A noteworthy challenge in 3D metrology is accurately measuring objects that thermally expand or contract.  Comparing measurements to a design part without scaling can introduce significant error, which can consume a large portion of your part tolerance and cause parts to fail that would otherwise pass inspection.  To make things worse, any error in scale is cumulative, which means the error is magnified when applied to large parts.  While laboratory work can be conducted at a standard temperature, real world metrology applications often take place in extreme temperatures when used to accurately assemble large metal objects that expand and contract.

Click here to learn about scaling options in SpatialAnalyzer® (SA), as well as the steps required to accurately account for part temperature changes.