Case Studies

The University of California, San Diego requested IIA for a unique onsite 3D scanning project of the Something Pacific installation for the Stuart Collection. This installation by Nam June Paik consists of two parts, an indoor exhibit found in the lobby of the university’s Media Center as well as 3 statues of tiny Buddhas staring at dead TV sets embedded throughout the landscape UCSD’s Communications/Media Center building. The resulting scans will be used to reproduce the Buddha statues in detail should they be damaged or stolen.

Lockheed Martin required IIA's measurement expertise to generate quick results via 3D scan data of the rear doors of the USS Freedom in San Diego, California. As a new breed of warship, the littoral combat ship (LCS) was designed to be a fast and formidable surface combatant with warfighting capabilities such as mine clearing, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.

California State University, Fullerton’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) chapter chose IIA to aid them with the challenge to compete in the Formula SAE, a competition which encompasses designing, building, and competing a mini-formula style race car that will be evaluated for its potential as a production item.

This unique scanning project came to IIA as a result of a client needing a 3D scan of a creosote bush’s root system for his graduate project. The creosote roots initially posed a challenge to scan due to the irregular geometry of their structure. IIA's engineers were faced with the mission of accurately scanning this organic form while mainly concentrating their efforts on scanning the center of the root system.

When we talk about reverse engineering and dimensional measurement, we often refer to manufactured parts, engineering tolerances, and other abstract concepts. Although we don’t often encounter this particular type of project, this case study provides an excellent example of reverse engineering in action.