Laser scanner suppliers?

[the_doctor]

I'm looking for some suppliers of laser scanners. Any help or comments on suppliers would help. I'm mostly going to use this equipment in conjuction with restoration and reproduction millwork. Thanks

[donclifton]

Try Nextengine at nextengine.com. They work really easy and export to several 3D formats.
Thanks
Don

[myxpykalix]

Carl,
I have a couple scanners. One being a Minolta Vivid Non contact 3d digitizer and do basically thew same thing you want to do. You can get scanners from $2,000 to $50,000.00 then you need specific software to run the scanner and process the resulting file before you can export it to a toolpathing program. You can spend thousands and still get something that ain't worth a darn.
In a lot of applications you will need to try to copy some crown molding without removing it and i don't believe the nextengine is suitable for that type of application.

[donclifton]

I have put my nextengine scanner on a camera mount and scanned all kinds of stuff. It can save a file in STL or OBJ which I think is compatable with ASPIRE. What else would you use to scan crown molding with?

[the_doctor]

Because of the historical nature of the work we do it is sometimes not possible to remove the millwork. I'll need to be able to take the laser to the site and set it up then do the scaning. I checked out the nextengine it looks good. I'll have to call them to see how portible the unit can be.

Thanks, Carl

[the_doctor]

Jack, I checked out the Minolta site. The Vivid looks great. No price list on the site. May I ask what it set you back?

Thanks, Carl

[myxpykalix]

You have to ask why no prices?? Because they are waaay too high!! The last time i saw one for sale I think it was $40,000. I don't think it sold.
The last time I talked to Charlie @ Direct Dimensions he mentioned they may have a used unit for sale.
http://www.directdimensions.com/ It may be out of the range you're looking to pay but hey it only takes a few minutes to write an email...

[the_doctor]

WOW. It looks like an old modified large format camera! I'm going to have keep exploring my options. I know I have to spend money to make it. But that a bit steep. I try Charlie. Thanks

[terryjones]

Carl,
Take a look at this scanner. Looks like what you are looking for in portability.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8pxHs-w0Qw

Terry

[myxpykalix]

Too bad they don't give you a price....that usually means you can't afford it..but it does look neat.

[myxpykalix]

Since you seem to move it over a object to scan it you could probably mount it to the bot and do some good scanning

[Brady Watson]

$50k

-B

[the_doctor]

Hey guys, I took a look at the Handyscan. Great scanner totally hand held. 12" deep scan. But Jacks right. They don't post the price because it's out of this world. I made the mistake of calling them and now they will not stop calling me for a demo. I did convince them to give me a price with out the demo. Starts at 40k. I'm saddened to say I just can't justify adding a scanner to my operation at those prices. I wish I had more options. I'll keep looking for a good solution. Thanks, Carl

[myxpykalix]

You can check ebay as some better scanners after they are 8-10 yrs old and newer models come out drop in price used. Keep in mind most of these things sit for more time than are used. For example my scanners aren't used everyday but sit there till they are. And for woodworking you may not need one that is accurate to the million-billion of an inch for accuracy.

[the_doctor]

Your right as far as the accuracy. Most of the carvings I need to scan are'nt that accurate.

[Brady Watson]

Test drive or see a demo of YOUR parts being scanned. There are plenty of dog & pony shows out there, and the majority of the hardware on the market under $40k is junk. Let the data from your parts, in the hands of an 'expert salesperson' be the judge. Make sure you make the necessary software investments as well so that you can post process the scans. Before you buy a laser scanner, see what the SB probe can do for you. Unless you scan parts every single day, then the ROI on a laser isn't going to happen for a long, long time, if ever. If your cutting tool will be no less than .0625, then there is no reason the SB probe can't scan in your parts. It's not a fast process, but the results are suprisingly amazing. A used Roland Picza is a perfect compliment to the SB probe when you need to do smaller parts with higher resolution.

-B

[Gary Campbell]

Guys...
Watch this video: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=944641
Gary

[cabnet636]

i have seen the polhemus first hand and it will do exactly what you want, there are some guy's in new york penn area who will scan for you

jim

[guy_mathews]

We can scan 3D objects for you. Our laser scanning technology is some of the most reliable on the market today. We don't just scan objects. We make watertight .STL files that you can mill on your CNC machine without fear of holes. Holes can ruin a CNC spindle in a heartbeat.

We have been using our laser scanner technology for 3 years now and can now produce "scan to mill" files that are accurate to less than 1/32 of an inch. In fact, we were the first woodworking company in the world to purchase and use the Fastscan Laser system for the sole purpose of scanning and milling wood carvings, furniture parts and other industry related objects. On top of that, we have the ability to add "level of detail" using Virtual 3D Carving Technology. Other people are now doing it, but we perfected it!

