Point, Line or Area Scanning

The contact and non-contact categories can be further sub-divided by the approach taken:

• Point Scanners acquire a single measurement point at a time. Each point tends to be accurate, but they are very slow – at less than 10 measurements per second. Examples include CMMs or laser trackers.
• Line Scanners (usually laser scanners) are considerably faster, but tend to space measurements along a line. Measurements are spaced regularly along that line, and then the space between lines depends how quickly the operator moves the scanner. They are faster, offering perhaps of the order of 30K measurements per second, but their regular measurement grid reduces the X–Y resolution available.
• Area scanners (also known as full–field scanners) are often viewed as the successor to line scanners. Rather than scanning a single line at a time, they scan 1000's of lines – giving a very much higher acquisition rate, and reducing the challenges of aligning scanned lines. Area scanners gather more information about the object they scan, and can therefore be more accurate.

Phase Vision's current products are all area scanners, using advanced white light scanning technology to rapidly digitise, scan, inspect or measure components – even with optically challenging, complex surfaces