You may have heard of 3D scanning services, such as CT (computerized tomography). The very first CT scanner was developed in 1972 by a man named Godfrey Hounsfield. He would later go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to science and medicine.

CT scanning services were originally quite different from the machines we?re accustomed to today. The technology was slow, requiring hours to both acquire the data and construct a 3D image from it. Today, this process can occur within minutes — the 3D modeling itself can be done in just seconds.

3D scanning has expanded from simply medical uses — it is very popular in the manufacturing industry as well. 3D scanning allows businesses to improve product quality, increase manufacturing efficiency, shorten existing production cycles, and allow products to reflect shop-floor changes. Today, scanning systems can scan and replicate an incredible array of objects. A figurine 5 millimeters high is scannable — as is an entire jumbo jet. The flexibility of this technology is nothing short of incredible.

Industrial CT Scanning

The marriage of technology and business continues to have a dramatic impact on how products are produced for end consumers. Thanks to 3D technology, it?s easier now for companies to analyze the products their competition is making. Through reverse engineering, these companies can more quickly ?get the jump? on others sooner. This means that industry innovations are occurring more and more quickly, which ultimately benefits consumers who get to experience better and better projects as companies look to constantly improve against each other.

What Makes Up Ideal Equipment

What should you expect from professional 3D scanning? Whether it?s for digital archiving or rapid prototyping, you?ll want something that creates a high resolution 3D surface of the physical part; you?ll want a digital copy for future use; you?ll want polymesh data; and you?ll want very precise accuracy measurements (ideally 50 microns).

If You Experience Issues…

If the accuracy of your instrument seems off, you may want to opt for an x-ray inspection. These inspections can be done non destructively; they will evaluate exactly how precise your machine is and whether it needs to be recallibrated. An x-ray inspection should be used regularly to make sure the device is medically sound.