With the construction of the High-Tech Pavilion, we have added new equipment to the department, including a 3D scanner – Atos Compact Scan 12M. This is a fully mobile 3D scanner, with a high resolution of up to 0.01mm. The scanner has two measuring volumes (300mm and 600mm), which are given by the cameras located on the side of the head, in addition to the laser located in the centre of the head. The scanner uses the Fringe Projection method, in which precise stripes are projected onto the surface using the laser which deforms based on the shape of the object. The whole process is facilitated by an automatic rotating pad which, based on the settings, moves the object in regular sections and in one axis. Before the actual scanning, so-called reference points are usually placed on the object to help orientate in space, especially for more complex objects that are scanned in several series and need to be manipulated. For some objects with high contrast, anti-reflective sprays need to be used to unify the colour of the surface, matte it and increase the resolution quality of the 3D object. We scan what we see – the scanner is primarily used to scan surfaces. For example, it takes 20-40 minutes to take a scan of a roe deer like this, depending on how complex the object is and how many series need to be taken. But that’s not the end of the job. The imaged object needs to be cleaned up, imperfections need to be fine-tuned, and then we can move on to measurements. We can measure any distance between points, pinch angles, curve lengths or even volume. All with superior accuracy.
