Novel Experimental Testing Beds for the Latest Scanners in Portable Metrology

Publication Details

Abstract

The advancements in the field of metrology have significantly improved the capability of scanning equipment.  There are a plethora of different types of scanners available on the market with the potential of collecting large volumes of data at high-rate speeds.  We have developed a series of testing scenarios to investigate the optical effects on data collection for the latest scanners available on the market.  The purpose of the current work is to better understand how the latest off the shelf scanners are affected by optically complex structures/materials.  The tests are designed to compare laser radars, structured light scanners, and laser line scanners following the same data collection technique for equal comparison. The various test beds should demonstrate that there is a specific application for each type of scanner for optimal results.  The test beds are comprised of various planar standards of varying materials, over 30+ color standards, complex geometries created by combining cylindrical and planar shapes, and simulated manufacturing scenarios all manufactured internally, and transparent and translucent materials.  The data collection was conducted under similar conditions for all testing equipment for equal comparison amongst all scanners.  The scanned data was compared to touch probe measurements conducted with a Portable CMM (PCMM).  The PCMM provided a nominal surface of the artifacts that eliminates any optical effects that can affect scan data.  The data will provide insight into proper equipment selection for certain types of measurements.