Page 38 - FDMAsia MayJun2024

36 TECHNOLOGY MAY/JUN 2024 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

Callum Shaw registered globally, and then a point-cloud 3D model was
In the first step, all scans were cleaned, aligned, and

created (as an STL file). In the next step, this point-cloud
3D raw model must be imported into CAD software, such as

Geomagic DesignX (3D Systems Corp., Rock Hill, SC, USA),
SolidWorks (Dassault Systèmes, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France),
or CATIA (Dassault Systèmes) to create a 3D CAD model.
It is important to note that scanning is more manageable
than creating a CAD 3D model using an STL 3D model as
a reference. This process requires high engineering and 3D
modelling skills.
The created CAD model is then ready for manufacturing.
Before manufacturing, it is vital to check the dimensional accuracy

of the created CAD models compared to the scanned data.
The first step utilised the Artec Eva 3D handheld scanner
Experimental Setup for 3D scanning. It is necessary to carry out enough scans
A portable hand-held 3D scanner was used (model Eva, Artec from different sides of the object to capture all of the surface
3D, Luxembourg). Portable 3D scanners are suitable for 3D geometry. Scanned objects can be moved and rotated between
scanning medium-sized objects (from 30 cm up to 2 m). It scans. The 3D scanning raw data are presented. In this case,
is a perfect solution for the furniture industry. eight scans were captured.

This structured light 3D scanner is suitable for making The first step in raw data processing is visually analysing
quick, textured and accurate 3D models of medium and large the captured scans and selecting only the scans needed to
objects such as a human bust, an alloy wheel, a motorcycle construct the 3D model. It is always the best solution to
exhaust system, or furniture products. build the digital 3D model from the smallest possible number
It captures precise measurements quickly at high resolution. of scans, which reduces time and computational demands.
Light, fast, and versatile, Eva is one of the most popular To achieve an accurate 3D model, the team merged scans
scanners and a market leader in hand-held 3D scanners. Nos. 1 and 5. In the next step, selected scans need to be
Based on safe-to-use structured light scanning technology, it processed. Processing means that the base needs to be
is an excellent all-around solution to capture objects of almost deleted, noise needs to be filtered, selected scans must be

any kind, including objects with black and shiny surfaces. All aligned, and registration needs to be conducted.
the 3D scans were processed using Artec Studio software (v. All these options are available in scanner software and
15, Artec 3D, Luxembourg). can be conducted automatically in most cases (Artec Studio
Three-dimensional scanning requires high computing power, software, v. 15). Sometimes, alignment must be performed
especially when working with many scans containing many manually for complicated scans.
points. This research used a workstation with an Intel Core After alignment, global registration is required for aligned
i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 scans. The total number of polygons for all eight scans

graphics card (Legion 5 Pro Gen 8, Lenovo Group Limited, was 201,202,756. After processing, the final STL model had
Hong Kong, China). 375,563 polygons.