Handheld, Wireless 3D Scanner Added to Craft Lab

The Craft Lab, a unique campus makerspace sponsored by the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), recently added new equipment, including an Artec Leo 3D scanner. 

Artec Leo is a wireless, handheld professional 3D scanner designed to make scanning easy and effortless. It allows students, engineers, product designers, CAD technicians, VFX artists, archeologists, game designers, and virtual reality app developers to create precise and workable 3D models out of a diverse range of physical objects and surfaces. The Artec Leo scanner captures an object as the user simply moves around the object as if filming a video. A 3D replica is built in real time on a display as the capture is occurring. 

“The Artec Leo is a great addition to our capabilities. It is one of those tools that ups your game on what kind of work you can do,” said Noah Posner, a research scientist in IPaT and manager of the Interactive Product Design Lab in the College of Design. “It is just so easy compared to other 3D scanners I have used in the past. It is fast, portable, and does a great job at capturing geometry. It is also fast and versatile enough to capture a scan of a person in instances where we are designing wearable devices.”

Additional equipment and upgrades are also being installed in the Craft Lab and its companion space, the Prototyping Lab:

• Bambu Lab X1E printer – This 3D printer excels in handling high-temperature materials for versatile and precise 3D printing. Its AI algorithm enhances print quality by rectifying initial layer flaws, ensuring consistent results. This printer supports various high-performance materials, making it ideal for both intricate prototypes and everyday items.
• Epilog Fusion Galvo Laser – This laser machine combines fast engraving and produces a variety of marks on metal including deep engraving, polished white marks, and deep black annealed etching. It makes an excellent companion and expansion to the existing capabilities of the Prototyping Lab’s 48” x 36” CO2 laser cutter from Epilog while sharing the same software workflow.
• Kniterate – This compact digital knitting machine turns digital designs into knitted garments automatically. It is a first-of-its-kind, fully automated knitting machine meant for desktop/small-scale use and makes these operations more accessible than traditional industrial machines.

Equipment Upgrade:

• Added a digital motor and encoder to the industrial leather stitcher – While the industrial equipment normally comes with a clutched motor that is difficult for new users to control, the lab has replaced it with a digital servo motor that can be run much slower without compromising the power benefits of industrial equipment. They also added a digital encoder, which ensures the needle always ends down in the material being stitched, allowing for precise control, and can be raised with the foot pedal instead of manually moving the handwheel. Those upgrades make the machine more user-friendly and easier to use.

“We are committed to the continuous improvement of IPaT’s Craft and Prototyping Labs, as spaces leveraged by the entirety of campus,” said Tim Trent, director of these spaces and IPaT faculty member. “From the Prototyping Lab’s inception in 2006 through the Craft Lab’s opening in 2022 and on to today, we are always looking to find ways to collaborate with and meet the needs of our users, whether they are individual researchers, student groups, or whole departments at Tech.”

The IPaT Craft Lab is located in the Technology Square Research Building, Room 225B. The IPaT Prototyping Lab is located on the basement level in Room S21. Equipment in the lab may be used for academic and research purposes across the entire Georgia Tech community. Contact the Craft Lab staff at craftlab@cc.gatech.edu or the Prototyping Lab staff at protolab@cc.gatech.edu.