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The Challenge:
The company was due to showcase its vacuums
at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The “brain” which runs
and guides the vacuum is highly sophisticated, but the housing was still
in rough form. On a very short development timeline, a new housing for
the vacuum needed to be created. The external shape and navigational
system are integral and provide for maximum cleaning coverage with the
ability to maneuver in restricted areas. Height also has to be kept to
a minimum so the robotic vacuum can reach under furniture.
When the product’s designer met a man from
Taiwan who made low-end robotic floor cleaners with outstanding looks,
he knew their work was complementary: The Taiwanese company had a more
polished vacuum casing made of plastic, but little in the way of a
guidance system.
Taking the more refined look of the
Taiwanese prototype, the designer retrofitted it to his sophisticated
mechanical system. He drilled some holes in the plastic, built up some
areas with wood (which is easier to work with than plastic), and created
a way to assemble the parts together. The results functioned well, but
looked unprofessional. He needed to quickly and inexpensively create a
better looking casing with the dimensions he built, so there would be
time for prototype testing and refinement before the show in January.
The designer also needed to update a worm
gear’s shape because he modified the component that came on the original
robot from a third party by adding a shaft extension. The worm gear
mates with a planetary gear assembly used in the drive motors for the
robot.
The Solution:
The company heard about GKS Inspection
Services, a division of Laser Design, Inc., from the company that would
create a rapid prototype (RP) of his design. The RP supplier needed STL
files to work from and suggested GKS Inspection Services.
“GKS responded faster than anyone else to my
queries, their website was very informative, and in general they seemed
to know their business,” said the designer for why he chose GKS. “My
critical decision criteria were price, turn-around-time, and quality.”
Instead of having to go back to the CAD
model to create the new housing, he could start with a casing that
already fit correctly, have GKS scan the parts quickly with their
non-contact Laser Design scanning system, and obtain flawless results.
GKS maintains several Laser Design scanners, so the appropriate size and
resolution was readily available. With over 25 years in the business,
GKS metrologists have ample experience with reverse engineering
projects.
Since the laser scanning system projects a
line of laser light onto surfaces while cameras continuously triangulate
the changing distance and profile of the laser line as it sweeps along,
it can measure fine details and capture freeform geometry. The scanned
object can be exactly replicated very quickly. GKS scanned the makeshift
plastic and wood casing in less than a day. The company had its STL
files back in less than a week and was able to take them to the rapid
prototyping subcontractor.
Although the time and money saved were
criteria for the company’s decision to use GKS Inspection Services,
“Quality turned out to be the most valuable aspect GKS provided. The
solid models I sent to GKS for scanning were hand made (by me) and when
they were scanned into STL, they revealed the imperfections. GKS
smoothed out the rough surfaces and provided a near-ideal STL file to
the RP supplier.”
Subsequently, GKS scanned an internal part,
the worm gear due to more modifications the designer made in the
improved robot vacuum. He is just as pleased with the resulting STL
file. “I have now received the worm gear and am completely satisfied.
The scanning of the worm gear was more complicated than the previous
parts but after the part was created, it fit perfectly.”
The Results:
“The fit of the prototype was absolutely
perfect,” says the designer of the housing created using the GKS STL
files. “GKS’s expertise in the field gave me seamless data. I didn’t
have to tweak it at all.” The prototype mold will be used to make and
assemble 24 models for testing before going into production.
GKS Inspection Services’ work “exceeded my
expectations,” continues the designer. “They went beyond simply
scanning the part, they also cleaned up the STL file and worked with the
RP fabricator, to make sure the file was of sufficient resolution to
produce a good mold.” “I would certainly use GKS Inspection
Services again. I've already used them for three components and have
been very happy with the results.”
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