Laser Design Announces Sale of Surveyor 3D Laser Scanning System to Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain


(MINNEAPOLIS, MN; December 20, 2007) - Laser Design Inc., the leading supplier of 3D laser scanners for more than 20 years, announced the sale of a Surveyor CS-2822 3D laser scanning system to the Polytechnic University of Madrid in Spain. The Polytechnic University has served as the leading technical university in Madrid for over 25 years, and the history of its architectural and engineering departments dates back more than 100 years. The system sale was made through Somatech, a division of Solva Group, and Laser Design's European distributor.

The Polytechnic University of Madrid is using the Laser Design 3D laser scanning system for optical scanning of parts with complex shapes and freeform surfaces. The Polytechnic University is on the forefront of industrial education in Europe and is investing in the innovative measuring technology a Laser Design system provides.

Colleges and universities are a growing market for advanced Laser Design systems as educational institutions strive to stay abreast of new developments in the industrial marketplace. The system will enable the Polytechnic University to educate their faculty and students in using laser technology for industrial inspection, measurement, reverse engineering, and product design and development. In an industrial setting, laser scanning dramatically increases speed and quality of measurement and productivity of the engineering staff, which decreases time to market for new parts and products.

The Surveyor CS-2822 system is accurate, fast, and very easy-to-use with a 20" x 28" x 20" (500 x 700 x 500 mm) work envelope. The laser probe, an RPS-120, is the most accurate in Laser Design's RPS line. It is ideal for scanning small- to medium-sized parts that have complex shapes and freeform surfaces, such as molded plastics and metals, electronics, artifacts, and many more. The compact CS-2822 system is easy to install and to maintain.

Because the Laser Design scanning system projects a line of laser light onto a part while cameras continuously triangulate the changing distance and profile of the laser line as it sweeps along, the problem of missing data on irregularly shaped surfaces is eliminated. The system measures fine details and captures complex freeform geometry so that the object can be exactly replicated or inspected. Laser line scanners gather upwards of 50,000 points per second and generate huge numbers of data points without the need for complex templates or fixtures. Surveyor Scan Control software adds versatility and functionality to the CS-2822 system by controlling the laser probe settings and providing advanced data capture and editing features. The digitized scan data can be processed further with optional software from Laser Design's solutions partners such as Geomagic.

Rob Maris, Somatech's Laser Design Product Manager, commented, "Having a Laser Design 3D scanning system at the prestigious Polytechnic University of Madrid is a very good opportunity to build our international relationships and expand our sales into the education sector. With the growing interest in laser scanning in Europe, the educational system here can play a key role by training engineering students in the technologies of the future such as 3D laser scanning. We are glad to be a part of this effort which will ultimately lead to greater European competitiveness and higher quality manufactured products."

In addition to serving as the Laser Design European regional sales and service office, the Netherlands Somatech location also houses a GKS Inspection Services division offering laser scanning services to companies whose digitizing needs are intermittent.

"Laser Design has hundreds of system installations around the world that are instrumental in supporting engineering, manufacturing, and engineering applications in educational settings and many industry sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, and telecommunications, just to mention a few," according to C. Martin Schuster, President of Laser Design. "We are very proud of our leadership role in the industry, helping our customers educate the metrology community, streamline and improve their manufacturing and inspection processes."

Laser Design, Inc. has been the leading supplier of ultra-precise, 3D laser scanning systems and services for over 20 years. Used for capturing the 3D shape of objects with complex geometries and free-form surfaces, Laser Design's Surveyor line of automated and portable scanning systems are ideal for 3D scanning applications involving inspection and reverse engineering of complex shaped plastic and metal parts. The company's patented laser line-probe technology dramatically reduces scanning time by collecting data substantially faster and more accurately than conventional metrology technologies. Laser Design integrates Geomagic software with its laser scanners to provide complete solutions for reverse engineering and inspection applications.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company also has Regional Technical Services and Support Centers in Seattle and Detroit, and distributors throughout Europe and Asia. Laser Design also operates GKS Inspection Services (www.GKS.com), an in-house service bureau division offering complete 3D scanning, reverse engineering, and dimensional inspection services.

For further information, contact

C. Martin Schuster
by phone (952-252-3402)
fax (952-884-9653)
via email to sales@laserdesign.com

or visit Laser Design's web site at www.laserdesign.com.

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