3D scanning is booming in industrial and medical technology applications. As a pioneer in the field of 3D laser scanners, WILD possesses comprehensive know-how in various applications and technologies. The key to technological improvements and a shorter time to market is cross engineering.

High-resolution 3D scans deliver exact images of the real world in a digital format. In medicine, they are instrumental for modern, patient-friendly diagnostics and treatment. In the world of industry, they bring greater speed and efficiency. WILD has many years of experience in 3D scanners and, as a systems partner, has been closely involved in the development and manufacturing of innovative products. A current example is the GC Aadva IOS 200 intra-oral scanner, which WILD‘s customer GC Europe will be launching onto the market this year. This latest dental scanner generation can produce a digital 3D model of a patient’s natural dentition safely and with utmost precision in a very short time. This procedure, in which a slide pattern is projected onto the surface of the teeth, replaces conventional plaster models. The image of the slide pattern is recognised on the surface of the teeth, allowing for reconstruction of the 3D data.

A paradigm shift in dental medicine

In future, dentists will easily be able to access even hard-to-reach areas using this small, lightweight scanner. Since the system is powder-free, the tedious powdering of the surfaces can be skipped and the scanning process can begin right away. The manual step of dentition alignment is no longer necessary since registration of the natural dentition also takes place in real time. This renders the system far more comfortable for the patient than conventional impressions. Compared to similar systems already available on the market, this innovative intra-oral scanner stands out with a series of features: its metal tip, for instance, is autoclavable and can be used for more than 500 cycles. The tip is also significantly smaller, thus helping to avoid the gag reflex frequently triggered among patients. Moreover, thanks to the unit’s innovative “open-mirror design”, it is easy to reach and scan the distal areas of the molars. The anti-fog function guarantees fog-free scans without the need for external mirror heating.

As GC Europe’s technology consultant and contract manufacturer, WILD is tasked with the transition of the GC Aadva IOS 200 intra-oral scanner into serial production. The systems partner has also been able to contribute its optics expertise and its know-how in the areas of procurement and gluing. In future, the Hand scanners will be completely assembled at WILD. “Since the scanner will be glued and it will no longer be possible to open it and perform any adjustments, there is an absolute zero error tolerance. In addition, the multitude of small parts and adjustment tasks requires a high Level of dexterity to achieve the best possible performance”, says WILD Project Manager Dieter Trampusch, explaining the particular requirements involved.

A new dimension of diagnostic image quality

3D scans are also an indispensable element of modern diagnostics and follow-up in ophthalmology, e.g. for the evaluation of the retina. Especially the ever-increasing pixel density of generated 3D images, which can be viewed from any angle, guarantees that diagnosis and surgical interventions derived therefrom are done more precisely than ever before. The condition for generating these optimised images is a higher scanning speed which both accelerates the work processes and improves patient comfort as a result of the significantly shorter exposure time. One of WILD’s customers is currently working on a substantial increase in Imaging speed. As a system partner, WILD is capable of quickly transitioning such quality leaps to serial status. “We expanded the standard change process to consider changes from the perspective of our manufacturing experts already in the development phase. As a result, we no longer suffer delays in the transition to Serial production and we contribute significantly to maintain maintaining or improving our customers‘ technological edge“, explains Manfred Galle, Head of Medical Technology at WILD GmbH.

New 3D laser scanner generation

In applications such as architecture, the construction industry, product design, archaeology, and even in forensics, 3D scans ensure that complex spatial structures can be digitalised in high detail and displayed as three-dimensional images on a computer screen at the push of a button. WILD is working for a leading supplier in this area and, among others, manufactures the optics module for a series of 3D laser scanners. These can be used both indoors and outdoors and are characterised by an extremely high stability against temperature and humidity variations. The portable devices are significantly more compact and affordable than previous models and achieves impressive ranges of up to 350 metres. “The creation of these 3D laser scanners demanded utmost mechanical and optical precision”, says Stefan Werkl, Head of Optical Technologies at WILD GmbH. “We developed the adjustment processes and the test equipment together with the customer and even set up an automated measuring circuit. An additional plus for the customer was our guaranteed serial stability at an extreme quality level.”

To find out more about WILD Group’s core competencies in 3D scanning, visit us at the Laser World of Photonics (hall B1, stand 640).