Cnc Scanner; Before You Begin; Starting A Scan; Planning A Scan - Tormach CNC Scanner Manual

5 CNC Scanner

5.1 Before You Begin

Take care in the following preparations. The following recommendations will increase you chance for a
successful scan

Place the object that you wish to scan on a flat surface. A flat plate resting on top of vise works
well. Plate glass works well for small objects.

If possible, place the object on top of a contrasting background. White paper works well.

Make sure the object will remain still and cannot move while the scan is in progress. In general,
this is a problem with lightweight and/or small objects. Larger objects can be held directly in the
vise. Double-sided tape is also helpful. Putty can be used as well.

The scope does not need to be centered for accurate scanning; however, it is helpful if the
scope is rotated within the spindle so the image axes are aligned with the machine axes – that is,
horizontal movement in the image corresponds to X motion of the machine and vertical
movement corresponds to Y motion of the machine.

Ensure the scope is positioned at a safe distance above the object.

Make sure that the complete area that you wish to scan resides within the work envelope of the
machine. If this is not the case, you will trip a limit switch and the scan will be lost.

5.2 Starting a Scan

To start a scan choose Tormach CNC Scan
from the PlugIn Control menu.

5.3 Planning a Scan

When you open CNC Scanner, the Scan Setup
window is displayed as shown in Figure 6.
5.3.1

Naming the Scan File

Type a name for the scan and chose Create
File. The raw scan data is saved in the
directory indicated as: filename.tsi.
5.3.2

Determine the Scan Area

Here, you must specify an area to be scanned. Choose a width and depth that defines a rectangular box
around the area of interest (See Figure 7).
Tormach® CNC Scanner
CNC Scanner
Figure 6. Planning the Scan Menu
15 UM10138_0712A