UK company seeks crowdfunding for 3D scanner

British firm CADScan has turned to crowdfunding website <a href="http://bit.ly/desktop3dscanner">Kickstarter</a> to bring to market its low cost, easy to use 3D scanner.

The CADScan 3D can generate a watertight mesh, suitable for use with a 3D printer at the push of a button – all without the need for calibration, training or post processing. Designed for professionals and hobbyists alike, it lets users easily create high quality 3D assets for use in their own projects. The models are compatible with all major CAD packages and 3D printers. "Our scanner fills a clear gap in the market," said Alastair Buchanan, co-founder of CADScan. "There are millions of engineers and designers worldwide who want an affordable means of turning physical objects into 3D models – with CADScan 3D we believe we will meet that need." The scanner, which costs just £650, can accept objects of up to 25 x 25 x 25cm and uses optical scanning technology to create full colour models. The resolution at the centre of the scanner's turntable is 0.2mm and improves with larger objects. "Our current focus is on getting production units ready to ship," said Buchanan. "There's a lot of scope to develop our technology further; it can be scaled and optimised and we will be developing higher performance versions in the future." The CADScan 3D Kickstarter campaign launched on 12 February. Interested parties can pledge anything from £5 to £5,000 or more for a range of rewards, including different versions of the 3D scanner. To back the project, visit http://bit.ly/desktop3dscanner.