A few years ago I decided to get involved in 3D scanning and printing. After identifying the industry where my experience would be most useful came the task of finding the equipment that would be best for that application. A search of the internet for information began. Visits were also made to shows that included scanner and printer vendors and manufacturers.

Although there was plenty of information about the different devices, there were few direct comparisons. Most of the comparisons were between two or three devices and were done by one of the manufacturers to show off their device. My plan is to use the same criteria for each device that I review. In that way, a direct comparison of the many devices can be obtained. It is not conceivable that all devices will be covered. However, as many devices as possible will be reviewed that are applicable to individuals and small and medium businesses.

A small object with a fair amount of detail will be the starting point. A dime was chosen as a good object for this purpose. It’s about 0.7 inch (1.8 cm) in diameter and about 0.05 inch (0.13 cm) thick. This will show the scanners ability to scan small objects and to pick up fine detail.

NOTE: Some scanners were unable to deal with an object as thin as a coin. For those scanners a cap from a flash drive was substituted. The cap is about 0.7 inch (1.8 cm) square by 0.25 inch (0.6 cm) thick. The scans were successful using the cap. Unfortunately there is no detail on the cap so it was just scanned for the shape.

The next subject for scanning is a ceramic cross. It stands about ten inches (25.4 cm) tall and about six inches (15 cm) across. The two sections of the cross are about two and a quarter inches (5.5 cm) wide and about one and a quarter inches (three cm) thick. There is what looks like rocks around the bottom and a vine with large leaves going part of the way up one side.

Moving up to something a little larger, an upright vacuum cleaner was chosen. The vacuum is about 44 inches (110 cm) tall with a base that is approximately twelve inches (30 cm) square. For variety an end table was added to the list of scan objects. The table is approximately 22 inches (55 cm) square and 25 inches (65 cm) tall.

A love seat, which is a two person sofa as opposed to a standard three person sofa, will be scanned as the next size up. It is about 36 inches (100 cm) tall and about 36 inches (100 cm) thick. The love seat is about 70 inches (180 cm) long.

A car will be the largest object to be scanned. There are several cars at my disposal so the same car may not be scanned each time. This should not pose a problem as all cars are fairly large and still similar in size. A race car or two may also be scanned just for variety.

Using the same objects with each scanner should give a good comparison of their capabilities. It will show how each scanner performs with each size of object. It will also show how well each scanner can pick up fine detail, and a direct comparison of the devices can be made.

Although I have seen demonstrations of quite a few scanners, I don’t have any personal experience in using any of them. Because of this, the results that can be expected with a new device when it is first obtained can be demonstrated. Naturally improved results can be expected with more experience.