3D Scanning Damaged 3D Printed Parts IN SECONDS Instead of Hours

At a basic level, it is easy to look at a part and recognize that it has changed shape. Figuring out exactly how the part changed shape is a much bigger challenge. If you are an engineer, figuring out how the part changed shape at different levels of force could be a valuable tool in designing better parts.
Go to 4:22 if you would like to get right to the scanning segment of our video.

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Having great tools at my disposal led me to investigate this idea. I designed and 3D printed three identical sample parts. These parts were designed to be more complicated than a simple rectangle or tensile test strip. They were designed so that they would deform in a non-uniform way when they are stretched.

The parts were printed with identical settings on our F370 3D printer in TPU (thermoplastic urethane). This material was chosen because of how flexible it is, so we are more likely to get a nice visual result. This should prove or disprove whether or not 3D scanning can analyze the deformed parts.

This quick experiment shows how we can use our SMARTTECH 3D Scanner to take complex 3D measurements quickly. While analyzing plastic deformation with 3D scanning is not its most popular use – like 3D inspection and reverse engineering - it could become a useful tool for automotive, aerospace, and other industries when creating new products that see a lot of use over time.