for 3D printing small prototypes, the choice of scanner for 3d printing is a compromise between precision, speed, cost and compatibility. Take the industrial handheld scanner for example, the EinScan HX accuracy is 0.04mm, single frame scanning speed of 1,500,000 points/second, supports 1080P texture mapping, costs about 20,000 yuan, and is suitable for reverse engineering of complex geometry such as micro gears (diameter 5mm-20mm). Comparatively, Artec Eva measures an accuracy of 0.1mm and approximately costs 100,000 yuan, but by virtue of multi-spectral fusion technology, it is able to reduce texture reconstruction errors to ±0.05mm, thereby being sufficient for consumer electronics prototype making, i.e., high-fidelity headset casing scanning with casing thickness (1.2mm).
As per the 2023 3D Scanning Industry Market report, compatibility of the scanner with slicing software (e.g., Cura, Simplify3D) is prioritized by 70% of the consumers when a decision is to be made. For example, Shining 3D’s EXScan Pro software supports direct export of STL files to Ultimaker S5 printers, avoiding 5% to 10% data loss in intermediate processes and significantly enhancing the printing efficiency of medical dental moulds (15cm³ in volume). Scaniverse App (iOS) is cost-free, yet has a point cloud density of just 0.3 points /mm², much lower than the professional 5 points /mm², with small structure (such as 0.5mm thread) detail loss rate as high as 23%, unable to satisfy precision prototype requirements.
From the point of view of cost-benefit analysis, small studios choose the Creality CR-Scan Ferret Pro at a price of $599 for a shorter payback period. Its raster scanning mode can scan the full of a 10cm³ hand model in 20 minutes at 0.2 meters, and with its independently developed AI noise reduction algorithm, post-processing time is reduced by 40%. For instance, the Shenzhen toy design factory utilizes this equipment after which the monthly rounds of the prototype increased from 8 to 15, the research and development cycle fell by 35%, and the annual labor cost was saved by about 120,000 yuan.
Material flexibility is also a crucial factor. Referencing resin printing, StructRed Mideng VLSC scanner through 460nm blue light source through the translucent resin (85% light transmittance), internal support structure precision of the 97.3% reconstruction accuracy, but ordinary infrared scanners under the same scene the error rate of more than 12%. Furthermore, Peopoly SPECTRA’s temperature calibration module can control the scan drift to ±0.01mm/hour at high temperature (35°C) and humidity (70% RH), which can be used for rapid field inspection of automotive parts such as turbine blades.
Industrial examples show that German Fraunhofer Institute uses the ATOS Q series scanner and GOM Inspect software to shorten the inspection time of the aviation miniature impeller (30mm diameter, 0.3mm thickness of blade) from 4 hours to 45 minutes, and the rate of defect identification is increased to 99.5%. Although the unit cost of such equipment is over 500,000 yuan, the investment recovery cycle can be controlled at 8 months for production projects of a mass scale with yield requirements of over 98%. In most cases, the selection of the scanner for 3d printing is about trading off initial cost, long-term maintenance and operation costs and sector needs, and precisely aligning parameter limits in order to gain the optimum ROI.