Sep 12, 2016 | By Benedict

3D scanning giant FARO has introduced Freestyle3D Objects, a handheld color laser scanner for public safety forensics and product design markets. The 3D scanner is currently only available through the FARO Early Adopter program.

FARO, a Florida-based provider of 3D scanning equipment, has built a reputation for itself as one of the most reliable companies in the industry thanks to its Freestyle3D and Focus3D 3D scanners and several other 3D scanning solutions. The Lake Mary company’s latest offering looks to build on the success of its existing construction BIM/CIM Freestyle3D Scanner Series while offering a handful of exciting new features that make tracking and point cloud registration faster and easier.

The FARO Freestyle3D Objects, the company’s new medium-volume, handheld 3D laser scanner, has been developed with crime and crash scene investigation and reverse engineering applications in mind, but is purportedly flexible enough to be used in a broad range of 3D scanning situations. With a scan range of 0.3 to 0.8 meters and a verifiable accuracy of 0.5 mm, FARO Freestyle3D Objects is optimized for scanning mid-sized components and items.

According to FARO, its new Freestyle3D Objects 3D scanner is able to scan the geometry of its target objects into a high resolution color point cloud, making it suitable for scanning anything from industrial pump and wind generation components, molded plastic items, or the inside of a vehicle as part of a crash or crime scene investigation. Other suitable applications include archiving wood sand casting patterns, reverse engineering fiberglass components, documenting historical artifacts, and creating as-built drawings of critical infrastructure.

“Working with our customers, FARO identified an unaddressed need for a scanner that provides fast, color, and detailed scan data without the frustration of constantly losing tracking, sticking external targets on the parts, or the time required to manually register the point clouds,” said Joe Arezone, FARO's Chief Commercial Officer. “The Freestyle3D Objects is easier to use than narrow field-of-view scanners that have high resolution but are difficult to handle as the tracking is easily lost, yet provides more detail and precision than large volume handheld scanners.”

Useful features of FARO’s new 3D scanner include optional on-site calibration, during which a PDF report with key data permits maximum and verifiable confidence in the acquired data can be generated, and real-time point cloud visualization, which supports the intuitive data acquisition process. The scanner also works with dedicated FARO software: once the object has been measured, the user receives the data prepared in SCENE Process 6.1, which provides a large scale meshing tool. A user can also export the data into other end user applications.

Version 6.1 of FARO’s SCENE software, which processes 3D scanner-acquired point clouds into 3D meshes or models, was released last week. The software is able to generate watertight 3D meshes in various formats, such as .STL, .OBJ, .PLY, and .WRL, which can be used for 3D printing. “The software is ideal for users who do not own a CAD system with native point cloud support and those with 3D-Scan-to-Print applications, such as printing historical artifacts or fabricating scaled models of complex infrastructure,” the company explains.

At present, the Freestyle3D Objects 3D scanner is only available to members of the FARO Early Adopter program, which was established earlier this year to provide customers with early access to new FARO products and to give them the chance to work with FARO Labs engineers to develop future products. Freestyle3D Objects is the first handheld scanner to be released through the scheme.

FARO Freestyle3D Objects 3D scanner features:

  • Highest precision and ease of use for capturing of mid-sized objects
  • Auto leveling
  • Flexibility to work without artificial targets
  • No extra power supply required
  • Seamless integration with Focus3D laser scan data, even in grey scale
  • Worldwide service and support from local FARO facilities

 

 

Posted in 3D Scanning

 

 

Maybe you also like:


   






Leave a comment:

Your Name:

 


Subscribe us to

3ders.org Feeds 3ders.org twitter 3ders.org facebook   

About 3Ders.org

3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.

News Archive