How Element6 delivers the future of plant engineering with laser scanning

Author:克里斯汀·格拉尔（Christine Grahl）

At one o’clock on a Friday afternoon,Element6接到电话。客户非常需要精确的测量，以进行拟合的方法评估。Would Element6 be able to come in that day, get the information, and provide deliverables that evening if needed?

总部位于加拿大的加拿大安大略省乔治敦的精品工程咨询公司已建立声誉，为特种化学品的客户提供快速且具有成本效益的服务，因此它用于处理时间敏感的请求，但这是该公司所拥有的最紧迫的期限曾经遇到过。尽管如此，Element6的咨询校长Rob Jickling毫不犹豫。他告诉他的团队做好准备。

At 3 p.m., the client confirmed they needed Element6 on the job; an hour later, Element6 was onsite. Greg Schneider, regional manager of Industrial Plant Solutions Canada and Northern United States for Leica Geosystems also lent his support on the project. By 1 a.m., just 12 hours after the initial call, Element6 delivered the requested data to the client.

Traditionally, meeting this type of request would have taken weeks and required a significant amount of labour. But Element6 relies on a lean,植物工程的全数字方法和设计在时间本质上会产生所有不同的设计。

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Laser scanning innovation enables speed and quality

Element6牢记一个目标快速工作：客户成功。

吉克林说：“工程业务中的大多数人都考虑工程学。”“我们专注于为客户获得最终结果。他们可能想赚钱，省钱或降低风险。也许他们想提高生产力或引入新产品，或者也许他们已经解决了想要解决的健康和安全问题。bob综合app下载无论他们的目标是什么，这就是我们的目标。”

为了提供低成本，高质量，高速服务，团队使用all-digital approach they call Virtual Plant Design (VPD). The firm begins with a digital point cloud of the as-built conditions, captured with high-accuracy laser scanning, which helps them quickly find the solution to issues regarding plant renovations, process optimisation, new equipment installations, or whatever challenges the clients face.

Element6使用称为虚拟植物设计（VPD）的全数字方法来提供低成本，高质量的高速服务。

使用其精益工作流程，该公司的工作非常快，以至于有时必须等待客户赶上并提供有关拟议解决方案的反馈。Element6如何提供高质量的工程咨询，在几周甚至几天内进行几天的工作，而传统上花费了几个月的时间，习惯于传统的蓝图和CAD建模工作的客户震惊了传统的蓝图和CAD建模工作。

The company’s lean workflow is so fast that they sometimes have to wait for their clients to catch up and provide feedback on a proposed solution.

这都是通过Element6的激光扫描ning technology. While some engineering consulting firms prefer to rent their technology on an as-needed basis, Element6 has strategically invested in several scanners, including a professional-grade Leica ScanStation P30, a Leica BLK360 imaging laser scanner, and, most recently, two Leica RTC360 portable, automated, high-speed laser scanners that capture complete scans with high-dynamic-range (HDR) imagery in less than two minutes and automatically pre-register the scans in the field with Cyclone FIELD 360. The company also handles its own point cloud processing using Leica Cyclone software, along with JetStream and CloudWorx for easy CAD integration, and TruView for easy client visualisation.

采购的技术而不是租哈s enabled Element6 to become experts in capturing and using point clouds—which, in turn, allows the company to offer unexpected benefits to its clients. For example, in a traditional approach, an initial consultation would be followed by a proposal and then a return to the site to capture as-built conditions before work could begin. In contrast, Element6 often brings one of its RTC360 laser scanners

to the first meeting and captures 10 or 20 scans onsite in a matter of minutes. The scanning and registration are done so quickly that the firm is often able to begin work on the project immediately, significantly reducing turnaround time.

The ability to offer high-speed scanning with the Leica RTC360 laser scanner enables Element6 to significantly reduce project turnaround time.

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激光扫描完整性允许创新的业务模型

With laser scanning, Element6 produces high-detail virtual point clouds of engineering plants that can be quickly referenced with something as easy as a few clicks on a computer or taps on a mobile device.

当Jickling创立Element6时，他想创建一个围绕问责制和以结果为导向的方法的业务。Element6将时间花在前面确定客户所需的内容，然后根据所需的服务设定价格，而不是完成工作所需的时间。

This fixed price model radically sets Element6 apart from other engineering consulting firms.“We’re not incentivised to spend more man hours doing things,”Jickling says.“我们被激励以尽快和高效地完成该项目。”

This business model constantly challenges the company to find new ways to be faster, more innovative, and more focused on meeting the client’s needs. When making technology decisions, Element6 carefully considers not just the capabilities of the hardware, but the complete field-to-finish workflow, the support provided by the manufacturer, and the track record of innovation.“ Leica Geosystems具有行业领先的硬件，但它也具有完全集成的工作流程，并致力于可靠的服务和持续创新，”Jickling says.“We rely on Leica Geosystems as a partner that will help us stay on the leading edge.”

This type of partnership builds confidence into the company’s operations and enables Element6 to provide clients with outstanding service.“我们从事这项业务已经很长时间了，因此我们不仅拥有工程学，而且对客户的业务及其业务需求的知识和理解，”Jickling says.“That understanding, combined with our efficiency and productivity because of technology, allows us to provide our clients with significant advantages in terms of both pricing and value. Our clients know they can count on us to exceed their expectations, and that’s a win for everyone.”

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点云提供实时智能

Having an accurate and up-to-date 3D point cloud as-built gives plants instant access to measurement data and enables them to work with consultants remotely to identify solutions and avoid downtime.

The days of blueprints and spending hours measuring as-builts are over. With laser scanning, Element6 produces high-detail point clouds of engineering plants that can be quickly referenced with something as easy as a few clicks on a computer or taps on a mobile device. No more costly delays due to flawed measurements—it’s all there in the point cloud.

Jickling envisions a future in which every plant has an accurate 3D point cloud as-built. As technology develops, live data could be fed into the point cloud to keep the as-built current, with constantly updated information regarding temperature, pressure, and other variables within the plant. With a complete and up-to-date point cloud, clients wouldn’t need last-minute scans of elbows on a Friday afternoon; they could just pull up the already-existing data. Instead of waiting for engineers to travel to their site, they could work with consultants remotely to identify solutions and avoid downtime.

“Why create a bunch of blueprints?”Jickling says.“The model is here, all the information is here— why would anyone want to spend money creating paper? We’re working with plant owners and EPC contractors to up their game using technology, which reduces costs and significantly improves outcomes.”