Those with an eye for technological innovation would no doubt be excited to know about the latest developments of M7 Aerospace. Handheld scanning technology is being used by the company which proves as a major breakthrough for this entire industry and might even lead to changes in the way data gets collected in near future.
Repairing a thirty year old aircraft is no doubt a daunting task. This is mainly because of the facts that, apart from the technology being outdated, original plans are hard to get hold of. In order to fight this situation and come up with effective repairs, the company which is based in Texas decided to make use of 3D scanning for completing the job.
However, the task was not easy and faced with different problems. Scanning methods that are traditional generally involve the placing of objects on tripods or jigs. After that, the device is used circling the object for capturing the details. This proves as a limitation regarding the objects which can be properly scanned. The aircraft is a huge object and definitely not suitable for scanning through traditional procedures. But, 3D scanning handheld device certainly makes it possible. The ZScanner was used by the company for capturing the details of the aircraft. The use of the device made it possible to capture even the minute of details without the need for complicated setups. It was possible to scan all the crannies and nooks without much of an effort and the results obtained were highly professional.
The inclusion of the software known as AICON photogrammetric within the device helped in increasing the accuracy for every scan performed. This feature combined with the device’s portability certainly made a huge difference. Earlier, 3D scanning faced serious problems with large surfaces however the inception of such a device no longer poses problems with such surfaces.
Reverse engineering can benefit a lot from this technology. Within three days the entire scan was completed with the help of the M7. The wingspan of the aircraft is fifty seven foot and can accommodate 19 people.
After the completion of the scan, the imported data from CAD software was used for the creation of modifications and to make sure that the parts and repairs met exact model specifications. Thus, it is quite clear that 3D scanning helps in compilation of data in a much easier way about some large object which eases the overall repairing process.
Author Bio: This article is written by Tony Rollan on behalf of EMS, Inc, a leading engineering and manufacturing company that sells rapid product development products and services including 3D Systems 3D Printers and 3D Scanners. Tony has worked for several years as a marketing consultant for various manufacturing industries. Blogging is one of his best relaxing activities.