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Integrating the Virtek IRIS 3D and HandySCAN EVO for faster, more accurate manufacturing workflows.
Introduction
Modern manufacturing demands precision, traceability, and speed. Whether in aerospace, automotive, or advanced composites, the ability to connect design intent with physical production is critical to achieving consistent quality and efficiency.
Measurement Solutions Ltd (MSL), the UK’s technology partner for both Virtek Vision and Creaform, helps manufacturers bridge the gap between metrology and manufacturing. Through the integration of the Virtek IRIS platform and the HandySCAN EVO, MSL enables a fully digital workflow where inspection, projection, and correction form a continuous closed loop. This article explores how these technologies create measurable impact in high-value production environments.
The Challenge: Bridging Design and Production
Traditional manufacturing workflows often separate inspection, quality assurance, and assembly processes. This disconnect leads to inefficiencies, including manual alignment, repeated rework, and delayed quality feedback. Manual templates and measurement tools are slow and prone to human error, especially in complex assemblies or curved composite surfaces. As design tolerances become tighter and product lifecycles shorter, manufacturers require integrated solutions that deliver real-time insight and automated accuracy directly on the shop floor.
The Solution: The Scan | Analyse | Project (SAP) Loop
The combination of Virtek Vision’s laser projection expertise and Creaform’s metrology-grade 3D scanning technologies provides manufacturers with an end-to-end digital process. This integration forms the foundation of the Scan | Analyse | Project (SAP) loop, a continuous, data-driven manufacturing workflow:
1. Scan: Capture the precise 3D geometry of a component or assembly using the HandySCAN EVO.
2. Analyse: Compare the scanned data with the original CAD model to detect deviations or alignment issues.
3. Project: Use the Virtek IRIS laser projection system to visualise deviations, guide corrections, or assist in assembly placement.
This workflow closes the loop between design, inspection, and production, enabling real-time correction and dramatically improving process reliability.
Inside the Technology
The Virtek IRIS Platform
The Virtek IRIS platform combines high-precision laser projection with advanced machine vision and AI process monitoring. Operators can project CAD data directly onto parts to guide assembly, drilling, or composite layup with sub-millimetre accuracy. The platform’s integrated AI capabilities automatically detect foreign object debris (FOD), backing paper, and ply alignment errors, providing live feedback throughout production. The result is a faster setup process, reduced reliance on manual inspection, and a complete digital record of every production step.
The HandySCAN EVO
Creaform’s HandySCAN EVO scanner delivers portable, metrology-grade measurement anywhere in the production environment. Using laser triangulation, the HandySCAN EVO captures highly detailed 3D surface data with accuracy up to 0.020 mm. Its self-positioning capability eliminates the need for external tracking systems, while its lightweight design ensures rapid, repeatable scans even in constrained or mobile environments. The resulting 3D data can be directly compared to CAD models, feeding seamlessly into the analysis stage of the SAP loop.
Now, in its latest evolution, the HandySCAN EVO builds on this reputation with several enhanced capabilities:
- Integrated Dual-Camera System: Improved data acquisition speed and surface tracking accuracy, even on challenging materials like gloss, carbon fibre, or dark finishes.
- Enhanced Optics and Blue Laser Technology: Provides higher resolution on fine details and sharper definition of edges or holes, making it ideal for inspection and reverse-engineering tasks.
- Mobility Kit and Wireless Operation: Enables complete portability, allowing engineers to perform high-precision scanning in the field or directly on production lines without the need for tethered setups.
- Smart Calibration and Auto-Adjustment: Reduces warm-up time and automatically compensates for environmental changes, ensuring measurement stability wherever it’s used.
- Optimised Workflow Integration: Seamlessly connects with Creaform’s VXelements software and integrates into the Virtek IRIS platform for instant comparison, analysis, and projection.
These new features make the HandySCAN EVO the most flexible and user-friendly scanning solution in its class, perfectly suited for demanding manufacturing environments where speed, accuracy, and mobility are essential.
