re:Re: digitising arm

Rick,

Me too!

Cheapest I've seen is $1295 table top model. And the FARO arm (by
Renishaw??) BIG$$$

It seems to me that the EMC code has the ability to adapt to this
use. In EMC, Trivial kinematics are used for our "cartesian" CNC
machines. They (NIST) have implemented kinematics for their six
axis "hexapod" milling machine, which would be a similar problem (in
reverse, they are driving to a position in space: we want
to "discover" a position in space). Based upon the knowledge of
our "linkage" to get to it. This IS kinematics! The math is beyond
me, maybe someone else on the list is intrigued...

Ballendo

P.S. RE: the automobile "tracer". Ship designers used a similar setup
to create a table of offsets from half hulls (models) carved by the
designer. In an age where if it looks right, it is right. No need for
any of that nasty hydrodynamics testing. We'll just build the thing,
and see how she goes :-)

P.S.S. Will the IR work (reflect correctly?) on compound surfaces?
The Picza (3D scanner) by Roland uses piezio (squish a crystal, it
puts out electrons) technology to sense the surface.

>Howdy! This is an idea I've been fascinated with for a long time,
>but I keep running up against the problem of tip offset.

>Maybe an IR transmitter/receiver in relective mode, or a phonograph
>cartridge/needle, or...
>Rick Dulas