scanning with quick turnaround times. Check out the other pages on this website to learn more about the services we offer.