Some observations for improving scan quality through part mounting and orientation are given below:

1) Whenever possible, the part should be mounted so that as little surface area as possible directly faces the rotation plate and the ceiling. Because the laser only moves in the X and Y directions, important geometries can be lost along the top and bottom faces of the part.

2) For the same reason, concavities and holes should never be faced perpendicular to the laser source unless it has been determined that obtaining their geometric data is unnecessary.

3) Often there is a specific region of interest along the geometry of the part. In these cases, ensure that the laser has an unobstructed sight line to all faces of this region of interest.

4) If the geometry of a hole is a region of interest, ensure that the hole faces the laser at an angle between 30′ and 45′ from vertical. This enables the laser to have a direct line of sight to the interior faces of the hole and will minimize the loss of points. Note, however, that the internal geometries of holes are very difficult to obtain because the line of sight to one edge of the hole is often blocked by the other edge.

5) If the geometry of a deep concavity is a region of interest, ensure that the hole directly faces the laser. This will give the laser a line of sight to gather any information it can from the deep concavity. Unfortunately, these obstructions are extremely difficult geometries to obtain and are often impossible.

6) All mounting devices within the scan radius should be painted black whenever possible. The sensors of the laser scanner will be unable to collect point data at these locations.

7) When using mounting devices, if the devices contact the part within the scan radius, ensure that the devices contact the part in locations where it will be easy to determine the location of missing points by simply observing several adjacent layers. For example, along the shaft of a long bone the geometry does not change a great deal from one layer to the next. In such cases, the resulting data holes can be filled easily through interpolation.

In general, the development of generalized scanning methodologies for part families can be successful. Clear evidence suggests that substantial improvement in scan quality can be obtained by utilizing the appropriate scanning parameter settings, and, more significantly, by orienting the item to maximize scanner efficiency. The traditional mentality, which suggests that scanning methods, and specifically orientations, should be determined on a case-by-case basis is inaccurate and unnecessary. Although some parts have notable obstacles that may require alterations to a scanning methodology, there is no question that most structures can be classified into part families that have similar, if not identical requirements for RE.