Swiss scanners provide precision reproductions

3D laser scanner is designed for digitising models, prototypes, objects and workpieces for both CAD and production duties.

A new 3D laser scanner is being introduced to the UK by Unimatic, for digitising models, prototypes, objects and workpieces for both CAD and production duties.

The Laserdenta family, built in Switzerland, range comprises three scanners providing varying scan qualities and capable of taking different sized items.

The largest scanner is the Open Object, which can take workpieces up to 300 x 300 x 150mm and scan to an accuracy of 0.02mm.

The two smaller units will find use not only in engineering, but also in other fields such as the jewellery industry and dental production; for working to the very finest detail, resolution is to 0.01mm.

The scanning procedure is based on triangulation, with the laser beam scanning the object as it is rotated in five different planes.

This allows a digital camera to record literally millions of measurement points, which provides the data for the software to assemble an exact virtual reproduction as a point cloud.

The advantage of this technique is that an accurate representation is made of internal area, rather than just the outer surfaces.

The point cloud data can be fed directly into other CAD programs as an STL, IGES 3 or DXF 3D file for immediate processing.

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