Transforming laser scanning with auto-calibration
Auto-calibration in a 3D laser scanner offers a transformative approach to maintaining instrument accuracy, significantly enhancing the return on investment (ROI) for surveying and other scanning projects.
Optical instruments like scanners require annual recalibration to ensure their cameras and sensors remain aligned and accurate. This process, while necessary, introduces downtime as the equipment must be sent to a service center, pausing ongoing projects and delaying timelines. The time and cost associated with this annual maintenance can add up, impacting the overall efficiency and profitability of using a scanner in surveying.
Addressing the challenge with auto-calibration
Auto-calibration is a groundbreaking technology that allows the scanner to automatically calibrate itself without the need for user intervention or sending the instrument away for service. This means that the scanner continually ensures its measurements are precise and reliable, maintaining the integrity of the data collected.
How it works
Auto-calibration is made possible by its advanced internal mechanisms, including a miniaturized internal collimator located in the base of the instrument. This technology performs full angular calibrations and axis error measurements, mimicking the process used by external calibration equipment, but on a much smaller scale. Scanners that integrate this capability can offer a new level of self-sufficiency and accuracy.
Benefits of auto-calibration
- No more downtime
With auto-calibration, there’s no inconvenience and project delays associated with annual recalibration. The scanner's ability to self-calibrate eliminates the need to pause work for weeks to send the equipment in for maintenance, ensuring continuous operation and adherence to project timelines. - Faster ROI
The reduction in downtime directly translates to an accelerated ROI as users can undertake more projects without interruption, increasing revenue faster and recouping the initial investment of the scanner quicker. This efficiency gain is a significant advantage for an industry where the ability to deliver accurate results quickly can set a firm apart. - Consistent accuracy
Perhaps most importantly, auto-calibration ensures that scanners maintain their survey-grade accuracy over time. Surveyors and those who depend on highly accurate, precise data can have full confidence in the precision of their data, regardless of the instrument's age or the number of projects it has been used on. Reliable accuracy leads to high-quality deliverables for clients over time, and reduces the risk of costly rework due to inaccurate measurements.