3D Laser Scanning Services

3D Scanning Services

Founded over 35 years ago, DSI has become one of the leading 3D scanning service providers in the United States. Since our beginning, we’ve been committed to providing our customers with the best that modern technology has to offer. 

No matter what industry you’re in, we’re here to help.  Keep reading to learn more about our 3D scanning services, or contact us today to request a consultation.

What Is 3D Scanning?

3D scanning is a safe, no-contact way of scanning small-to-large complex objects and rendering them into accurate, three-dimensional models. The reason why this newer technology is so innovative is because it allows people to measure objects from a safe distance. Additionally, 3D scanners can reach confined spaces that humans just can’t access.

Why You Need This Service

Opting for our 3D scanning services can help you make smarter decisions during any remodel or construction project. Our scanners will capture your “as-is” data, integrating references and actual measurements. This will help you make informed decisions about the building and equipment in a faction of the time it would take using conventional field checking.

 

HOW WE DO IT

Even for an item as simple as a prop tool for a door, Design Systems, Inc. Engineers are still thinking outside of the box.

Our Engineers may still use simple sketches for a design, but ultimately your company will have a professionally finished product that will meet your facilities expectations.

"Napkin" Concept

Our engineers sketch out a simple design

Design Drawing

We spec the tooling or equipment with precise dimensions and tolerances

Fabrication

The tool or equipment is fabricated using the latest 3D software

Facility Implementation

The tool or equipment is fabricated using the latest 3D software

3D Scanning Capabilities
  • Capture "As Is" Data in Any Environment
    • Capturing high-resolution three-dimensional data of complex conditions across any environment with 3D laser scanners provides a fast, efficient way to capture millions of data points in an “as is environment”. Used in applications ranging from: facility design, historic preservation, surveying, and even crime scene investigation, 3D laser scanners are a versatile, accurate solution that allows companies to obtain data they previously could not. This in turn facilitates making informed decisions while saving valuable time and money.
  • CAD Software and Scanning
    • Design software companies have been working to transition from the scan “point cloud” environment to the CAD environment with less processing time since that has been the bottleneck for the past few years. Autodesk has created a set of tools that allow seamless integration from scan data to CAD environment. Our scans are registered together in the field and then aligned to your CAD (0,0,0) so all our customers need to do is insert or Xref the point cloud into their AutoDesk CAD software.

  • Facility Layouts
    • Scan data is linked directly into your 2D or 3D AutoCAD environment for the development of new or existing plant layouts. This technology allows Design Systems, Inc. to start with correct data on all of our new projects, which lowers our risk and allows us to start working on new layouts without having to worry about what is actually there. With laser scanning, we now have the means to bring as built data directly into our AutoCAD layouts without having to translate someone’s mark-ups on a drawing. Field checking with tape measures is slow and filled with errors. Laser scanning takes this process completely out of the standard 2D or 3D layout workflow, improving accuracy while reducing design time.

  • Product and Asset Creation
    • Inventor is parametric design software that allows us to create custom blocks with intelligence for use in AutoCAD environments for our manufacturing customers and family of parts for our Architecture Revit customers. This streamlines our process on both the design side and training side. With Autodesk Inventor, we just need one piece of software that can be integrated into our customer’s software with no translation issues.

  • Reverse Engineering
    • 3D Scanning is increasingly being used by engineers to speed up decision making when planning factory layouts. During design and development, 3D scanning reverse engineering involves capturing information about existing physical environments and recreating them digitally in a virtual environment. Dimensionally, the process is highly accurate.

      Reverse engineering is used to scan a physical environment when no drawings or CAD data exist, or when as built drawings are outdated. Scanning allows our engineers to have confidence in the as built environment allowing us to compress our timelines on projects.

  • Architecture
    • Working in the architectural world, you most likely will bring your scans directly into the Revit/BIM environments. Scans are commonplace in the architectural community in the estimating, design and engineering areas. Scans are increasingly used as a starting point for older buildings where no engineering drawings exist.

  • Clash Detection
    • When working with point clouds as your field checking method, you not only have accurate as built drawings to start with but you now have the ability to use clash detection tools that will find interferences between CAD models and point clouds. What this means is that we now have the ability to run collision detections and pinch points between the existing as-built environment and the new proposed changes. Whether you’re looking at a newly proposed product to run through existing process lines, ovens, dip tanks, vertical declines or inclines, we can use our scans and 3D models to generate a detailed report showing every pinch point per the customer’s standards and hard collisions throughout the system. There is no longer a need to send a team of engineers to the facility to try to find all these pinch points with tape measures, we can now bring the as built environment into Navisworks and run a collision detection report eliminating all the error-prone methods of the past.
  • 2D or 3D Cross Section Creation
    • Using the 3D point cloud data and AutoCAD software, we are able to cut a cross section anywhere in the point cloud. This can then be used to create accurate 2D drawings of the existing facility layout or to simply take the dimensions in question, saving valuable time in the field drawing and measuring each individual cross section required. This avoids issues such as missed dimensions, poor legibility, and lost notebooks which often necessitate the need for additional site visits.
  • Schedule Compression
    • The overall project timeline will accelerate because there will be just one “data set” that all employees are working from, which includes accurate “as is” conditions. All shareholders have the ability to understand the exact conditions of the environment and adjust, schedule, react, etc. to those conditions. The scanning process is an accurate tool for all contractors to work from, eliminating the error-prone manual process. Without laser scanning the entire environment, each contractor would have to do their own manual field checking process and then move the field checks into their CAD environment as their starting point. Laser scanning allows all stock holders to understand and work directly in that environment when designing their process.

Benefits
  • Cost reduction
  • Schedule compression
  • Improved safety
  • Maintenance and operations
  • Asset creation

Find the solution to an optimized future

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