Équipements Hardy is a Canadian SME founded in 1978 that specializes in the manufacturing of farm equipment and log loaders, based on industrial standards.
One of the company’s major market niches is the manufacturing of mounting assemblies used to fit the front loaders it sells on tractors from various brands. “In the past, we had to have the tractors shipped to our plant, and handcraft a mounting assembly directly on the tractor”, explains Mr. Jérôme Dalois, engineer and general director of Équipements Hardy. In order to reduce production lead time and costs and to increase the quality of its customer service, Équipements Hardy decided to modify and modernize its production methods.
Electing a technology
The new method considered involved the 3D scanning of the tractor for the computer-assisted and customized design of a loader. “Of all the scanners that I have examined, says M. Dalois, the Handyscan 3D handheld self-positioning laser scanners were the most easy and quick to use, and offered an accuracy far above what I needed. Plus, they are affordable. I did try other scanners, but they were way to complicated, and too inaccurate for parts the size of a tractor.”
This is how Équipements Hardy purchased a Handyscan 3D laser scanner. From now on, they can go directly at the client premises, scan the tractor on site and design the mounting assembly by computer in their head office, which enables the company to optimize its designs and to increase the assembly’s accuracy by also computer-designing the jigs. Most importantly and thanks to the truly portable Handyscan 3D scanner, clients do not have to bring or ship the tractor to the Hardy plant anymore!
2x faster!
The time saved by using the Handyscan 3D technology instead of hand measurement is huge: the 3D scanning process now requires about 55 hours of work, compared to 125 hours of work for the former process. This represents a time and money saving of 56%, as well as a great ROI for Équipements Hardy.
The scanner’s versatility and non sensitivity to changes in the surrounding environment are great benefits for Équipements Hardy. This allows the company to use the scanner inside a metal product manufacturing plant, where dust is everywhere, as well as in its clients’ garage.
The client’s final thoughts
M. Dalois concludes: “Even after seeing several demos of the Handyscan 3D technology, I’m still amazed by how quickly and accurately I can scan complex and large parts.”
For more information about the Handyscan 3D technology, visit Creaform’s website at www.creaform3d.com,
