P1 HOME
CONNECTION August 2021
VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY
Looking Up: VDC Technology Allows for Precise Conduit Planning Even at Difficult Heights HOME
Boxes needing conduit
Steve Gray checks out the height
Virtual model from 3D scan
Completed conduit
When the P1 field associates working on electrical boxes for a confidential customer ran into a challenge, our Virtual Design & Construction department had the technology to address it.
That solution was the FARO 3D Laser Scanner, a piece of equipment VDC uses frequently – on the ground. This time, they needed to get it in the air.
Workers needed to run conduit to some electrical boxes placed in tricky spots, the tallest of which was around 50 feet high.
Capturing the measurements of an object with conventional documentation methods can take days or weeks, and even then the data might contain errors or missing details.
VDC Electrical Specialists Justin Underwood and Steve Gray came with a solution. “With the boxes that high in the air, you couldn’t really see them well from any angle on the ground,” Justin explained. They considered taking a lift to get a look, but only one of them could go, and had to be accompanied by one of the busy field associates. “Between getting up in a lift, which would only allow one detailer, and the time it would take to get a measurement, it could take a couple days,” Justin said. The alternative was using VDC technology for a more efficient solution.
FARO Focus Laser Scanners create accurate, complete, and photorealistic 3D images of any environment or object in just a few minutes. They operate as easily as a digital camera — with built-in protection from dirt, dust, fog, rain, heat/cold, and movement. “Instead of ourselves, we put the FARO scanner in the lift and took it all the way up, where it was able to capture images from five different locations.” Justin says putting the FARO that high in the air was unusual. “There are probably applications where the FARO has been used in a lift, but I’ve never experienced one,” Justin said.
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