What Is 3D Laser Scanning?

3D laser scanning is the process of capturing and acquiring the surface geometry of a physical object into virtual space. Our commercial-grade scanner utilizes a series of lasers and cameras to accurately measure physical objects and transcribe the dimensions, shapes and surfaces into computerized data. The scanned data is highly accurate and can be later used for reverse-engineering, product development, inspection, or simply for archiving, documenting, or back-up purposes.

Our portable, metrology-grade scanner gives us the versatility to scan objects of any size (small to large) with the freedom of movement into areas otherwise difficult to scan (inside of vehicles). Traditionally, extracting physical dimensions required the manual use of measurement tools or a probe arm. However, laser scanning requires no physical contact with the object and can capture critical measurements rapidly and efficiently.

Our Equipment

We use industry-leading equipment for all our laser scanning work. Our flagship laser scanner meets ISO 17025 Certification Standards at 25 micron accuracy. The high-power blue lasers allow us to scan dark and reflective surfaces without issues - such as gloss black and chrome. The state-of-the-art tracker system combined with the advanced scanner, means traditional target stickers are not required for scanning while retaining extremely high volumetric accuracy.

You Need 3D Laser Scanning If You:

• need absolute, reliable, extremely accurate data from a physical object
• want an object’s physical geometry in virtual space (i.e. clay model digitizing)
• need to create a part to perfectly fit onto an existing object
• need to replicate an object without damaging it
• need a copy of the object in computer information for archiving purposes
• want to use 3D data to create 2D templates, such as for vinyl and car wraps
• missing part or obsolete object that needs to be backed up, replicated or repaired
• need non-contact geometry acquisition
• need to verify or inspect a part

How Is It Different From Other Types Of Scanning

Unlike “photogrammetry”, the process of laser scanning does not rely on photographs, videos, or require recovering of physical, geometrical references. Laser scanning is highly reliable due to the use of target stickers, small positioning targets that continuously track the location of the object in virtual space. The positioning targets allow the laser scanner to move around the object in any direction, without any restrictions of a turntable or measuring arm. The use of targets gives us the flexibility to scan objects of virtually any size or shape – from full-sized vehicles, motorcycles, thin plastics (inside and out), etc., to various material finishes and colours.