Meaning
Metrology technique using light to capture the surface coordinates of a physical object. Sensors for optical scanning project patterns or lasers onto the part and calculate the three dimensional shape from the reflected data. This process creates a digital twin that can be compared against the original design model.
It is faster than traditional probe based measurements for complex geometries like turbine blades or automotive body panels.
Point Density
High resolution scans capture millions of individual data points in a single pass. This level of detail allows for the detection of small surface defects that a physical probe would skip over.
Surface Reconstruction
Software algorithms convert the raw point cloud into a continuous mesh. When optical scanning is used for reverse engineering, this mesh becomes the basis for a new computer aided design file.
Inspection Accuracy
Environmental conditions like ambient light and vibration can degrade the quality of the results. Technicians must calibrate the scanners frequently to ensure the measurements remain within the specified tolerance. Shiny or transparent surfaces often require a coating of matte powder to reflect the light correctly.
While the setup time is short, the processing of large datasets requires considerable computing power.
