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Companies developing aftermarket parts and accessories to enhance vehicle performance, comfort, or safety face significant challenges. They must ensure that their parts seamlessly integrate and fit perfectly with existing vehicles, often without access to CAD files of the environment where the new components will be attached.
Whether the goal is performance optimisation, aesthetic enhancement, or technological integration, customers demand precision and a flawless fit. However, they also expect quick turnarounds and are unwilling to wait indefinitely for upgrades. Manufacturers must design parts with an exact fit while minimising costly iterations and delays.
Accurate, high-resolution vehicle measurements are critical to achieving this. Without precise data, manufacturers risk fitment issues, project delays, and increased costs. Yet, measuring large vehicles, whether cars, boats, military tanks, or ambulances, can be extremely challenging. Portable measurement solutions with the required accuracy and resolution for such large-scale environments have historically been limited.
Measuring Large 3D Surfaces with High Accuracy and Resolution
Until recently, there were few affordable and well-suited solutions for measuring large parts and complex 3D surfaces in manufacturing environments. Many traditional scanning methods lacked the necessary accuracy and resolution. High-precision instruments could only measure specific probing points rather than capture entire surfaces, and devices capable of accurate 3D surface scanning were either too costly or lacked the required accuracy for long-range measurements. Additionally, optical technologies often struggle with contrasting or reflective surfaces, making accurate scanning even more difficult.
As a result, scanning large parts with a handheld device was time-consuming, complicated, and sometimes even impossible.
The Creaform MAX Series and Scan-to-CAD for a Seamless Fit
To help aftermarket part manufacturers overcome these challenges, Creaform offers the HandySCAN 3D|MAX Series. With its Flex Volume feature, it delivers exceptional precision when capturing both fine details and large-scale surfaces. The Smart Surface Algorithm further enhances performance, improving readings on difficult materials with contrasting finishes.
To streamline the transition from scan data to CAD, Creaform developed the Scan-to-CAD software module as part of the Creaform Metrology Suite. This tool allows users to extract and align features seamlessly, transferring all relevant information parametrically to CAD software. As a result, designers can efficiently create CAD models with editable parameters, such as dimensions and constraints.
Fast Scanning, Seamless CAD Integration, and Optimised Design Workflow
With the groundbreaking HandySCAN 3D|MAX Series, Creaform has revolutionised the process of scanning large vehicles with reflective surfaces. This plug-and-play system is easy to set up, user-friendly, and capable of creating complete and highly accurate 3D scan data in minutes.
Once the scan is complete, Scan-to-CAD allows product designers to quickly extract, align, and refine features while generating parametric surfaces. Its intuitive interface provides detailed and comprehensive information, enabling a smoother transition into CAD software for designing better, more precise aftermarket parts.
By reducing the need for multiple iterations, designers can accelerate the product development cycle, ensuring a perfect fit on the first try. This efficiency not only delights customers with faster turnarounds but also enhances the overall quality and precision of aftermarket parts, allowing users to enjoy their upgrades without delays.
Get in touch with one of the MSL team to learn more about the HandySCAN 3D|MAX Series.
