Distinguished bodywork design combined with stylish interiors and enhanced engine performance at the highest level: this is the quality commitment mission of the famed automobile tuning company Mansory.
High-precision structure light scanner – StereoScan neo
As an experienced car tuning team, Mansory use high-quality measurement solutions to develop and produce their individually designed styling kits for the exterior and interior features of premium-class automobiles. The various design processes and quality control procedures that put the final touches to a Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini or Porsche require a flexible, fast and highly precise measuring technique. This is when 3D data acquisition with a structured light scanner such as the StereoScan neo is called into action.
The versatile customisation of a strictly limited ‘Mansory Edition’ series begins with a 3D scan of the bodywork and interior of an existing vehicle. The key objective is an efficient and accurate contact-free measurement of all relevant features – from the smallest detail measuring only a few centimetres to the complete car exterior, not to mention various types of edges and interior areas that are difficult to access. Some of the objects to be measured feature challenging shiny or glossy surfaces, which in some extreme cases may require pre-treatment with anti-reflective matting spray.
High accuracy scanning of a vehicle exterior
The surface model, created from the high-precision 3D measurement data generated in the scanning process, serves as a basis for the subsequent design phase. The redesigned body kit attachments of the customised ‘facelift’ must be integrated seamlessly into the existing vehicle shape.
As part of the production process, these individual design features or add-on parts (often made of carbon-fibre or aluminium) must be captured three-dimensionally in order to conduct a targeted quality analysis and allow for relevant optimisation measures prior to the creation of the production moulds.
After the Mansory tuning team has properly positioned the vehicle to be customised and then calibrated the measuring system, the first step – measuring the outer shell of the vehicle – is carried out with a photogrammetry system. Next, acquisition of the 3D surface area of the car is conducted using a StereoScan neo configured with a large field of view. After a quick change to a smaller field of view, the interior as well as selected smaller feature details of the vehicle can be measured.
Hexagon’s in-house scanning and evaluation software OptoCat then automatically collects the scan data within a consolidated coordinate system and, after the data capture is fully completed, assembles the scan images into a 3D surface model of the vehicle.
Thanks to the high-accuracy scanning of the StereoScan neo, Mansory can deliver truly high-quality car tuning. The newly developed bodywork components are characterised by a perfectly accurate fit, integrating seamlessly into the existing bodywork and interior of the vehicle. The average customised redesign takes between one and two years to complete. The fast and flexible scanning process along with its prime quality data output contributes to significantly faster cycle times of the surface design progress and to a considerably more efficient production process.
3D high-density scan data of an engine block cover