Our fixed scanner is an LDI Surveyor 3500. It is capable of scanning to .00004 of an inch. File sizes are massive and you will need some real good software for manipulating the finished .STL file.

Our handheld unit gives me the ability to go anywhere. Scans are accurate without manipulation and solid from the scanner to less than 1/32 of an inch. What does "solid" mean. It means the file is free of holes and your spindle will not take a dive. With our handheld scanner we can create solid true 3 dimensional scans, not just relief carvings. If you have 4th or 5th axis machines, this is important to you. I can also tell you how to carve true 3D Objects using a 3 axis machine.

I can also scan an entire object at one time and have the file exported as one solid object ready to mill in as little as 10 minutes. I do not have to stitch together multiple scans to make a complete file.

Want to watch us scan your object? We can invite you to an Internet based collaboration platform, where you can sit in your office, and watch our scanner in action. All you need is an Internet connection and some free software that installs in minutes.

Simply email us a photo of the object you want scanned and we will quote it for you. Then ship us the item if you are happy with the quote and we will scan it while you watch on your computer! (Software is free and needs to be installed on your computer. Yes it is virus free!) We can also mill it for you as well. 1 piece or 1,000. The sky and your budget are the only limits.

If you are a woodworker using CNC in your shop, you know how hard it is to generate 3D Carving details for reproduction and replication. When you do generate them, often there are times that you have to hand-carve anyway. Even with the best software, it is often very hard to replicate an object with ornate carving details. With our scans, hand carving is virtually elimanated. The tools you use to finish your piece will determine how much hand work a piece will have. In addition to scanning your object, we can use our CAD software to recreate geometric profiles for moldings, corbels, columns and many other objects, and then, apply the .STL Laser Scan detail to the part. Upon completion of this process, we can add the needed containment fields and recommend cutting strategies that will minimize cycle time and maximize production for your machines should you decide to mill it yourself.

If you are an architect, not only can we recreate 3D architectual millwork for your company, we can mill it for you as well on one of our 3 CNC machines. We can also travel to your location and scan an object that either is too big to ship, or can not be removed from the building! In addition, the scanned file can be used by your firm in renderings to present to your client. This is especially useful when rendering for accuracy and historical preservation.

New Wave Woodworking is at the forefront of Laser Scanning and CNC Technology. We don't build the lasers and the CNC machines, we push them to new heights! We invite you to visit camheads.org to see a small portion of our work. Our new website will be launching shortly.

Basic scanning services start at $100.00 and up. Below is a basic scan of a 3~3/8 inch high plastic chess piece that I scanned with my hand held scanner for a member of the Camheads website.


3463

In the meantime, check out our latest "Scan to Mill" job at CAMheads.org. A ceramic owl that got a new life as a maple owl!

The link below will take you to my User Profile at Camheads.
(You may need to register to view photos)

http://www.camheads.org/member.php?u=190

One final note, I also have a probe for my ShopBot. I have not used it in a long time, however, it is a good piece of equipment if you have time to wait. Accurate for most any woodworking projects, but, it does have limitations. We first used it to scan the plywood patterns that we use for furniture building. It was a long process. Now I just scan the pattern with my handneld laser, perfom a mesh-outline and generate a tool path on the newly saved DWG file. Takes less than five minutes. The probe while useful, would take anywhere from 30 minutes up to 24 hours depending on complexity. The probe is a couple hundred dollars and worth the money. The scanner is quite a few thousand and well worth the money if you use it like I do. If you are not planning on buying a laser or hiring someone to scan parts, you should consider taking a look at the probe. Small learning curve with decent results.

If you need more accurate results or a one time scan, and speed is of the utmost importance, send me an email. We let you see the finished results as we produce them. No smoke and mirrors, no sales pitch, just good old American work ethic and ingenuity. We are to woodworking, what Orange County is to Motorcycles!

If you are serious about learning more and possibly buying a handheld laser, email me, guymathews@newwavewoodworking.com (mailto:guymathews@newwavewoodworking.com)

I will answer any questions as best I can and put you in touch with the right people should you wish to buy a laser. They are expensive, so if you think that your company will see a profit within 3 years of purchase, then by all means email me. When you read all the different ways I use our scanner, you will realize the 3 years is actually a lot less when compared to time and payroll.

[bud31069]

This may not be robust enough for everyone's application, but the software is FREE.
Check out http://www.david-laserscanner.com/

For the cost of a decent web-cam and a laser you can get from Radio Shack, you may be able to save yourself a few grand. It's at least worth a look.