A team of U.S. Army researchers has developed an optical metrology scanning system to obtain 3-D measurements and then reproduce new models of specific objects, the Army reported Thursday.
“We had to be innovative and find a better way to solve measurement problems,” said Tyler Sherrod, a mechanical engineer at the service branch’s aviation and missile research, development and engineering center.
“This is important because if a program needs a computer aided design model of their helicopter, AMRDEC can use optical metrology to scan and recreate [the] CAD of the helicopter,” he added.
Benjamin Thomason, metrology team lead at AMRDEC’s weapons development and integration directorate, said the optical metrology tool works to allow users to scan objects with curves and build new components through the use of photogrammetry and structured light system.
AMRDEC plans to use its optical metrology tools by the middle of this month to generate 3-D scans of a U.S. Coast Guard utility boat in order to develop the vessel’s full model and identify any potential defects, Thomason said.
He noted that AMRDEC plans to work with NASA in an effort to advance the use of optical metrology systems.
