May 14 2009
Laser Design Inc., the leading supplier of 3D laser scanners for more than 20 years, announced that its next-generation line of 3D laser scanning probes has a new member, the SLP-500. The company's new and improved Surveyor Laser Probes (SLP) are faster and more accurate than their predecessors.
“Our faster and more accurate laser probes give us the competitive edge in 3D scanning technology,” commented C. Martin Schuster, President of Laser Design. The new SLP-500 model is a high precision probe that delivers virtually noise-free scan data as a result of breakthrough, proprietary advances in the electronics and optics architecture.
The lightweight SLP-500, with a laser line length of 50 mm, scans at ultra-high speeds with an accuracy of up to 20µ and is primarily used for mid- to large-sized objects such as molds, stampings, and sheet metal. All the SLP models, which also include the SLP-250 designed for small parts, the SLP-400 for medium-sized objects, and the longest laser-line scanner available, the SLP-2000, can be used with the company’s fully integrated WS-Series and DS-Series lines of CMM-based scanning systems as well as with Faro portable CMMs.
In response to the needs of the automotive, aerospace, automobile and other industries whose parts may bend or warp when repositioned and are well suited for onsite inspection on the factory floor, the SLP probes were designed to be fully integrated with portable 7-axis articulated CMMs like Faro arms. By using a portable arm, the flexible part can remain stationary while laser probe moves around it to capture the as-built geometry. The SLP laser probes can also be integrated with the Renishaw PH10 indexing system used on most traditional CMMs. “These SLP probes can be used interchangeably with portable CMMs, traditional CMMs and Laser Design’s own Surveyor WS-Series, DS-Series, and TS-Series 3D Laser Scanning Systems that provide highly automated, programmable scanning of parts or objects,” according to Schuster.
The new SLP-500 probe gathers data with higher densities than ever before, upping the resolution by 50 percent to 750 points along the laser line.
“The data from the new model is very clean, even on reflective surfaces,” said Schuster. “With less noise, the results are more accurate and less data editing is required.” The probe has dual CMOS receptors that capture up to 75,000 points per second, making it an excellent choice for high-speed, non-contact 3D scanning. The dual receptors inside the probe reduce the number of scanning passes because they capture much more part geometry per pass than low-tech single receptor laser probes.
“SLP laser probes interface to PCs using a standard USB connection,” said Schuster. He continued, “They are easy to install and can scan everything from small, detailed parts to large automotive and aerospace parts.” In addition, the SLP probes are also integrated with Laser Design’s Surveyor Scan Control software for ease of use and compatibility with numerous positioning systems.