As Central Fabrication, you have various customers with countless orders coming in. If you haven’t made the switch to 3D scanning, it can be difficult to reach your deadlines, increase customers or fulfill new orders without more techs on your payroll. Especially in our current global pandemic conditions, it can be difficult to process new orders or keep business running smoothly from a distance.
In this article, we detail the benefits of 3D scanning human body parts for central fabrication by comparing it to traditional methods.
“If you haven’t made the switch to 3D scanning, it can be difficult to reach your deadlines, increase customers or fulfill new orders without more techs on your payroll.”
Benefits of 3D scanning vs. traditional method
| Category | Subcategory | Traditional Method | 3D Scanning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measurements | Method | Depending on clinicians | Standardized |
| Errors | Depending on clinicians Errors can be added to errors from capture. | Depending on capture/3D scanner No error addition from capture. |
|
| Uniformity | No. | Yes. | |
| Forms | Fill in | Do not get complete information usually | Unable to send it if mandatory fields not filled in |
| Uniformity | No. | Yes. | |
| Shipping | Damage | Casts/Foam box can be damaged. | No damage to digital files. |
| Fees | Cost of shipping or carrier. | No cost. | |
| Time | 2-3 days. | Instant. | |
| Design | Work | In house | In house or Remote |
| Time | 2-3 hours | 1 hour | |
| Measurements | Manual measurements can be not enough. | Access to the complete shape of the body part | |
| Storage | Place | Room/warehouse | Computer/server |
| Organization | Can be difficult to find an old model | Easy to find the files to reuse them | |
| Marketing | On forms | Customized app | |
| Customers | Range | Hard to reach out customers from outside of the local area | Easy to reach out customers from outside of the local area |
| New clinicians | New clinicians like to use technology | ||
| Centralization and standardization | Uniformity | Each clinic practice is different and hard to change | Same tools to capture and measure and same methods |
| Sales representative | Need to know all the old and new methods | Same method for everybody | |
| Training | Not easy to train new customers | Easy and can be done online | |
| Employees | Need a lot of technician to design and produce | Limited number of technicians needed | |
| Insurance | Information | Not much data and information | Give accurate data and more information |
| Full custom product | Limited = Less reimbursement | Easier = Best reimbursement | |
| Ecology | Lot of material waste | Free of waste |
What about 3D scanning during these pandemic conditions?
With social distancing and self-isolation taking precedence in our lives, this is a perfect example of how 3D scanning can help central fabrication. With the world in slow motion and many companies working at a bare minimum, essential services such as carrier companies are becoming overloaded and extending their delivery times. In the United States alone, C-Fabs are currently seeing about a 30% decrease in business. It is becoming difficult, if not impossible, to process new orders or make headway on previous orders while using traditional methods. Using 3D scanning allows you to slow down without completely stopping by having new orders through emails, remote product design, and sending to a production line queue.
At Techmed 3D, we are still training, and giving support and information about our solutions. Contact us and our team will be happy to help you make the transition.