SCANNERS: TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS: How they work, and how they can work for your product

HOW TO CREATE NEW PRODUCTS THAT UTILIZE LASER SCANNING

Laser scanners (also known as optical scanners) are the engines inside some of today's most important products, including 3D printers, self-driving cars, light show projectors, barcode scanners, medical imaging, and topographical imaging scanning systems. However, engineering schools and universities generally don't teach students about optical scanners or how they might be used to make brand new products.

This book describes a variety of laser and optical scanners and how they might be used to create great products. The author begins by illustrating some existing products that use optical scanners. He then discusses several types of optical scanners and how they can be configured for one-dimensional, two-dimensional and even three-dimensional scanning.

This book has a special emphasis on galvanometer-based optical scanners (most often abbreviated "Galvos") because of their versatility and high optical throughput, although other types of optical scanners are also described including acousto-optic, electro-optic, polygonal, resonant, and MEMS scanners.

The author developed ScannerMAX scanners; there are several chapters devoted to the design features of these “stronger, cooler, faster” devices. Additional information covers signal connections, and tips for the process of designing a new product in general.