Case Study: Schneider Electric achieves rapid, non-destructive assembly verification with 3D Systems

Schneider Electric Verifies Assemblies Using CT Scans and Geomagic Control X

Schneider Electric, a global leader in electrical distribution and automation with manufacturing sites around the world, faced a critical quality challenge: verifying that multi-part assemblies met tight, cumulative tolerances without resorting to slow, wasteful destructive testing. Traditional analysis couldn’t reliably predict how assemblies behaved under real-world forces, leading to costly downtime, scrap and uncertainty in product reliability.

The team implemented industrial CT scanning (Zeiss METROTOM 1500 via Laser Design) and fed the volumetric data into Geomagic Control to automatically compare scans to CAD or known-good parts. This non-destructive workflow verifies assemblies in about an hour, pinpoints root causes, detects internal defects, and enabled a rapid fix that avoided 21 days of downtime (an estimated $480,000 savings), while reducing scrap and creating a virtual 3D archive for ongoing production control.

Schneider Electric

Rus Emerick

Global Process Owner for 3D Imaging