Shining 3D, an innovative brand

While Shining 3D has always been pushing new products on a regular basis, their team really has been keeping busy the past year. The EinScan HX, an innovative hybrid 3D scanner (combining laser triangulation and structured light) that we reviewed at our lab, already got the crowd going last December.

Shining 3D has now revamped their other flagship series, the FreeScan lineup, which previously comprised the X3X5, and X7 laser 3D scanners. The lineup welcomes the brand new FreeScan UE, offered in two different albeit similar versions: FreeScan UE7 and FreeScan UE11.

Shining 3D FreeScan UE

This product line inherits the previous FreeScan series’ prominent features– high precision and repeatability– though there are notable changes between the FreeScan X series and the new FreeScan UE.

By Shining 3D
This manufacturer is a Certified partner from our network.
Max resolution0.05 mm
Weight0.75 kg
Price$ 18,699
From
Approximate starting prices based on supplier-provided information and public data. Prices may vary by region, over time and do not include additional products or services (taxes, shipping, accessories, training, installation, …).
$ 18,699

The Shining 3D FreeScan UE is a professional handheld 3D scanner by Shining 3D, a leading Chinese 3D printer and 3D scanner manufacturer. It is a follow-up to the existing FreeScan X series, which includes for example the FreeScan X7.

This blue laser-based 3D scanner offers metrology-grade precision and repeatability, all while being able to scan difficult surfaces in a wide range of environments and industries.

Common industries and applications for this type of 3D scanner include the automotive industry, transportation, mould inspection, energy manufacturing, aerospace, and machine manufacturing, among others.

What’s new?

We have been testing Shining 3D EinScan solutions in-house since 2017, and we have noticed improvements over the years: more thought-out product design, smoother workflows, and increasingly intuitive software.

The same is true with the FreeScan series which, again while keeping its trademark “high precision” and “stable repeatability”, has undergone a series of changes for the better:

Enhanced software and workflow

FreeScan software has merged with EinScan software, benefitting from a unified software and user interface. It namely integrates new scanning modes and parameters, post-processing options, and features like grid editing.

Users will also now benefit from a faster experience, going from 50 FPS with the old FreeScan software suite to 70 FPS with the latest, unified version of EinScan software— and this without having to upgrade their PC.

3D scan data continues to be directly exportable to most of today’s popular inspection software suites such as Geomagic Control X or Verisurf Inspect, and of course Shining 3D’s EinSense Q solution.

New, more lightweight hardware design

The FreeScan UE packs a better performance inside an almost 30% lighter device, weighing in at only 670 grams (about 1.5 lbs) versus 950 grams (≈2 lbs).

Larger scanning range

While the FreeScan X7 offered a scanning range of 300 x 275 mm, the FreeScan UE provides users with a larger 510 x 520 mm field of view.

This amplification should enable more efficient 3D scanning sessions, especially when dealing with large objects like vehicles, for example.

3D scanning a large part with the FreeScan UE
3D scanning a large part with the FreeScan UE’s large field of view.

More competitive pricing

Shining 3D aims to combine affordability and performance to make 3D digitizing technology more accessible to all. Users can now get their hands on the new metrology-class FreeScan UE from only $18,699.

FreeScan UE7 vs. FreeScan UE11

Now that we’ve covered the differences between the old FreeScan generation and the new, we can look at its two versions.

The UE7 and UE11 are different on three key levels:

Acquisition speed

The UE11 is almost twice as fast as the UE7, with respective acquisition speeds of 1,020,000 points per second (pps) and 650,000 pps.

Amount of laser crosses

That huge difference in acquisition speed between the two is closely linked to their amount of laser lines. While the UE7 counts 14+1 laser lines, the UE11 boasts 22+1 laser lines.

Interestingly, the single laser line mode is available on both versions.

FreeScan UE blue laser 3D scanning technology
The FreeScan UE uses blue laser 3D scanning technology.

Pricing

The FreeScan UE’s pricing is attractive :

  • UE7 available from $18,699 (€16,999)
  • UE11 available from $24,199 (€21,999)

We will soon be testing the FreeScan UE to evaluate how well such an affordable, metrology-grade equipment 3D scanner measures up. Stay tuned!

An overview of Shining 3D’s full handheld 3D scanner product line

As the leading Asian 3D scanner manufacturer, Shining 3D offers one of the most comprehensive 3D scanner catalogs in the world.

They serve a variety of industries and applications and cover a wide price spectrum as we can see in the product mapping below.

Visit Shining 3D’s website for more information.