Portable 3D scanner

A new hand-held, portable 3D scanner expands the range of Hohenstein Institutes in Bönnigheim in the area of contactless 3D recording. The compact scanner allows quick and precise recording of small and medium-sized shapes, objects and body parts, opening up completely new fields of application.

The portable 3D scanner shows great potential especially for ergonomic optimisation or individualisation of different textile products, which are worn directly on the body such as backpacks, helmets and gloves.

The fast and flexible 3D recording offers a variety of uses. It simplifies custom tailoring because companies can use a 3D model to manufacture a product which is adapted to the customer’s individual measurements and shapes.

The scans are also the focus of the best fit process at the point of sale. Here the model with the best fit can be assigned to the customer quickly and without lengthy fitting procedures. The Hohenstein scientists are experienced partners for research, development and implementation of these processes.

Company-specific serial measurements – of body areas such as feet, hands or heads – for determining sizing systems and optimising fit are another possible area of application.

Based on decades of experience in this area, Hohenstein scientists develop body measurement tables for customer target groups, generate average 3D shapes and support the implementation of body measurements into marketable end products.

The scanner scans the surface using a class II laser which is safe for the eyes. Two cameras record the laser line on the object to be captured. The software uses this information to calculate a digital twin of the object in real time, allowing the scan to be verified on the monitor already during recording.

The great advantage over other systems is that 3D models can be exported without further editing, e.g. as a .stl file, and are immediately ready for further processing using the known methods from the field of CAD. Its small size allows the scanner to be carried anywhere and to be used directly where it is required. Expensive transport and long and complicated installation are not necessary.

The Hohenstein Institutes have possessed the technology for easy, quick and precise digital recording of three-dimensional shapes since 1998. Hohenstein scientists were the first to carry out body measurements in Germany using a 3D body scanner and have extensive knowledge in this area.

Integration of high-resolution 3D body and product recording into the research and development processes of companies supports realisation of new products and optimisation of existing products.

The Hohenstein Institute for textile innovations offers interested companies the opportunity to use the innovation in the framework of a cooperation project and to open up new areas of application for the area of textiles and clothing and beyond. There is also an option to borrow the portable 3D scanner from the Hohenstein Institutes for your own projects. A qualified employee of the Hohenstein Institutes will help you to set up and operate the device on site.