Creaform - AMETEK, Inc applications

Product development refers to all of the stages involved in bringing a product to market—from inception through conception and engineering design to product development. Computer-aided design (CAD) software is used as a design tool to enhance product development. As project managers, senior engineers, or engineering directors, you are responsible for finding ideas that lead to new product introduction. Innovation is the essential element that maintains your company’s competitive edge through the development of new technologies, new projects, new angles, and new niches that help you surpass your competitors.

Reverse engineering is a process that involves measuring a physical object and reconstructing it as a 3D model to recover the design intent—a perfect reconstruction of the original design—in terms of simple analytical surfaces (planes, cylinders, etc.) and freeform surfaces (NURBS) in order to produce a new reference CAD model. As CAD engineers and industrial designers, you have the critical task of adapting and maintaining parts with shapes that are frequently organic and complex. Since the CAD models are often no longer available or difficult to find, you have to reconstruct the 3D models and integrate them into the design.

Dimensional quality control (QC) is a process that measures the dimensions of manufactured parts to ensure that they adhere to a defined set of quality criteria and match customers’ requirements. Quality assurance (QA), on the other hand, consists of a set of procedures that prevent mistakes and defects in the different steps of the manufacturing process in order to avoid non-compliance when delivering parts to customers.

Maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) refers to any action, including tests, measurements, replacements, and adjustments, that helps to maintain or restore products, machinery, tooling, or plants to their working conditions. Planned, predictive, preventative, and corrective maintenance are the main forms of overhaul.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is an inspection and analysis technique used by the oil and gas industry, among others, to evaluate the properties of pipelines without destroying the serviceability of the original system. Surface corrosion, mechanical damages, and cracks are the most common discontinuities detected by visual examinations.

Educational programs that integrate 3D measurement technologies into engineering courses not only demonstrate up-to-date and state-of-the-art expertise, but also offer students the knowledge they need to get the job they are looking for in the industry. As teachers and researchers, you must show future engineers the fundamentals of engineering based on industry requirements. To do so, you must follow the evolution of technologies and be up to date on the current techniques used in the industry. For students, you are a source of knowledge and a technology expert capable of demonstrating advanced skills.

Orthotic and prosthetic applications, two medical specialities within the field of healthcare technology, require scanning the human body with non-contact devices in order to design and manufacture orthoses or prostheses. As prosthetic and orthotic physicians, professionals, or technicians, you want to assist your patients in leading a functionally normal lifestyle with good quality orthoses or prostheses that they find comfortable. Nevertheless, you are not 3D scanning experts. Therefore, you need to find a simple 3D scanning tool and user-friendly software that you can master in just a short period of time and without undergoing extensive training. In addition, to optimize scanning sessions with patients, you should be able to install the tool and be ready to scan in less than 5 minutes in any kind of environment.

The other applications where 3D scanning provides impressive benefits are multiple. They include heritage preservation, art and architecture, and multimedia.

The HandySCAN AEROPACK is a completely integrated solution suite for the aerospace industry and for MRO companies looking for a versatile 3D scanning solution that offers unmatched speed, ease of use, reliability and repeatability. The HandySCAN AEROPACK package includes HandySCAN 3D, SmartDENT 3D, VXmodel and VXinspect.