Close to Dubai's Al Maktoum Airport stands a water purification plant with 7 huge tanks that have not stood the test of time as well as the piping that connects them. So the plant operator decided to have the rusty water vessels replaced while keeping all the connecting pipework. Due to site regulations, a contractor was needed who could deliver perfectly sized new tanks with precisely finished flanges. Everything would need to simply bolt together, as on-site welding modifications during the installation process were deemed out of the question.

Vitkovice Machinery a.s. won the tank manufacturing contract, but no original plant drawings were available, so full plant documentation had to be created from scratch. That's when iQservices was called in.

iQservices is an authorised FARO reseller serving the Slovakian and Czech markets. Besides after-sales support, their service portfolio includes laser scanning, as-built documentation, CAD modelling for optimisation and planning, reverse engineering as well as training and consulting. Many customers do their own scans, but many are glad to outsource the modelling and documentation work to iQservices. In this case, the call was for a one-stop scanning and 2D/3D documentation service.

The Focus3D X 330

 "Scanning and modelling an entire industrial plant requires a significant amount of experience" says František Janíček, CEO of iQservices. His company has been active in this field since 2002, and has completed assignments in Europe, Asia and America. "FARO scanners are user-friendly but you also need to know about production processes and all the different international norms and standards."

The real challenge is to deliver data that works as part of the customer's overall workflow so planning is vital. After 2 weeks of preparations, iQservices was able to fly a two-man team to Dubai for three days of scanning. One man focused on the reference marker positioning and the dialog with the local operator, while the other one focused on verification of reference positions and the scanning tasks. However, thanks to the FARO's simple workflows, team roles can be very fluid. "And because FARO devices are so portable, you can easily climb ladders and just go wherever to get all the scans you need."

As soon as the data was captured and transferred to a laptop, the initial filtering and processing of the point clouds began. It was a measuring job that would have taken 3 or more weeks using conventional methods. But after 3 days of scanning, the men from iQservices were heading back to Slovakia, where the production of the 3D models began in the company offices in Žilina. After 2 weeks, all the 2D and 3D output was ready. "We produced plans of the plant and the tank sections and detailed plans of every flange including sections and hole plans."

2 months later, the vessels had been manufactured in the Czech Republic and shipped to Dubai. "They were bolted together and everything fitted perfectly. With the right tools, the right team and the right methods, projects can be very easy" smiles František.

iQservices Ltd. offers scanning-related consulting and support as well as processing of point clouds to create 2D plans or 3D CAD models for customers. With experience dating back to 2002, the iQservices now employs 20 people and specializes in laser scanning and modelling of buildings and industrial infrastructure for as-built documentation and optimization for cultural or industrial customers. iQservices is also an authorized reseller of FARO scanners for Slovakia and the Czech Republic and works with Bentley, Autodesk, Geomagic, Adobe, Faro and PointCAB for data processing.

For a plant refurbishment project in Dubai, iQservices deployed a Focus^3D X 330 to scan the old plant in order to produce a very precise 3D model and a variety of 2D plans that the manufacturer needed to create perfectly fitting replacement tanks.

 The Focus3D X 330 was placed in 70 positions to scan the entire

 Point cloud of the plant created/registered in Faro Scene software

4 good reasons for the Focus^3D X 330

1. Accuracy: Accuracy and reliability where fundamental to the success of this job and the Focus delivered what we needed.

2. Range: We opted for the Focus^3D X 330, which has a range of up to 330m. A larger range means fewer scan positions, which simplifies the work on big complex projects.

3. Mobility: When you have to fly somewhere and then climb up small ladders etc. it makes a big difference having a portable package. All the FARO scanners win on weight.

4. Speed and flexibilty: The Focus scanners are fast and flexible. You can easily work in different outdoor conditions including direct sunlight.

Source: FARO