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Highlights
THE BOTTOM LINE
The manufacturing facility was able to plan and execute process upgrades that increased capacity, improved quality consistency, reduced scrap, and advanced automation using accurate as-built documentation from GPRS.
Industry
Manufacturing
Service
Reality Capture, 3D Laser Scanning, CAD & BIM
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
GPRS Project Manager Insight
“Staying closely aligned with the client onsite ensured we captured exactly what the project needed, and that trust led to another laser scanning job soon after.” Colton Carney, GPRS Project Manager
Deliverables
Colorized point cloud, 3D AutoCAD model, 3D Revit (BIM) model, 2D floor plans, 2D sections, and reflected ceiling plans (RCPs)
PROJECT APPLICATION
3D Laser Scanning a Manufacturing Facility
ASK
Task
Perform a full 3D laser scan of a complex, eight-level refractory manufacturing facility to deliver 2D CAD drawings, a 3D AutoCAD model, and a 3D Revit (BIM) model to support safe, coordinated process upgrades within an active industrial environment.
PROBLEM
- The engineering team needed precise, up-to-date information on existing structures and equipment to design and route new piping systems
- The eight-level facility included varying elevations, dense equipment layouts, kilns, conveyors, multi-level steel platforms, material handling systems, and extensive MEP infrastructure, making site documentation especially challenging
- The production process relied on tightly controlled reactions involving dolomite (calcium oxide and magnesium oxide), which made system changes highly sensitive and demanded engineering accuracy
Solution
- In five days on-site, GPRS Project Manager Colton Carney captured 328 individual scans with a terrestrial scanner to document existing conditions across the 89,564 s.f. manufacturing facility without disrupting ongoing operations
- Non-contact laser scanning enabled safe, highly accurate data capture from a distance, reducing risk in the high-temperature industrial environment
- GPRS delivered a fully registered colorized point cloud in .rcs file format, 3D AutoCAD model, 2D floor plans, 2D sections, and reflected ceiling plans (RCPs)
Benefits
- Detailed 2D floor plans allowed the team to validate equipment placement, foundations, structural steel, and MEP routing before design planning
- The 3D AutoCAD model enabled facility upgrades to be planned and sequenced without clashes or guesswork
- A coordinated model kept all trades aligned throughout retrofit execution, significantly reducing rework, change orders, and schedule delays, all critical advantages in heavy industrial environments where errors are costly
- GPRS data enabled faster, safer upgrades with greater accuracy and reduced risk
CASE STUDY GALLERY
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