Most notably, sectors such as automotive, aerospace and healthcare rely on the accuracy of 3D scanners during prototyping. With precision ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, a standard 3D scanner has the potential of making quite an impact in prototype design and manufacturing where high levels of precision are often required. In a field like aerospace, where components need to adhere to stringent specifications, the introduction of 3D scanners with sub-millimeter accuracy has enabled engineers to detail what is required for testing and design. In fact, 2022 NIST survey found that high-precision 3D scanners save companies by reducing more than 40% of the prototyping errors.
Structured light and laser 3D scanner are the two most common prototyping scanning types, offering various degrees of consistency. Industrial laser scanners can record surfaces with an accuracy of 0.01 mm. By contrast, structured light scanners for quick prototyping provide accuracies in the 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm range instead. As an example, Revopoint POP 3D scanner provides up to 0.1 mm accuracy which is awesome for prototyping both in industrial and consumer level detailed applications. While accuracy continues to rise, affordable models are becoming increasingly attainable for small business and startups as technology reaches maturity.
It may also vary depending on the size and complexity of what you are scanning. Even larger objects — say, car parts or architectural models — can still be trickier than getting millimeter accuracy. 3D scanners have been proven to be a great help, especially when it comes to scanning small items or any detailed structures like dental molds or jewelry design. For example, Invisalign utilizes 3D scanners to produce accurate dental aligners that have changed the game of orthodontics by giving faster treatment results with greater precision.
3D scanning is also beneficial in terms of speed as well, when looking at a prototyping process. High-speed scanning (which is sometimes employed for larger large things) may sacrifice some degree of accuracy. For instance, scanning a complex industrial part very quickly may constrain the scanner from making fine details, which subsequently causes slight deviations. On the other hand, a small object scanned slowly can give higher accuracy. Most of the time these small precision faults do not affect functionality in a prototype, but they can be crucial for any industries that require tighter tolerances like medical device manufacturing.
As you might expect, the cost of high-accuracy 3D scanners ranges quite widely from a few hundred dollars for an entry-level handheld to over $50K USD for high-end industrial scanners. But that means expenditure, which is offsetting time and costs on physical prototyping. Over the years, this prototyping industry has developed as companies understand the importance of 3D representation of concepts for testing purposes before proceeding with physical production.
All in all, having 3D scanners accurate for prototyping purposes has been proven true for most applications so far, and this precision varies with the kind of scanner used, size and complication of the object. To learn more about 3d scanning, go to 3d scanner.