Industry Applications: Real-World Performance Across Sectors
The integration of the Virtek IRIS platform and HandySCAN EVO delivers measurable value across different industries. Here’s how the technology is transforming manufacturing performance in aerospace, automotive, and composite applications.
Aerospace: Precision Assembly and Composite Layup
In aerospace manufacturing, accuracy and traceability are critical. The combination of the Virtek IRIS platform and HandySCAN EVO supports advanced fuselage assembly, composite layup, drilling, and repair applications, where even the smallest deviation can compromise safety or performance.
Laser projection provides clear visual cues for component placement and alignment, reducing setup time and eliminating manual templates. The HandySCAN EVO captures complex surfaces, edges, and drilled features with metrology-grade precision, ensuring each component matches design intent before assembly.
Through real-time Scan · Analyse · Project feedback, deviations can be instantly visualised and corrected on the shop floor, delivering dependable build accuracy and process repeatability, vital for quality audits and regulatory compliance.
Automotive: Accelerating Quality and Time-to-Market
In the automotive sector, speed and consistency drive competitiveness. The Virtek IRIS platform and HandySCAN EVO streamline inspection, body-in-white alignment, and tool validation processes, reducing delays between prototyping, production, and quality verification.
The HandySCAN EVO’s portability allows engineers to scan large panels or interior assemblies directly on the production floor. Using the Virtek IRIS laser projection system, teams can project rework instructions or fixture positions directly onto physical parts, saving time and eliminating guesswork.
Integrating metrology and manufacturing shortens design iteration cycles, accelerates assembly verification, and ensures that each vehicle component meets stringent dimensional standards.
Composites: From Fibre to Finished Form
Composite production presents unique challenges: manual layups, material variability, and defect prevention. The Virtek IRIS platform provides real-time, laser-guided projection for ply alignment, backing paper detection, and tool positioning, minimising rework and ensuring consistent layer placement.
When paired with the HandySCAN EVO, operators can validate part geometry or mould condition before and after layup, comparing scans to CAD data for early deviation detection. The system’s AI Process Monitoring module identifies FOD or misaligned plies automatically, allowing for immediate correction without halting production.
Real-World Impact and Measurable Results
Manufacturers using the Virtek IRIS platform and HandySCAN EVO together achieve measurable results across production quality and throughput. Typical improvements include:
- 10–40% reduction in rework
- 5–20% labour savings through automation
- 10–25% faster time-to-market
- Full traceability and digital audit trails
With the addition of the HandySCAN EVO’s enhanced camera system and mobility kit, manufacturers can perform inspection and corrective projection on-site, in real time, bringing true mobility to digital manufacturing.
Return on investment is often realised within four to six months. By integrating digital inspection with guided projection, manufacturers ensure parts conform to specification the first time, reducing costly scrap and improving operational visibility.
Enabling the Digital Factory
Beyond individual process gains, the integration of the Virtek IRIS platform and HandySCAN EVO forms a foundation for Industry 4.0. AI-driven process monitoring and data analytics transform production data into actionable insights for continuous improvement. Digital dashboards provide live visibility of key performance indicators (KPIs), empowering management teams to make informed decisions about quality, efficiency, and asset utilisation. The result is a smart, connected factory environment capable of adapting dynamically to production demands while maintaining precision and consistency.
MSL: Your Partner in Digital Manufacturing
As the UK’s trusted partner for Virtek Vision and Creaform, Measurement Solutions Ltd (MSL) provides manufacturers with the expertise to implement, integrate, and maintain these advanced technologies. From installation and calibration to operator training and ongoing support, MSL ensures every system delivers maximum accuracy and efficiency. By connecting laser projection and 3D scanning within a single digital workflow, MSL helps customers achieve measurable improvements in productivity and product quality.
To learn more about integrating the Virtek IRIS platform and HandySCAN EVO into your workflow, contact MSL to arrange a demonstration or process review.
