The Scanner

The Exascan is one of the Handyscan range from Canadian company Creaform.  Having been given a third camera, the accuracy has been doubled compared to the original unit as used by NASA and others.  The scanner can be used as a standard twin camera unit for time sensitive scans.  If high accuracy (+/- 0.05 mm) is required, the third camera can be activated.

The scanner uses randomly placed self-adhesive reflective targets to position itself during a scan.  This means that the object being scanned can be moved during and after the scan.  In some cases, it is necessary to scan assemblies of several parts which normally means that it is not possible to scan the components of the assembly in their totality because they are linked.  With the Exascan, it is possible to output a scan file which contains information on the connected surfaces.  This is possible because the individual parts share the same origin which allows them to be correcty assembled or for hidden interfaces to be examined within the CAD environment.

The scanner operates by projecting a cross of laser light onto the object being scanned allowing the cameras to capture the change in shape of the cross as it is passed over the surface.  This information is shown in real-time on the computer screen during the scan.  Thus, the operator can ensure that the required data is captured. 

Unlike other scanners, the Exascan does not output its data as point clouds. Point clouds  require  considerable post processing  to turn them into triangle files before they can be further manipulated into NURB patches.  The Exascan outputs files directly as triangle files (STL). Once the scan data has been captured, it can be manipulated in the software to a high degree and multiple STL files can be created with different levels of resolution to exactly meet the project requirements.