Laser Scanning Boosts Speed of Rapid Prototyping

You have a design vision for a new part, but how do you turn that vision into a physical part that you can then redesign or actually produce? Past methods were very time consuming, especially the more complex the intended design of the part. Rapid manufacturing (RM) is an additive fabrication process where parts are built up, layer-by-layer, rather than cut or milled away. This means that parts with complex geometries can be quickly produced without the limits of conventional molding or manufacturing processes – often greatly reducing design and production time.

Larry Carlberg, the general manager of GKS Inspection Services, presented an excellent article for QualityDigest.com that explained the advantages of not only rapid manufacturing, but of using laser scanning technology to further enhance those advantages. “One-of-a-kind prototypes or models are difficult to digitize quickly, accurately, and cost effectively with traditional contact measurement methods. To compete in our fiercely competitive economy, coupling laser scanning with rapid prototyping is one method of fabrication that can screw the odds of success in favor of its user, slashing days, weeks, or even months from the manufacturing process.”

Non-contact laser scanning is especially well suited for scanning the complex, free-form shapes of many prototype parts and is also ideal for reverse engineering these parts into CAD models. The technology offers a quick, low-cost way of making production-quality parts and is quickly gaining popularity where the first-to-market advantage can mean all the world between product success or failure.

“Quickly moving from complex prototype to CAD model to finished product is the key to competitiveness.”

Read the full article.
Learn more about laser scanners.