Resources / Case Study / MFE Supports BuildingPoint North East’s Laser Scan Application

Case Study

MFE Supports BuildingPoint North East’s Laser Scan Application

Discover how MFE Inspection Solutions partnered with BuildingPoint North East to inspect 100′ prefabricated pipes using the Trimble X7 Terrestrial Laser Scanner and DT840 Crawler System, ensuring precision data collection.

Benefits

Speed

The Trimble X7 and DT840 Crawler reduced inspection time by 90%, completing the project in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods.

Safety

The solution eliminated the need for confined space entry, significantly reducing risks to personnel and enhancing safety throughout the inspection process.

Savings

Labor costs were reduced by avoiding confined space entry, and the project was completed 10 times faster, leading to significant overall savings for the client.

Introduction

BuildingPoint North East contacted MFE Inspection Solutions about four 100′ prefabricated pipes placed inside concert-cored holes with less than 1″ of tolerance.

If any bending, binding, or twisting occurred during installation, it would be possible for structural defects to have formed that will fail prematurely. With such little room for error, a precision system had to be implemented to catch even subtle changes over the length of each pipe section.

Customer Needs

Traditional methods of capturing this data are very labor intensive, involve confined spaces, and can be dangerous to those having to make entry.

Realizing the opportunity for a unique solution, MFE UGRV Product Line Manager, Mike Vanovermeir, recommended a method not only to remove the people from the confined space but to capture the data the client needed and significantly reduce the labor time spent on the project.

Solution

The Trimble X7 Terrestrial Laser Scanner, a custom mount designed by MFE Enterprises, Justin Bogey, and the Deep Trekker DT840 Rugged Pipe Crawler System.

Results

To ensure accuracy throughout the length of the scans, targets were placed internally to allow laser-scanned images to be combined in post-processing with pinpoint accuracy. In addition, the data was later used to confirm if any vertical / horizontal deflections occurred during installation.

“This was a great opportunity to innovate by taking a relatively stationary precision technology, like the Trimble X7 Terrestrial Laser Scanner, and combining it with the rugged versatility and portability of the DT840 Industrial Crawler. Any time you can avoid having to make a confined space entry, the overall risk to the personnel is reduced immensely. In this particular case, the client sacrificed nothing in terms of the quality of the data being lost due to person-less entry, many entries were eliminated, the project took 10x less time to conduct, and cost the end user less overall as a result. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
-Mike Vanovermeir, MFE UGRV Product Line Manager