Thermoformed Plastics
Proform Plastics is a leading New Zealand manufacturer of ‘large-part’ thermoformed plastic automotive accessories, including well-fitting polymer bed liners and deck-guards for pickup trucks and cargo liners that protect the cargo area of vehicles. 
The company is leading the way in the use of high-strength, low-weight, impact -resistant plastics in the place of traditional fibreglass. Proform is the top producer of plastic canopies and camper shells for pickup trucks, and is pioneering new frontiers in the development of stylised, paint-ready plastic tonneau covers.
Recently Proform approached Hi-Tech Metrology to assist them to laser scan the inside of the rear of a new utility model in Australia so that a polymer liner could be developed. The project involved laser scanning the raw steel skin of the utility at the importers site over the course of two days to produce a full .STL mesh scan data file that could be subsequently converted into a full 3D CAD model in New Zealand as part of the production of a new range of liner products for this new model vehicle.
Hi-Tech Metrology took a number of pieces of laser scanning equipment to site to perform this contract project for Proform in order to ascertain which piece of equipment or scanning system would give both the most accurate result and the fastest turnaround time. After assessing the project first hand it was determined that the 3D hand-held laser scanning system from Z Corp, the ZScanner™ would produce fast and accurate results with the bonus being the data was already in an .STL format, ready for further processing by Proform in New Zealand.
The process of ZScanning the rear liner of the utility was in the end extremely simple. Reference targets were stuck to the area to be scanned, completely at random, at a maximum distance apart of approximately 100mm, and then the sheet metal liner was scanned. The scanning operator stood inside the rear of the vehicle, and because movement of the object being scanned relative to the laser scanner is quite permissible for the ZScanner, movement of the vehicle (from the operator’s body weight) whilst the liner was being scanned did not pose a problem resulting in accurate laser scan data.
The resulting laser scan data from the ZScanner automatically produces a tight knit mesh file using the scanner’s native ZScan software. The scan file data was then further edited to remove any extraneous data points before the data was exported to PolyWorks® software. In PolyWorks/Modeler™ software the hole filling capabilities and other advanced modelling functions allowed the designers to develop an extremely clean and blemish-free mesh file ready to export into the clients CAD package for the development of a full 3D CAD model of the rear of the utility.
According to Proform’s research & development manager Alastair Johnstone, …”Everything went well with the project, the data worked seamlessly and we have made up the parts and installed them in our deck. This was a great use of the latest laser scanning technology.”
The ZScanner 800 hand-held 3D laser scanner used by Hi-Tech Metrology on this project for Proform in New Zealand, combined with the post-scanning processing flexibility and power of PolyWorks software proved to be a very effective way in which to capture data – both quickly and accurately in the field, and a process that Proform will no doubt use again in the future in order to sustain their competitive advantage by being first to market with new products and innovations.