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ShapeGrabber systems offer accurate, automated 3D laser inspection systems for industrial applications that are much faster and easier to use than traditional Coordinate Machines (CMMs). ShapeGrabber systems are particularly ideal for complex shapes, such as injection-molded plastics, stampings, castings and more.

Unlike traditional 3D measurement methods such as coordinate measuring machine (CMM) solutions that rely on the inspection of a few pre-programmed points, our non-contact laser scanning technology captures hundreds of thousands of accurate data points representing the surface geometry of your part.

The Scanning Process

When a part is placed on the ShapeGrabber auto-indexing table, the system automatically scans and rotates the part to produce "point clouds". These consist of hundreds of thousands of closely packed 3D data points that entirely capture the 3D shape. Each data point consists of x, y and z co-ordinates of the surface.  This scan takes only a matter of minutes for even the most complex part.

The Inspection Process

Once the laser scan is complete, users can open the part's reference data file (normally in CAD format) using the inspection software included with the ShapeGrabber system. Users specify the part's tolerance envelope and import the point cloud data from the scan to initiate a comparison between the reference data and the scanned information.

The Results

After comparing the point cloud scan information with the reference data, ShapeGrabber generates an inspection report which can be saved or printed. This report includes a color tolerance map - a color-coded 3D image of the part that is used to quantify the deviation of the part's shape from CAD, including GD&T specifications, error maps, individual measurements listed in tabular format, cross-section analyses and more.

For further information on how our ShapeGrabber laser scanning systems work, contact us using our Request for Information form.