How mobile 3D scanning supports maritime repair projects

Vehicles of all kinds must be checked for possible defects when in use. This also applies to sailing boats that take part in regattas. Read here how 3D scanning supports the quality assurance process of important boat structures.
Technician uses ZEISS T-SCAN hawk 2 to scan keel of a sailing boat

Repair of boat keels

The world-famous Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic regatta has been taking place on the French coast since 1993. In order to be able to complete the race as specified without intermediate stops and without external assistance, all components of the Class 40 sailing ship ZEISS WEEECycling must be checked in advance. This is done by ARIES, a shipyard located in Cherbourg in north-west France. Of particular interest here: The keel. It is one of the key structures for ensuring a safe and balanced voyage during long-distance navigation. A boat’s keel serves as its spine, providing essential stability and balance while opposing the forces of wind and water. By acting as a counterweight and a hydrodynamic element, the keel allows the boat to maintain a regular heading, resist lateral drift and optimize navigation performance. Its maintenance and quality assurance are essential for the skippers.

How to ensure safety in transportation through 3D scanning

Optical 3D measurement technology is ideally suited for this application. The structured light helps to measure the entire keel with sub-millimeter precision – and without contact. 
The hand-held 3D scanner ZEISS T-SCAN hawk 2 was chosen for its speed in particular. Maintenance of the boat also had to be carried out between different races to ensure safe use in each. The laser scanner helped to capture and therefore evaluate the 3D data quickly. Mobility was a must for this application. The scanner had to be taken to the boat, as the keel could not be separated from it. The handiness of the device supported the intuitive capture directly on-site. Even the challenge of scanning outdoors with increased light irradiation was no problem for the scanner.

Optimized defect analysis thanks to
ZEISS INSPECT

3D renderings are necessary to perform the default analysis on the object being examined here as efficiently as possible. In this case, the ZEISS INSPECT software is used. The large number of evaluation options make the comparisons between the two sides of the keel particularly successful. 

Mobile 3D scanning for various applications

Did you know that there is a variety of different applications suitable for ZEISS T-SCAN hawk 2?
Get in touch with your local dealer to find out more.

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