Re: 3D scanning

Posted by susan on Jul 25, 2006

Hi Allan,

Thanks for your comments. Those were very useful. Just to address a few of them.... We are the lowest priced option by 3D scanning standards with systems and software priced between $20K and $40K. However, we recognize that that will still be cost prohibitive for many. So,much of the work we have done with small kayak manufacturers has been services work where a daily rate is charged.

We are trying to better understand what the business case looks like for kayaks, which is much the intent of my post. However, I'll use hot tubs as an example because they follow much the same process flow in production. To manually measure a hot tub plug can take months (70 hours or more) and to recreate that digitally takes about 4 hours with thousands of times the detail and accuracy. There are other benefits for them of course but case is pretty obvious. On the difficulty front, I am of course biased because i work for the company, but many of our customers have general laborers running the system in the shop. It is effectively 4 mouse clicks.

Below is an excerpt from an article on how the technology is being used on kayaks (with a competitors system) that might be of interest. http://www.deskeng.com/Articles/Cover-Story/Fast-%26-Clean-20051111730.html

The prototype, which is called a plug, is milled from high-density foam by a CNC machine. Watermark’s design team puts the full-scale model in the water and takes it out for a paddle. The test run provides performance data and highlights needed modifications. The prototype is then pulled from the water and sent to the model shop, where it is reshaped by hand. At this point, experienced model-makers take over and adjust the hull’s contours with hand rasps, sandpaper, other shaping tools, and body filler.

After repeated testing and reshaping, the design team settles on the perfect boat. The boat, however, exists only as a physical model that is an alteration of its original CAD model. To bridge the gap and get a CAD model from which to manufacture a line of boats, Watermark digitally scans the plug to capture its design modifications.

Thanks again for your input.

In Response to: Re: 3D scanning by Charlie on Jul 25, 2006

Replies:

• Re: 3D scanning by Alan Speakman on Jul 25, 2006
  • Re: 3D scanning by susan on Jul 26, 2006
• Re: 3D scanning by LeeG on Jul 25, 2006
• Re: 3D scanning by John Beck on Jul 26, 2006
  • Re: 3D scanning by susan on Jul 26, 2006
  • Re: 3D scanning by Alan Speakman on Jul 27, 2006