Mining industry extends its lead in 3D scanning

Mining operations rely on a range of heavy machinery and sophisticated equipment to operate. Managing infrastructure and excavation sites is complex and expensive, requiring maximizing their utilization and efficiency.

Mines are typically located in remote areas, and engineers travel to the site to take manual measurements. This method carries risks, as manual measurements are prone to human error or incomplete data capture and require multiple trips to confirm dimensions. This method is still widely used in many operations.

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Many mines and quarries also rely on aging equipment to maintain optimal operation. Preventative maintenance (replacing existing components before they fail) can result in costly downtime to allow for disassembly and measurement. Conversely, corrective maintenance (allowing components to fail before replacing them) significantly increases downtime and reduces a mine's profitability.

This is where Titan Engineered Solutions holds a leading position. The company is now able to offer innovative, proactive, and reactive engineering solutions that reduce downtime and improve mining efficiency.

Previously, Titan responded to customer requests by sending a team of engineers on-site. With Artec Leo and Artec Ray 3D scanners, the company sends a single engineer to accurately capture the geometries encountered in the field.

For Johnathan Turner, engineer at Titan: “This approach allowed us to capture details that would have been impossible to capture with approximate hand measurements. In addition, we can guarantee a smooth installation. We were even able to completely recreate the floor from this scan to simplify the design.”

3D scanners and software to optimize processes

The engineering firm began by integrating the Artec Leo, a versatile, wireless 3D scanner. Brandon Koch, general manager of Titan Engineered Solutions, highlights the device's integrated form factor and one-click scanning functionality: "You see what you're scanning on the screen, so you can verify you have the right data. For the most critical data, simply scan it again to increase the resolution."

Given the size of most mining facilities, Titan obtained Artec Ray, a 3D scanner suitable for longer-range data capture.

Titan's 3D scanning efforts have allowed it to reverse engineer, customize parts, and ensure they meet tolerances through deviation analysis.

After using 3D scanners to capture the desired scans, the team begins processing them in Artec Studio, the resulting model is ready to be immediately exported to Geomagic Design X.

According to Johnathan Turner, 3D scanning streamlines and speeds up processes. “We determine the location of all the holes needed for the pipes to be bolted together. We simply capture the original design, determine the constraints, and model them.”

The company continues to experiment with 3D scanning in new areas. With Artec Studio, for example, it is now possible to merge scans captured with completely different devices into a single mesh, using the highest-resolution data from each.