In general, structured light scanning provides the best resolution and accuracy, typically slightly higher than laser scanning technology.
This means that details on the scanned object that are smaller than the scanner’s resolution won’t be captured. Structured-light 3D scanners can achieve higher accuracy than laser scanning due to the noise caused by laser speckle patterns.īesides the accuracy between measured points and their actual location, 3D scanning systems also vary in terms of resolution, which is the distance between captured points at a given scan distance. A laser 3D scanner projects laser lines on the object, while structured light projects a focused grid from a digital projector. Formlabs Form 3 stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer produces parts at a similar accuracy, and with a similar printable area to the scan volume of many desktop laser 3D scanners.ĭefinition: Both structured light and laser 3D scanners use projected light and an offset camera to triangulate points on a scan object. With accuracy in the range of 0.1 mm or better, laser and structured light scanners are a good fit alongside high resolution 3D printers.
A comparison of the manufacturer-reported accuracy and price of 20 3D scanners available in 2018.
