# Anyone Doing 3D Scanning?



## dstppy (Aug 5, 2014)

Being a core member of the local hackerspace (Danbury Innovation Center), it was inevitable I'd end up dealing with 3D scanning. I got tired of the MakerBot Digitizer sitting there, next to one of the 3D printers, and I decided to take it upon myself to get to know it.

I sat down with it last night, prepared for a marathon of adjustments and 'did everything right' -- that is, I set myself up the same way as I did for FoCal with proper lighting, making sure the surface was solid etc. I only had one hitch in the setup and that was that it wasn't meant to be done in an optimized environment.

The halogens I was using were far too bright for the 'eye safe' lasers used (because apparently everyone tries to stick their face in the thing).

Having now read 99% of their website, the manual etc. the list of limitations are as long as my arm (not too big, not too small, not too dark, not too furry, not too much detail, not too shiny etc.).

For an $800 rig, they're calling it 'for early adopters', beta testers, etc. Glad it wasn't my money ;D

So, has anyone else done anything with 3D scanning? Seems like it should just be an offshoot of macro, no?


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## Admin US West (Aug 5, 2014)

Our organization in a large company bought a 3D scanner about 1991. Then the company making the scanner went out of business and as soon as computer operating systems became incompatible with the drivers, we had a $5K piece of junk. I think we were the early adopters. 

We also used 3d printers for prototyping of parts. The printers were very expensive, and you did not normally own a printer, but paid $$$ to have your part printed.


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## dstppy (Aug 5, 2014)

CR Backup Admin said:


> Our organization in a large company bought a 3D scanner about 1991. Then the company making the scanner went out of business and as soon as computer operating systems became incompatible with the drivers, we had a $5K piece of junk. I think we were the early adopters.
> 
> We also used 3d printers for prototyping of parts. The printers were very expensive, and you did not normally own a printer, but paid $$$ to have your part printed.



Yeah, until the last few years, CNC was much more cost effective. One of the other members works at a really cool shop that has all sorts of industrial equipment.

Have one machine that functions as an industrial scanner, it has an arm that traces the outside of an object and does a really good job at copying large objects.

Unfortunately, all options I'm seeing now are people doing digital 'selfies'  I want to copy some out of print A/C knobs, not my face.


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