Structured-light 3D scanning performance in offline and in-process measurement of 3D printed parts

This paper presents a geometric analysis comparison of structured-light 3D scanners against coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) in measuring 3D printed plastic parts. The resulting geometric analysis of a 3D printed part measured with a contact probe on a CMM and measured with a structured light 3D scanner is presented, along with an error analysis that includes a statistical comparison of the measured geometric deviation. This analysis is then used to determine if structured-light 3D scanners are reliable enough to perform a GD&T analysis of specific features. This paper also presents the results of in-process 3D scanning and compares them to offline 3D scanning to determine the suitability of in-process 3D scanning for comprehensive analysis of geometric deviation and GD&T features.