What is the ROI of 3D Scanning?

We are often asked how 3D scanning can save customers time & money. It’s a great question that is important to answer. Let’s look at a recent project in which a moldmaker wanted to re-qualify used molds:

PREVIOUS METHOD: Manual Hand Measurement
Time: 10 weeks to complete one part + production time
Cost: Approximately 200 hours at $50/hour = $10,000
Method: Gages and instruments are used to manually measure the mold’s dimensions and locations. The measurements are compared to the 2D drawing and a report of discrepant items is generated. Then, engineers decide which of the discrepant items were due to processing of the mold and which had to be corrected in the tooling.

NEW METHOD: High-Speed 3D Scanning
Time: 2 hours to scan each part + time for generating inspection reports =
30 hours (3-4 days)
Cost: Scanning each mold, plus detailed iterative inspection and reporting process to final documentation = Less than half the cost of the manual hand method
Method: 3D scanning expedites parts’ production exponentially. A color-coded inspection report (or point cloud data for CAD modeling) is quickly generated that provides more information about the part’s acceptability.
What is the ROI of 3D Scanning?

How Else Did the Company Benefit from 3D Scanning?
Based on the scan data, the moldmaker could quickly be certain that the new refurbished equipment met the criteria of the 2D drawing and the standards acceptable.

The digital scan data also allowed the moldmaker to correct the CAD model so that it matched all the dimensions of the drawing. Future inspections will be fast and efficient because the scanning setup is saved as a template so when the same part is inspected, it is immediately available. Molds can be qualified in just hours and at regular intervals by laser scanning inspection techniques.

Not only did the customer save time with 3D scanning, they also saved over half the cost of manual measurement! The assurance of knowing you are working on your scanning project with Laser Design is backed by 30 years of experience – we are confident that you will be satisfied with our work.