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L3I: Scanning the Horizon For Faster Throughput
About
5 years ago, Bill Greene and his colleagues at Level 3 Inspection (L3I)
foresaw the need for precision 3D scanning and inspection in orthopedic
implant manufacturing. So they opened an office to offer professional
computer-aided inspection services in Warsaw, IN, known as the
Orthopedics Capital of the World. The city owes its nickname to Revra
DePuy, an early orthopedic appliance manufacturer who left his indelible
mark there. Now, other industry leaders like Biomet, Zimmer, Medtronic
and their supply chain partners are also part of the city's economic
landscape.
L3I is first and foremost a digital inspection service
provider. Its bread and butter come from precision manufacturers who
need to verify that the parts built conform to the design specified. To
accomplish this, clients usually contract L3I to scan the part produced
in the manufacturing facility, then compare the high-resolution digital
scan to the original CAD geometry.
 An annotated page from Level 3 Inspection’s report on comparing an as-built orthopedic knee implant and the intended design.
For all intents and purposes, L3I's services seem like a perfect match
for improving the quality of braces and implants commonly used in the
orthopedic profession. Considering how costly a recall is for the
manufacturer — and how devastating it is for the patient — the industry
could clearly benefit from greater quality assurance.
But at the
onset, Greene didn’t realize there was a fundamental difference that
separates aerospace and automotive manufacturers from their orthopedic
counterparts. “[Orthopedic manufacturers] love the result, but just
aren’t comfortable outsourcing the job,” he reports. “They’d much rather
buy the equipment and bring the operation in-house.”
So,
instead of combatting the prevalent culture and tradition in
orthopedics, Greene decided to adapt. L3I invented and applied for an
international patent for an integrated, automated system that would
perform the same computerized inspection operations, but could be used
by a nontechnical operator. Thus, the Smart Inspection Station (SIS) was
born. Continue reading the full article here!
Everywhere we are engaged with our precision manufacturer clients, we are delivering vastly superior Computer Aided Inspection (CAI) Customer- Ready™
results, which OEMs welcome and prefer, and we are delivering them in a
half to third of the time it takes to get lesser results out of the
internal layout department and traditional inspection resources. We
have made some very big business impacts at a number of our clients,
helping them perform on substantial programs to keep their customers
happy.
Let us accelerate your product and business. Call
us today for a quote, tell us when you need the results, and be
prepared to be amazed at how well we can deliver with speed.
Sincerely,
Bill Greene - CEO
3D Scanning & Computer Aided Inspection Master Practitioners,
Metallurgical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers,
Precision Manufacturing Process Engineers
T: 772.405.7502
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