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What is a 3D Scanner?

If this article caught your eye then you may be wondering what exactly a 3D scanner is and what it does. You’ve read the technical product descriptions, and you may have even done a little research online, but you still have some questions. So let’s start by addressing the basics:

What is a 3D scanner?

3D scanners are devices which read the shape and color of objects for three-dimensional digital representation.

Unlike a 2D paper scanner a 3D scanner collects millions of X,Y,and,Z points; Allowing for a very accurate and detailed three dimensional object to be digitally captured. As far as quality is concerned, a Konica Minolta 3D scanner is among the best you can find.

What are 3D scanners used for?

A good 3D scanner can be useful to a variety of tasks and fields-of-work. For instance, these scanners are often used in industrial fields for measuring the shapes of cast parts, press-formed parts, and plastic parts. They are also used in the construction field for the rendering of industrial site models, bridges, and monuments. 3D scanners are frequently employed in the video game and film industries for the creation of 3D models. The uses for a good 3D laser scanner are many and varied, and more uses emerge all the time as the field sees more and more technological advancements.

What is the Difference Between Contact and Non-Contact 3D Scanners?

The type of 3D scanners sold by Konica Minolta are known as non-contact scanners, which means they rely on the reflections of light and/or radiation to determine the shape, size, and color of an object(s). A contact scanner, on the other hand, must stabilize an object and use sensors to physically touch the object’s surface, detecting its characteristics based on touch.

One of Konica Minolta’s best 3D scanners is the Range 7, which is guaranteed to offer you the very highest in accuracy for a non-contact scanner. The Range 7 boasts a new dark surface mode which can take measurements of surfaces with a considerably low percent of reflectance, which means it can accurately read the surfaces of particularly dark objects.

We hope this brief rundown helps you to understand the basic functions of a 3D laser scanner. Our goal is for you to not have to ask “what is a 3D scanner?” again. If you would like to view the variety of 3D laser scanners manufactured by Konica Minolta, just visit the3D scanners section of the Konica Minolta website, which features at least five of our finest scanners, including the threeRivers Virtuoso 3D Laser Scanner, and the VIVID 910 3D Laser Scanner.