laser digitizing, Oh the possibilities

[senor J.]

I was thinking of purchasing one of the roland LPX-250 3D laser scanning sytems It says it has an envelope of 10" wide by 16" tall that it can digitize. I was wondering if anybody had any experience with one of these? Also I was thinking If I purchased one of these would anybody out there in the zone be interested in having me digitize their models for $ Im sure I could do it for a lot less than what you find at all the rapid prototyping/scanning services you see on the internet that charge $150 an hour with a 5 hour minimum. They boast of their .0001 accuracy. The Roland digitizer has .008 accuracy which I think would be more than enough for most.

[buscht]

I have been debating about getting one of those myself. I have the PIX 30, but it won't do a full 3D sculpture. I've seen them go on Ebay for about $5500.

I might be interested in having you scan some models, but I have found cheaper services than you state. .008 accuracy is more than enough since my smallest router bit is .032 dia.

Basically, my work is hobby stuff so I need hobby prices or its not worth having done for me. (This translates to meaning that I'm cheap.)

[senor J.]

what are the cheaper digitizing options you spoke about? If you've used them are they any good? What type of $ would one be looking at? Im really in need of some digitizing work, but I have $ constraints just like the next guy. I'm trying to consider all my options

[buscht]

senor J. , if you need 3 axis digitizing, I can do some for you.
Maximum work area for the PIX-30: 12-by-8-by-2.4 inches You can put in taller parts, but the scanning area is only 2.4" high.

I had someone send me a part once through the regular mail and it got lost, so I recommend UPS with tracking.

Otherwise, I got a quote from these guys for creating full 3D in the round STL files.
www.nvision3D.com
I never actually had them do the work as it was too expensive for me, but it seemed to be cheaper than what you have listed. I never asked about their rates, just got a quote on a specific job.

There is an active thread here where some guys are building a homemade laser scanner.

[HenryCNC]

senor J. , because there is a fair amount of competition in the Detroit area you can get scanning done for $800~$1200 a day. This is using white light systems that produce very accurate and dense STL files for machining. Beware that the files can be pretty big too

Although I work for a distributor of these systems I am not trying to sell you anthing - honest! When I saw the word sculpture it caught my eye because these systems are great for that type of thing. If you want to kill some time you can look around at www.gom.com or www.capture3d.com Our customers do work a lot cheaper than we do, I can put you in touch with some of them if you are interested.

[senor J.]

OK, When I start making parts for the nasa space shuttle I'll give you guys a call.
Until then I'll have to look for some more resonable methods of digitizing

[EverythingCNC]

Hi.

I have a Roland Modela MDX-15. If I can be any help, please let me know. For spec., you can check it out on roland's website.

[GAWnCA]

Take a look at this scanner https://www2.nextengine.com/indexSecure.htm

[braidmeister]

FYI for those doing an exhaustive search on laser digitizers, the NextEngine scanner is a rebadged Scanny3D unit from Italy...

-Brady

[GAWnCA]

Originally Posted by braidmeister FYI for those doing an exhaustive search on laser digitizers, the NextEngine scanner is a rebadged Scanny3D unit from Italy... -Brady

Brady, Your point being? For many years Epson made printers that other re-branded, including IBM.

[c-c-cncboy]

Originally Posted by braidmeister FYI for those doing an exhaustive search on laser digitizers, the NextEngine scanner is a rebadged Scanny3D unit from Italy... -Brady

Nextengine same as Scanny3D? No no no no ...
I beg to differ, the Scanny3D is a cabinet-style laser scanner, while the Nextengine is a totally different, open-field unit. The Nextengine can scan objects of almost unlimited size (module by module) because they don't need to fit in a roller-door cabinet. Different patents, different maker, different price! OMG how different the price is.
Terrence

[rugburn]

Take a looksee at rapidform software.

I have done everything from cylinder heads for FE Fords to entire front clips for offroad buggies with it.

Super powerful, super expensive though.

www.rapidform.com