Business Challenge: New Team Ramp Up & Immediate Project Impact
Michael Menta, Director of Engineering at Pennsylvania-based Dorman Products, Inc. was looking to expand 3D Scanning and Reverse Engineering throughput in support of new aftermarket product development initiatives between offices. According to Menta, that came down to equipping each with tools and software. But the cost and ramp up time for learning a more traditional scanning solution was problematic, especially for a team that hadn’t done it before. Menta would have to build a case for it.
The HandySCAN Solution
Because the team at Dorman headquarters had been using the tripodmounted Konica Minolta scanner for its work, Menta thought that it would probably be the solution for different offices as well. But he was hesitant to send a 4-year-old piece of equipment with a large learning curve to other teams. However, after seeing a demonstration of the HandySCAN by Adaptive at SOLIDWORKS World last year, he was willing to give it a try. Before he experienced it himself, Menta thought a handheld wasn’t an option due to the accuracy he required. “And 4 years ago, that was the case,” he said. After a demonstration, he was convinced. “It completely changed my entire approach and strategy.”
On top of it, the HandySCAN was cheaper. The HandySCAN is Creaform’s flagship metrology-grade handheld scanner. It delivers high quality 3D scans of products via a highly portable unit. “The speed in which it captures the data is just remarkable,” said Menta. Dorman is able to get the same accuracy it needs (to 1/1000th of a percent) essentially the same as what they were getting with a tripod mounted scanner. For their purposes the quality was superb but the accuracy and speed at which they could deliver the results was paramount during the testing. “We’re getting scans quicker and it doesn’t take as much time to post process them,” said Menta. When compared to the Range 7, the Konica Minolta, the quality of the mesh from the Creaform was “night and day” said Menta. Further, the relative short time that it takes to become adept at using the product was another boon. Because Menta was able to learn the device relatively quickly, even getting a good handle on it during the demonstration, he was confident the rest of the team would get up to speed just as fast. “Rather than continuing to use a 4-year old machine (the Konica Minolta), that requires extensive training for each new user and is not an intuitive tool by any means, this was clearly a better solution,” said Menta.
“Up until then, I didn’t think handheld had the accuracy, the resolution, the quality, that the tripod-mounted scanners have… But now I
know that isn’t the case.” — Michael Menta, Director of Engineering, Dorman Products, Inc.
Solution
After implementation of the HandySCAN, Dorman Products was able to save five to six hours on average per project through a combination of reduced scanning time and reduced post-processing time.
This equated to three weeks’ worth of savings during the current project list. “It’s pretty substantial,” said Menta.
“We’re getting scans quicker and it doesn’t take as much time to post-process them.” — Michael Menta, Director of Engineering, Dorman Products, Inc
About Adaptive Corp
Adaptive Corporation is dedicated to connecting virtual design to the physical world by creating solutions that help their clients, innovate,
validate and refine the design of new products being introduced in the market. With Adaptive’s technical expertise, your design engineering team
can be assured you will build products right the first time, with the most efficient and profitable path possible. Covering the full span of Product
Life Cycle Management solutions, Adaptive addresses Virtual Product Design, Product Data Intelligence, Enterprise Collaboration, Digital Manufacturing, Simulation and Metrology/Quality Control.
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