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3D SCANNING

If you are good at CAD but have trouble accurately reverse engineering, 3D scanning can be extremely valuable and can save you tons of time and wasted money on prototypes. You can trust that your design will fit, form, and function as intended because you used a real world representation of your part to model around.

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SCANNER DETAILS

The scanner we use is an Einscan Pro HD. It is accurate to within 0.045mm and can scan objects from a couple inches up to 10 feet. It is mainly used for automotive scanning but can scan pretty much anything.

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LOCATION

Bring what you need scanned to our shop in Stillwater, MN or if you are local we can travel to you for a fee. If the part is on the smaller side there is also the option to ship it. Once scanned we will provide a 3D mesh point cloud (STL) for you to import into your cad software. 

 

RATES

Shop rates for 3D scanning start at $75/hr. Please contact for an estimate.
 

Few things to note:

  • The STL is a graphics body and is made up of thousands of tiny triangles. Most lower end CAD softwares are not capable of editing this type of data and it can only be used as visual reference. 

  • Make sure your CAD software will work with scan data before scanning your part. Demo scans are available to send over for testing.

  • The scan data is exported in metric. You must change the import settings on your software to MM prior to opening the file or it will be exponentially larger than real life.

  • The STL will not have centered Front/Top/Right planes in relation to the part. They will be there but will be at a completely random orientation. Unfortunately this is not able to be edited.

  • The scanner uses structured light patterns to project onto surfaces and record the data. Some surfaces, especially black, translucent/clear, or shiny will be difficult to scan. To counter this the part may need to be coated in a white powder aerosol spray. This is easily removable and can be wiped or washed off.

  • To track its orientation to the part being scanned, the scanner requires tracking stickers to be placed on and around the part. Depending on the size of the part this can range from ten to a thousand stickers required. They are easily removed but may leave a little residue behind, which can be cleaned.

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