Laser line scanning is a non-contact, non-destructive technology that uses a 3D optical sensor (also called a scanhead) to digitally capture the size and shape of objects using a line of laser light. This is quite different from other OGP laser scanning technologies which use a laser point sensor that is traversed across a surface. Both techniques create “point clouds” of data from the surface of an object, but laser line scanners do so much faster and typically with a higher point density.
Traditional laser scanning with a point sensor moving across a surface acquires data over the period of time it takes to complete the scan. With a laser line scanner, however, coordinate point data from the entire line is processed simultaneously. When objects larger than the field-of-view of the scanhead are presented, multiple line scans in sequence are by necessity merged together.
All ShapeGrabber 3D scanners are sold as complete systems that include the appropriate scanhead for measurement needs.