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“After only a few hours of scanning, the Virgin was fully digitized and ready to be duplicated with the mention“ certified copy ”. "
A subsidiary of the Technical Center for Mechanical Industries, Cetim Sud-Ouest is an establishment specializing in tomography and metrology based in France. The company results from the takeover, in 2017, of the companies Tomo Adour and CM Adour. The association of these centers has made it possible to consolidate support for manufacturing SMEs on a regional and national scale. One of Cetim Sud-Ouest's vocations is to support manufacturers in their projects (R&D actions, pooling of resources and transfer of skills). Recently, Cetim Sud-Ouest called on the services of Creaform and its HandySCAN 3D ™ scanner to accomplish a project that is, to say the least, ceremonial.
The strong contrast between the sacred and technology
Cetim Sud-Ouest experts went to Lourdes with an employee of the Creaform company to proceed with the 3D digitization of the emblematic statue of Our Lady of Lourdes without moving it. This 183 cm marble sculpture, made by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch in 1864, is nestled above the sacred grotto of Massabielle and overlooks the space of the Sanctuaries of Lourdes. The site receives the visit of several hundred thousand pilgrims per year. An emblematic representation for the Catholic faithful, the statue being digitized has been subjected to a technological process of non-contact 3D measurement, certainly, but which contrasts with its religious heritage.
Restored in 1999, the statue is often recreated in different formats (effigies, statuettes, relics, etc.) by many artists who do not necessarily manage to capture all the details of the original sculpture. The Basilica of Lourdes thus called on Cetim Sud-Ouest to digitize the Virgin Mary and provide a 3D file conforming to the real dimensions of the sculpture, as built, the parties having even agreed that the measurements should be taken with a level of precision of the order of a tenth of a millimeter. The avowed objective is to allow the creation of replicas fully conforming to the original and bearing a mark to attest to its authenticity.
HandySCAN 3D in response to dangerous conditions
The HandySCAN 3D, allowing the precision required for the project, was of great help given its portability and ease of use. Indeed, the team at work at the entrance to the Massiabelle cave encountered some pitfalls which are, for the most part, infrequent given the environment in which 3D scanning usually takes place. Nestled at the top right of the grotto of Massiabelle, two meters high, in a secondary rock cavity (nicknamed "niche of the apparitions"), the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes has everything you need to make particularly complex digitization work, far ahead of testing laboratories and mechanical design shops.
“Working properly and safely required the use of a cradle. We therefore needed portable, handy and fast equipment to have access to each surface of the statue, to identify the smallest details and thus provide a reliable, exhaustive and representative file ”, summarizes Lionel Lagrèze, Technico-Commercial of Cetim Sud-Ouest .
The choice of HandySCAN 3D
Carried at arm's length, the main quality of the HandySCAN 3D is its lightness: its 940 grams make it an ideal tool to avoid muscle fatigue in a context of contortion, cramped spaces and restricted access. Also, given the rock faces near the sacred sculpture, the dimension of the tool was an important issue. Although the height of the Creaform instrument is 288mm, its length excluding socket is only 142mm. Finally, the width of the HandySCAN 3D, ie 79 mm, allows it to slip and fit into relatively small interstices. As for the precision, another predominant factor in the choice of the tool allowing to carry out the project, the HandySCAN 3D displays a resolution below a tenth of a millimeter .
Simplicity and speed in the field were also critical in completing the task. Given the overwhelming number of pilgrims and other visitors who crowd in front of the cave each day, the team had no choice but to proceed at night, in difficult lighting conditions. So we had to hurry to ensure a fast and efficient scan of the treated surfaces. To this end, the HandySCAN 3D benefits from conclusive technical specifications with its 1,300,000 measurements per second and its large scanning area (310 x 350 mm). In addition, thanks to an exclusive and integrated software suite, Creaform can consolidate its service offering and deliver easily exportable results quickly.
In the crosshairs for other possible projects
“The collaboration with Creaform was decisive in this project. We have benefited from the support of responsive and attentive people, ”says Lionel Lagrèze.
About Cetim Sud-Ouest
Result of the takeover of CM Adour and Tomo Adour, Cetim Sud-Ouest is recognized for its expertise in 3D measurement, contactless scanning, 3D scanning, metrology and non-destructive tomography testing. Cetim Sud-Ouest is a local gateway to all of Cetim's expertise and is dedicated to being the bearer of collective actions in the key areas of the “industry of the future” in the service of the fourth sector. mechanical region of France. Today, its actions support more than 400 companies in New Aquitaine, and target around 600 by 2020. https://www.cetimsudouest.fr/
About Creaform
Creaform designs, manufactures and markets portable and automated 3D measurement technologies, in addition to specializing in engineering services. The company offers innovative solutions to meet needs in 3D scanning, reverse engineering, quality control, non-destructive testing, product development and digital simulation (AÉF / MFN). Its technologies are used in many industries including automotive, aerospace, consumer products, heavy industry, healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas industry, production of energy, as well as research and education.
In addition to its head office in Lévis, Quebec, where its production activities are located, Creaform operates innovation centers in Lévis and Grenoble, France. The company also has offices in the United States, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, China, Japan, India, Korea and Singapore. Creaform is part of AMETEK Ultra-Precision Technologies, a division of AMETEK Inc., a world leader in the manufacture of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices, with annual sales of approximately $ 4.8 billion. of US dollars.
