Best "bang for the buck" 3D scanner today...

[ID10T]

Hi all.

I am tasked with getting a #d scanner for use at work. Some of the parts we process do not have CAD 3D files available (legacy and/or Military stuff) and we would like to create files so we can create the tooling we need to do our coating work.

I was fed by Elegoo on their scanner ( REVOPOINT MINI 3D Scanner ), and it looked quite good to me. But today my boss sent me this link: Moose Info and it seems to address problems I may or may not have with the Elegoo scanner...

So, I figured there are people here living with 3D scanners and all the joys and problems that come with them, and they could point me to a "get THIS one" solution and/or a list of "must have" features for a scanner predominantly operated by people who are generally not savvy with 3D scanners- read: "idiot resistant" operation and data collection. We will spend more to get the "right" piece of equipment, but at the same time this will not be a 24-7 use item where we need "the best" (most expensive NASA-grade) option, unless that is the right option for us.

So, thanks in advance for the help!

 

[masterjedi322]

Creality makes a few, although I cannot personally vouch for any of them: https://store.creality.com/collections/otter-raptor-series?spm=..index.header_1.1

Phrozen sells some from Revopoint. Again, I have not used any of them: Search: 6 results found for "Scanner"

If you’re really in a pinch, there are a bunch of iPhone/iPad apps that use the devices built-in LIDAR system. Depending on what you’re trying to do, they might work.

Sean

 

[ID10T]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not in a pinch per se, but I want to find a solution to this sooner rather than later.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

3DMakerPro scanners may look good, though, the one I used - Mole - had serious issues with going around an object and then lining up to what you've already scanned and it tends to lose tracking quite often, plus have a weird effect where after you've aligned the various scans to get a complete model made it "fine tunes" alignment and pulls things out of alignment and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Redoing alignment will just be "fine tuned" again when you go mesh everything.

And nothing I've seen from the Moose shows this has been fixed. And if you need high detail and sharp edges and scan small to large pieces, 3DMakerPro is not the company.

What kind of things do you need to scan? Small or large objects? Detailed or plain objects? Do you need high detail or just the general shape?

 

[ID10T]

Aircraft engine parts (jet engine) for the msot part. Some are simple, some complex. We may not need to see everything, but general sizes and locations of features and holes are important.

We laser cut sheetmetal masking a lot, and build our tooling based on the STP files when we can get them. So, we want to make STP files on the fly so our designers can import then, design tooling and then laser cut tooling.

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

Unfortunately I can’t recommend a specific one, but I can recommend against one. I have a Revopoint Pop II and I can’t in good conscious recommend it. I am not sure if it is the scanner itself or the software but I can’t seem to get decent scans out of it to save my life. I fall back on photogrammetry most of the time and just use the pop data as size reference.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Photogrammetry is definitely an option, but it doesn't give you exact sizes. Though, you can scale the finished model however you want, so if you get a measurement on a specific part of what was scanned, you can scale the photogrammetry scan to that.

If you hadn't stated you were kind of noobs, I would probably have suggested using something like this FlexScan3D with this guy's updates:

https://www.youtube.com/@diy3dscanner/videos

Just look at the quality of those scans:

 

[ID10T]

Unfortunately I can’t recommend a specific one, but I can recommend against one. I have a Revopoint Pop II and I can’t in good conscience recommend it. I am not sure if it is the scanner itself or the software but I can’t seem to get decent scans out of it to save my life. I fall back on photogrammetry most of the time and just use the pop data as size reference.

Now that you’ve dropped their name, there’s a 10th anniversary pop up ad right after your post…

 

[ID10T]

Photogrammetry is definitely an option, but it doesn't give you exact sizes. Though, you can scale the finished model however you want, so if you get a measurement on a specific part of what was scanned, you can scale the photogrammetry scan to that.

If you hadn't stated you were kind of noobs, I would probably have suggested using something like this FlexScan3D with this guy's updates:

https://www.youtube.com/@diy3dscanner/videos

Just look at the quality of those scans:

Those look to be even better than we need. The impeller is way bigger than our typical part size but the complexity is seen in some of our parts.

The guys designing in Fusion 360 all the time would be fine with a scanner like this but more often someone like me might visit a customer, get a scan and deliver it to design so they can design tooling that sales can then incorporate into the quotation.

It would stream line the process and avoid costly redesign errors.

