3D Laser Scanning For The Skies

May 15, 2019

Keeping things in check with 3D Laser scanning services

We have all been on flights and had the thought about what those mechanics are doing to keep the planes safely in the air. My imagination always ran wild for a few minutes thinking of all the small things that could go wrong. Maybe one of those guys had a bad day, or maybe he missed his coffee in the morning. Anything could happen. Then again, here I am, still alive. I have never been in any plane crashes. Apparently, they are doing a good job. The truth is that those mechanics have some good tools to work with. Good tools are necessary. One of those tools that is becoming a benefit to the field of aviation is 3D laser scanning services.

The way it works

“What is 3D laser scanning?” is a good question to ask, first of all. 3D laser scanning is a measuring tool that can make a 3D digital representation of a real object. The devices has a laser light that reflect off of the object back to a sensor which calculates and records it as a point in space. When all of those points are put together it becomes the point cloud. This point cloud is what is used to rebuild it as a virtual object. The big advantage of using 3D laser scanning service measure objects is that it is fast and touch-free. Moreover, 3D laser scanning is far more accurate than methods that captured data by direct contact with the object.

Many reasons for aviation to use 3D laser scanning services

What way can 3D laser scanning services be used to help inspect and maintain aircraft? There are several ways. First of all, 3D scanning is useful for assessing damage done to the aircraft. If there are dents and cracks, the 3D scanner will pick that up better than the naked eye. Since such technology does it so fast, the frequency of checks can be greater and in a much shorter time with better analysis results. The 3D laser scan can also identify spots that show corrosion. Another important thing that it can do is reverse engineer parts to verify if they are build to standard. Parts that vary too much from standard measurements can affect flight performance. In addition, 3D laser scanning services can build needed parts simply through reverse engineering or by measuring the area where the part fits. This can save a lot of time and money when a part is needed to get a plane back up in the air. Of course, there might also be a need to use it to do some retrofitting or modifications. The list of benefits it has for airplane maintenance are more than one might think.

Sitting on the plane waiting for take off is much more relaxing now that I know that they have some good tools. As long as they can make that plane safe enough to take off and get back to the ground at my destination, that is all that matters to me. Not many flyers know about it, but the skies are a bit safer since maintenance crews are using 3D laser scanning.

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