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Vitana Expands Sales Channel in Asia for ShapeGrabber™ 3D Scanning Systems

General Integration Technology Co. Signs on as Distributor in Taiwan

Ottawa – September 1, 1999 -- Vitana Corporation announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with General Integration Technology Co. (GIT) of Tai-Chung under which GIT will sell and support Vitana’s ShapeGrabber™ 3D Scanning Systems in Taiwan and in the lower mainland of China.

"We are aggressively expanding our international sales channels in order to meet the needs of our clients", explained Gary Roberts, Product Manager – Industrial Imaging of Vitana. "Asia is an important element of this expansion. I’m very pleased to welcome GIT to the Vitana Team. They have demonstrated their ability to sell and support CAD/CAM solutions and are well positioned to sell ShapeGrabber™ systems within this market."

"Affordability, flexibility and ease-of-use are key requirements in the markets we serve," added Daniel Chi, General Manager of GIT. "ShapeGrabber™ will enable our customers to solve their inspection problems and address their reverse engineering applications quickly and efficiently. As a solutions provider, our goal is to offer cost effective solutions that make sense to our customers. ShapeGrabber™ will play a significant role in many of those solutions."

About ShapeGrabber™

ShapeGrabber™ is the first turnkey system designed for manufacturers that need to rigorously inspect complex parts in 3 dimensions. The tightly integrated ShapeGrabber™ system provides the customer with everything needed but the part. It includes the scanning head, translation stage, acquisition and inspection software, training, and the computer.

ShapeGrabber™ was developed based on four guiding principles:

• speed;
• accuracy;
• ease-of-use; and
• affordability.

The system introduces new technologies to simplify fixturing, to streamline scan alignment, and to reduce noise. ShapeGrabber™ system performance is highlighted by:

• acquisition of 15,360 points/ second digitized with patented laser scanning technology;
• measurement accuracy of 0.001" (25 micron);
• interchangeable scanning heads with variable scan width and range;
• a choice of motion platforms enabling parts of virtually any size to be scanned;
• no-fixture scanning and easy-stitch image alignment providing fast and user-friendly data acquisition; and
• powerful, easy-to-use alignment and inspection software.
• Industrial Applications of ShapeGrabber™ 3D Scanning Technology
• ShapeGrabber™ is ideally suited to a variety of industrial applications including: Computer-Aided Inspection; Reverse Engineering; and Replication because it incorporates:
• new laser scanning techniques, which can acquire thousands of points per second – versus the 1 or 2 points per second of a traditional single point probe; and
• sophisticated new alignment and analysis software, which can quickly and accurately manipulate large data files.

Computer-Aided Inspection

Computer-Aided Inspection is the process of comparing:

a physical object to a 3D CAD (Computer-Aided Design) file without the need for dimensional drawings - known as Part-to-CAD Computer-Aided Inspection; or

one physical object to another - known as Part-to-Part Computer-Aided Inspection.

In both cases free-form surfaces are scanned to produce high density "point clouds" consisting of hundreds of thousands or millions of closely packed 3D data points that entirely capture a 3D shape.

Part-to-CAD Computer-Aided Inspection is rapidly becoming the process of choice for first article inspection, tooling verification and numerous quality applications involving complex surface geometries. ShapeGrabber™ analyzes the "point cloud" and compares it to a CAD file. A color-coded 3D image of the part is produced which quantifies the deviation of the part from the CAD specifications. Green areas are within tolerance whereas areas in red and blue represent positive and negative error.

Part-to-Part Computer-Aided Inspection differs from Part-to-CAD inspection in that the primary "point cloud" is aligned and compared to a "point cloud" from another physical object. Once again, a color-coded 3D image is produced which quantifies the deviation of one part from the other. Part-to-Part inspection is utilized in applications such as "gold standard" part comparison, multi-cavity mold comparison and wear analysis.

Reverse Engineering

Reverse Engineering involves developing a new product using an existing product as a starting point. In order to accomplish this a digital file is typically required.

ShapeGrabber™ facilitates reverse engineering by enabling users to:

• scan free-form surfaces to produce high density "point clouds capturing the 3D shape;
• create a 3D CAD file;
• modify the file according to the requirements defined for the new product;
• develop a tool path to facilitate a CAM process; and
• produce a new object based on the revised file.

Replication

Similar in many respects to Reverse Engineering, Replication of existing parts does not require a 3D CAD file. In many industrial applications it is more efficient to simply scan an existing object rather than develop a 3D CAD file from first principles.

Using ShapeGrabber™ Technology a physical object can be scanned and a digital file developed on which a CAM tool path can be based.

About General Integration Technology Co.

Founded in 1990, General Integration Technology Co. provides CAD/CAM solutions for many of Taiwan’s largest manufacturers. The company offers computer, systems integration and manufacturing services that enable clients to maximize on their CAD/CAM investment. GIT has won many prestigious sales awards including "Distributor of the Year" for Matra Datavision’s Euclid products, an award it has received four years in a row. The company is headquartered in Tai-Chung, Taiwan.

About Vitana Corporation

Founded in 1992, Vitana Corporation designs, manufactures and markets Computer-Aided Inspection equipment for use in first article inspection, quality control, tooling verification and wear analysis. In addition, the company supplies component hardware and software that enable OEMs to include custom laser-based systems into their applications. Initial customers of the ShapeGrabber™ system include the Ford Motor Company, Ontario Hydro, the National Research Council of Canada and On-Site Scanning Services. The company is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Gary Roberts, P.Eng. Product Manager – Industrial Imaging Vitana Corporation Tel: (613) 247-1211 ext. 130 gary.roberts@vitana.com

Daniel Chi General Manager General Integration Technology Co. Tel: (886) 4-3585606 gitt@ms15.hinet.net