So we need simple but good. The first thing- Elegoo option looks good on the wrapper. We will avoid the Revopoint offerings. Some more feedback and comments are encouraged!

 

[JimmyB]

I doubt it's what you're after as you seem to want a physical 3D scanner, but KIRI Engine seems a pretty decent photogrammetry option, and you can try it for free. Reflective surfaces can be dusted with talc or a specialist spray designed for this purpose (I forget its specific name). You could place a printed ruler next to the object to create a reference scale in the resulting scan.

 

[Bjorn]

Artec do some good commercial grade scanners for industrial applications. I would look at these for the type of medium sized aerospace work you are doing.

We had a local scanning firm come out to scan some stuff for us a little while ago and I was impressed with these portable units.
They also employed a much larger terrestrial type scanner that they used for large areas. The terrestrial type scanners are expensive but excellent for capturing large structures. However for smaller areas they used an Artec Eva (for medium size objects) and Spider (for smaller size objects).

Speaking from experience, if you are doing serious aerospace metrology type scanning, I would suggest that you need Leica/Faro type scanners. They a big dollars but you get what you pay for.

You may find that regardless of what you are scanning, you may need to apply a scanning spray or paint the surfcae of the object, depending on what the surface is like. Highly reflective surfaces are a pain to scan.

Do your research. Some scanners for medium to small size objects require tracking dots or calibration surfaces to align multiple scans or track movement of the scanner. Most modern scanners are now trying to overcome this limitation. Depending on what you are scanning this might make it difficult.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Don't avoid the Revopoint stuff. You just need to pick the right scanner for the job and they seem to be improving by a lot these days. They are perhaps more hobby scanners than what you need it for.

I'm using the Shining Einstar scanner to scan various things. It has issues with the highest resolution and not really wanting to pick up grooves and small indentations, but their 0.2mm resolution has been improved greatly since I bought it.

 

[Bjorn]

The Shining Einstar is a good scanner and great for model work, but might be a tad small for medium size parts.
However they also have a range of larger scanners that might fit the bill for medium sized objects. Again, just check to see if they need tracking marker dots.

Software is of course the other side of the equation. You may need to research that also depending on your teams workflow and expected deliverable requirements.
A software upgrade or add on to your current CAD application might be just as important and the scanner itself. But given what you said you were using it for, perhaps not.

 

[ID10T]

Thanks guys!

some good leads to look into here.

P&W came in to my prior employer to white-light scan some compressor blades, and they dusted parts with developer from a Magnaflux dye-check kit. That worked great and no issues with "unapproved chemical" contact with parts. So, I have a work around there. They did have dots on the fixture, but not parts. I think this was assisting the stitch-together, to give rotational orientation of a twisted, smooth shiny object with no features other than the root...

As far as metrology, we have a CMM (I do want a FARO arm- I have worked with them in the past and they are great), but we need a physical representation of parts so tooling can be designed to pick up features such as holes for securing, and to avoid features, such as protrusions, when tooling is designed. It is super-fast when we have the STP file, so we just need to create partial STP files from physical objects of the area of concern. Those are imported to Fusion and away they go.

I am going to dig into Shining Einstar right now.....

 

[ID10T]

Artec pricing is quite high for what we need.

The lite is probably enough but at that price I could get several other options... so they are off the table. Their top models do look quite amazing but just not a budget I will get approved.

The Einstar looks okay. I need to compare that to the Elegoo option as there is a wide pricing gap (and quite possibly for good reason).

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Never go for a lite version of established scanners. They nearly always remove the HD feature on the lite versions.

If you are looking into Shining scanners and you have a little higher budget I would recommend looking into the Einscan Pro HD instead.

Or... if you go for Peel, you can check this one out. But, you have to swear like a British person, otherwise it's no fun.

 

[ID10T]

I don't have an 8k budget (for the Pro HD). I don't need to ask to know that answer...

But 1/10th that, I can get approved, I'm sure. I'll brush up on my Queen's colorful metaphors...

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Well, if the budget is 1k or below, then I would probably recommend the Einstar. Though, if your budget can be stretched to a little more... maybe this one?

 

[Bjorn]

Perhaps check out these videos for some other options and comparisons.
I haven't used any of these but was looking at a Creality Lizard for myself at some stage.

 

[ID10T]

So, for anyone following along, it looks as if we will be getting the Einstar scanner.

My boss suggested it last night and after watching the above (last) video, I agree.

I'll update again once we actually have something in hand, but that's the current state of things.