apt403
Cast Iron
- Joined
- May 24, 2015
- Location
- Yelm, Washington
Couple months ago a windshield for a Toyota pickup showed up at my desk, with the instructions "I need a parametric model of this. Get me somewhere in the ballpark of +/- .02"-.04" and I'll be stoked.*
First step was using the touch probe on the big gantry router and some gcode to make a point cloud. The boss and I have both had a go at parametrizing the data, but it's a long, painful process. Turns out windshields are finicky complex surfaces.
It's time to evaluate other options before burning more time. Figure the man hours, by the time this is done, could easily justify the cost of a better (automated?) probing solution, or we could just farm it out and get on with our lives. What would you do?
EDIT: Got a quote back from a 3D scanning outfit. 3-5 day turn time for less than $3k. I can't complain about that. I'll leave this thread up in-case someone's got an in-house solution that would be.. Perhaps not cheaper, but give us the ability to do this with more parts in the future.
Appreciate it,
- Apt
*Context: Watercraft manufacturer. Trying to get away from using custom glass. Apparently these pickup windshields, shipped from the glass company, cost as much as the surcharge for adding frit to the perimeter of the custom glass.
First step was using the touch probe on the big gantry router and some gcode to make a point cloud. The boss and I have both had a go at parametrizing the data, but it's a long, painful process. Turns out windshields are finicky complex surfaces.
It's time to evaluate other options before burning more time. Figure the man hours, by the time this is done, could easily justify the cost of a better (automated?) probing solution, or we could just farm it out and get on with our lives. What would you do?
EDIT: Got a quote back from a 3D scanning outfit. 3-5 day turn time for less than $3k. I can't complain about that. I'll leave this thread up in-case someone's got an in-house solution that would be.. Perhaps not cheaper, but give us the ability to do this with more parts in the future.
Appreciate it,
- Apt
*Context: Watercraft manufacturer. Trying to get away from using custom glass. Apparently these pickup windshields, shipped from the glass company, cost as much as the surcharge for adding frit to the perimeter of the custom glass.
