A high speed 3D laser scanner for your ShopBot

Hello all:
I am looking for ShopBot users input and interest level for a 3D scanner for your machine.
In the late 1990's I developed and received patents (#5,910,845 and #5,978,092) for a high speed non-contact laser scanner.
As my money ran short, I had an opportunity to start a small electronics design and contract manufacturing business. My time was consumed by that, and little scanner development took place.
I bought a ShopBot that I used to clip the leads on over a million light emitting diodes for the variable message traffic sign boards that we built. The manufacturing end of the business dried up as my customer move production to Taiwan.
Since then, scanner development picked up as the software has been converted from DOS to Windows, and the hardware has been upgraded.
The "scan head" consists of a video camera, and a pair of laser line generators. The scan head requires precision linear motion that the ShopBot provides quite nicely.
The scanner can be positioned for scanning objects on the ShopBot table, or 90 degrees from the table for scanning human faces (which I have done a lot of) ,or other objects.
The scan head that I use for scanning objects on the ShopBot table, scans a vertical area of about 8 inches. That is, if you attach a video monitor (recommended) to the scanner, you would see an 8 inch vertical area on the screen.
The accuracy of that scanner head is approximately .02 inch in the Y dimension. The X dimension resolution is dependant on how fast the ShopBot moves the scan head while capturing an object image. Moving 1 inch per second yield a .0166 inch X resolution. The Z resolution for the X/Y point is roughly .005 inch. Scan heads for objects such as faces are calibrated for a vertical area of about 18 inches and have a Y resolution of about .045 inch.

The software produces .sbp files or Gcode files. The user can specify the size and resolution of the carving to be produced, as well as the diameter and length of the tool to use.
Several options are available for carving in, out, reversing image, etc., as well as some tool protection options to prevent tool breakage if a large plunge is encountered. There is really too much to try to describe here in this initial forum note. If you have some interest, I can provide more information, or provide a feature you might want.
There is a lot of software still to be completed.
The visual display software needs a lot of work. Software to combine multiple scans needs to be written that will allow larger objects to scanned (larger than the 8 Y inch example).

My target is a product that costs under $3,000.00. That is a lot better than the $20K+ cost of other comparable scanners. Having a ShopBot to provide the linear motion saves a LOT of cost.
Hopefully, there will be some interest out there in the ShopBot world. If not I still have a very cool tool for myself.
Thanks,
Tom Brown

Tom,
I would be interested in seeing actual scanned files and a pic of the object scanned. I would also like to be able to have an editable point cloud and not just a SBP output.

Someone was working on a 3d laser scanner about a year ago that was about $900. It scanned to a point cloud. I haven't heard anything new on it in a while.

-Brady

Tom,
How do you do faces with a laser scanner? Do the subjects eyes need to be closed? What is the focal range, or depth of field of focus you expect from your tool?

Tom,

That is the neatest thing I've ever heard of. I'd be interested in seeing some pictures of input, output and the such. Its not in my budget at the moment, but it might be later on.

Jay

Tom, I too would be interested in seeing actual scanned files and a pic of the object scanned. I would also like to be able to have an editable point cloud and not just a SBP output.

Tom,
Sounds interesting....how easy is it to attach and remove from the Bot?

Dave

I would be MOST interested....D

I am also interested in all of the above points.
I would like to see some of the in/output.

Tom, I'm interested, but I certainly want to see some sample objects and scans.

I would also want to have the option of multiple formats for the output data, one format being the x,y,z point coordinates separated by a blank or comma, one point to a line in an ASCII file format.

Not sure of your time frame to have a sample ready, but perhaps you could show it at the 2005 Jamboree in Durham? Also maybe you could bring one to the ShopBot Camps.

To all,

Thanks for all your input and questions!
Last couple of week have been busy, sorry I haven't responded sooner.

With help from a new friend, I've got the new ShopBot previewer working and will post some images in .sbp format soon. (thanks again Bill)

Have been looking into point cloud output, but have not found a "spec" of the format... Anyone know where I might find it?

Bill P,
The lasers are class II? 1 milli watt.
You should not stare into them, but short exposure to the eyes is not a problem, and your eyes can be open. The lasers project at an angle such that they don't go straight into the eyes.

David M,
I haven't addressed a final mounting method yet. I expect to put a "permanant mount" on the Bot, and have a couple of bolts or pins to remove the scanner head from the mount. I have a PR48, and need to see a PRT before I make final decisions on mounting.

Harold W.
Those outputs seem pretty simple to produce. What do you do with that format?
Jamboree? maybe... ask again in a few months.

Thanks again for your interest.

Tom Brown