EScan 3D laser scanner is more affordable

The EScan is used to create a digital plot of the surface of objects such as engineering components or products. This information can be used for dimensional quality control, reverse engineering, or as a CAD file for reproduction.

In use the object to be scanned is placed on a turntable in front of the scanner and the laser scans vertically as the object rotates. Software collects 3D positional co-ordinates at 300um centres from all over the surface. The co-ordinates are calculated from the laser's angle and the distance from the lens to build up a map of the entire surface.

The software also has the ability to interpolate co-ordinate values for areas of the surface that do not achieve 100 per cent line-of-sight with the laser. This data can be fed straight into a CAD or CAM station for either remodelling of reproduction.

Martin Stevens of Unimatic says: "This sort of scanning is rapidly becoming the norm in engineering, design and many other industries, replacing time consuming manual measuring and craft modelling. We are delighted to be able to offer the technology at a highly affordable price, which should be attractive to small companies, specialist departments and to engineers new to digital mapping techniques."