3D Scanning Optimizes Quality of Large Steel Parts

GMT Wintersteller has been an industry leader, manufacturing steel components for mechanical engineering, hydraulic steel construction and structural metal construction since 1990.

By 2024, the company had grown to 350 employees working at several locations in Salzburg, Austria on productions for well-known manufacturers of construction products, rail vehicles and gas engines, as well as hydraulic steel structures.

Today, GMT Wintersteller has over 25,000 m² of production space and is a renowned full-service provider of individual and series production.

Challenges: The Limits of Manual 3D Measurement

As the business grows, quality control is reaching the limits of manual 3D measurement methods, due to customers having strict requirements regarding dimensions and tolerances. “We were tasked with measuring parts that are very large or have complex shapes. With manual methods, we have reached our limits with regard to QA efficiency,” explains Hans-Peter Wintersteller, Head of Quality Assurance at GMT Wintersteller

Traditional 3D measuring systems and measuring arms were not sufficiently flexible to accommodate oversize dimensions. Furthermore, measurement speed was critical to avoid production bottlenecks. The company had particular concerns about 3D measurement quality as well as inaccurate data, which placed the success of projects at risk.

The turning point for GMT Wintersteller came when a customer placed an order that required precise 3D measurements, for which their quality control tools were no longer sufficient. “This made it clear that we needed a more reliable and scalable solution,” says Wintersteller.

Solutions: Advanced Measurement Solutions for Projects with High Precision Requirements

Creaform’s 3D metrology equipment was introduced to GMT Wintersteller through a partner. During the product presentation, engineers and inspectors were impressed with how quickly and accurately Creaform’s metrology equipment worked. “The presentation had us convinced that 3D scanning is the way forward,” recalls Wintersteller.

The company chose the scanner and portable CMM solutions – MetraSCAN 3D , with the Inspection software module for checking dimensions. “What impressed us was how quickly and accurately we were suddenly able to perform our scanning,” comments Mr. Wintersteller. “The decisive factor for us was the ability to measure components of any size, anywhere in the factory.”

Implementation was simple. Motivated by the new technologies, the employees sailed through the introduction and training. “Our team quickly embraced the scanner, and within a short space of time used it for numerous inspection tasks,” continues Wintersteller. With this quick integration, the new system could be introduced without interrupting ongoing projects.