Increased prefabrication and modularization have resulted in fabrication shops producing more complex assemblies with tighter tolerances. Most measurements in fabrication shops are still done using manual tools that are not accurate enough for engineering tolerance specifications, which can lead to rework. Three dimensional (3D) scanning and measurement systems can provide increased accuracy and digital integration capabilities, however they do not sufficiently support fast and accurate dimensional quality assurance (DQA) of pipe spool fabrication. This is because no dimensional quality assurance methods to date have focused solely on termination points for pipe spool assemblies. In the present article, a new scan-vs-BIM method is developed to accurately estimate termination points for 3D scanned cylindrical assemblies. This method relies on statistically fitting circular features at termination points and thus eliminating conventional issues with target placement for laser trackers and measurement readings for tape measures. The method is tested in an industrial-scale experiment, where 30 pipe spool assemblies were fabricated, and more than 400 quality control steps completed. The accuracy of termination point detection was benchmarked against results from a laser tracker and compared against commercial scan-to-BIM software. Results show that the developed method has an average accuracy of 1.01 mm and is significantly better than the scan-to-BIM software with an average accuracy of 4.75 mm.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.