Often times, necessity is the mother of invention. Many products are conceived out of necessity, while there are products which occur from what may seem like serendipity. With the prevalence and popularity of 3D printing among a variety of users, from elementary students to precision machine shops, the ability to develop products is becoming a more appealing and accessible process. But how does what starts as a design concept make it to the finish line as a final product? After all, an idea is only as good as its execution. Q-PLUS Labs uses 3D scanning to help with this process for the founder of GQ Moto Inc., who intends to show the story of an invention's journey, from idea to production.
Introduction
George Parstch, a pre-med student and business student turned inventor and patent holder is familiar with the dilemma of having an idea and figuring out how to execute on it. He's encountered this scenario quite a few times in his career – at least eight, to be exact. Most of these ideas came from his experience in a wide variety of fields from personal stylist and wardrobe consultant to medical device engineer. Parstch envisions bringing eight unique products to market while showing people how they can do it too through video documentary of his design's journey through development to delivery of the finished product.
Our Process
Parstch approached Q-PLUS Labs seeking 3D scanning expertise for reverse engineering some of the prototypes he's developing. 3D scanning provides two main benefits for product development. One is reverse engineering which allows you to obtain the exact dimensions of an object so you can replicate it or in this case, improve upon it. The second benefit that 3D scanning provides for product development is dimensional inspection which aids in comparing the actual condition of a manufactured part or component to the nominal condition as defined by engineering drawings and blueprints, metal or film templates (decreasingly), digital files and 3D CAD models (increasingly), or even a master tool or part.
With a step by step documentary on how to bring new products from concept to completion, Partsch seeks to creatively innovate products used on a daily basis from menswear to children’s sports equipment. His background in medical device design, also has enabled him to develop a device that is more custom fit and functionally appealing to the user or consumer than what is currently available on the market. Q-PLUS Labs’ 3D scanning expertise enables companies like GQ Moto Inc. to get what they need for their design concept or refining their finished product. If you’d like more information about how we can use 3D scanning services as well as a wide variety of dimensional measurement services to help with your current idea or manufacturing process, click here to schedule an assessment.
the most basic systems use hard probes and XYZ read-outs, while the most complex employ fully automated continuous contact probing. For a system like a bridge CMM which uses this set of axes, each axis is used to indicate the system's position or location in space. The probe head determines the values on the Z-axis by moving up and down the system's bridge. The system's Y-axis determines its values by moving over the entire CMM's base. The values for the X-axis are determined by moving back and forth across the bridge.
This year, California State University, Fullerton's Formula SAE is using a Yamaha FZ-07 motorcycle engine which has increased displacement for their new race car design. The new design for the chassis will include a space frame as well as a carbon fiber driver cell. The space frame is created by welding steel tubes together and attaching them to the cockpit and the engine housing, as well as the drive train. Unlike the team's last design which was a stressed engine, this design will be mounted to the inside of the space frame. Weighing 20 to 30 pounds less than the team's original engine, this choice also offers more torque and faster acceleration without creating a heavier car which would give the team an edge against their competition.
To analyze the exact amount of wear, Q-PLUS Labs performed a surface roughness analysis to confirm the wear on the unused surface of a traditional friction-fit lock versus the wear experienced by Extreme Components LP’s DAT locks after multiple uses. This was accomplished using 
In comparison to the friction-fit lock, Extreme Components’ DAT lock that had been used by a multinational medical device manufacturer for 4 years of near continuous service, cycling every seven seconds with a 2,300 pound load yielding more than 10 million cycles, was measured to have a surface roughness of only 5.7 micro inches. The data of the surface map displays better uniformity than the friction-fit lock, and visual inspection shows the DAT lock’s mirror-like surface and no galling.
A little background on the rigorous Baja SAE race—it originated in 1976 at the University of South Carolina as a comprehensive engineering competition with the objective for students to function as a team and not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle, but also raise financial support while balancing the demands of their course work. In order to compete as formidable opponent at the 2016 Baja SAE race, the final single-seat, all-terrain sporting vehicle is comprised of parts machined by CSUF’s Baja team.
cle’s ability to successfully navigate the race due to the challenging track. CSUF’s Baja team requested Q-PLUS Labs to 3D scan the cutting brake that provided the team with measurement data from which they can derive the best fit area of the car to mount the brake. Using the 
Before building their vehicle, CSUF's Baja team designed a virtual rendering of it in Solidworks, a 3D CAD design software. Because each piece of the car was hand machined, the team needed accurate measurements of the car’s calipers before proceeding with the build. Calipers are essential to the vehicle’s ability to stop and are one of the critical components of a car’s breaks. The challenging track consisted of rough terrain, making the measurements extremely vital to vehicle’s ability to successfully navigate the race.
ScanArm HD
Nam June Paik designed this installation which is composed of televisions paired with Buddhas watching them to depict extended contemplation. As an integral aspect of UCSD's landscape, the university sought to preserve the statues via 3D scan data in case the statues would need to be recreated in detail. For this particular application, Q-PLUS Labs' engineers used white light and laser scanning technology, specifically the 
