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and visualize the design data from a 3D CAD ? le. The Import CAD File utility in PropCad Premium 2018 drastically reduces the time and effort needed to recreate an existing propel- ler design or product model – a criti- cal task for propeller manufacturers, designers, and inspectors.

Previously, extracting design data from a physical propeller or a 3D scan of a propeller was a manual and cum- bersome process. First, the diameter of the propeller would be measured. This allowed the inspector to mark an indi- vidual radius for taking measurements.

Propellers were typically marked or scribed at multiple radii, then several measurements along the line would be taken to record the angle about the hub, the radius, and the axial drop to the propeller surface. In addition, the inspector had to take a measurement of the blade thickness at each of these locations. With this data, the propeller could be recreated and understood in terms of its parameters. However, this process took several hours to record the points and additional time to enter into a spreadsheet for calculating parameters such as pitch and chord length.

The new Import CAD File utility allows propeller designers and inspec- tors to eliminate this entire process of manually laying out the measurement positions and recording the measure- ments. They will no longer even have to be entered using the Import CAD

File process. This reduces the required time from several hours to just a few minutes to scan and import the model.

Easily Importing 3D

Scanning Data

Today, it is more affordable than ever to obtain a laser scan of virtually any part – propellers included. There are several commercial companies of- fering 3D scanning as a service for multiple industries. Scanners them- 73 www.marinelink.com MN

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