Trimble Introduces High-Speed Time-of-Flight 3D Laser Scanning Solution

New Trimble TX8 3D Laser Scanner Scans at 1 Million Points per Second via Trimble’s Lightning Technology

Essen, Germany, Oct. 8, 2013—Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) introduced today the Trimble® TX8 3D Laser Scanner, a time-of-flight based scanner that measures at 1 million points per second. The Trimble TX8 utilizes Lightning™ technology that delivers uncompromising performance in terms of range, accuracy and speed of measurement. Built to handle even the most demanding environments, the Trimble TX8 provides efficient, reliable operation in applications including plant and industrial measurement, engineering, surveying, architecture, construction and forensics.

The announcement was made today at INTERGEO 2013, the world’s largest conference on geodesy, geoinformatics and land management.

Combining high-speed measurement with long range and exceptional ease of use, the Trimble TX8 3D laser scanner sets new standards for performance and flexibility in laser scanning. By completing typical 360 degree scans in 3 minutes or less, and scanning at a range of 120 meters, the Trimble TX8 reduces time on site while enabling users to create precise, high-density 3D point clouds quickly and easily.

The Trimble TX8 has unmatched flexibility, by featuring the option to upgrade the measurement range to 340 meters, either now or in the future. The range upgrade provides Geospatial professionals with true jobsite flexibility; reducing the number of scan stations and expanding the capabilities of the Trimble TX8 to a larger variety of applications.

With Trimble’s patented Lightning technology, the Trimble TX8 scanner provides high speed and precision over the full range of measurements. The innovative technology accurately measures the time, at the nanosecond level, for a pulse of light to be transmitted to and reflected from an object back to the scanner. The time-of-flight provides the distance to the object with millimeter level accuracy at 1 million measurements per second.

“The Trimble TX8 provides a revolutionary leap in performance for surveyors, engineers and geospatial professionals,” said Phil Sawarynski, business area director of Imaging Solutions for Trimble’s Geospatial Division. “With fast, precise data capture over the scanner’s entire range, customers can significantly reduce field time, while having full confidence that they are capturing the data they need for generating high-quality deliverables.”

Trimble RealWorks and Scan Explorer
Trimble RealWorks® software allows field data to be quickly viewed, registered and analyzed to further maximize the capability of the Trimble TX8 scanner. Advanced measurement, inspection and CAD modeling functions allow compelling deliverables to be efficiently generated. Support for industry standard data formats provides seamless exchange with Trimble software and other popular CAD programs. 

Running as part of Trimble RealWorks or as a project viewer within Windows® Explorer, the Scan Explorer interface provides an intuitive platform to view scan data, including navigation, measurement and extracting point cloud sections. Data selection and segmentation is simple and efficient. The performance, navigation and selection tools significantly reduce the time taken to extract meaningful information and deliverables from 3D point cloud data.

Availability
The Trimble TX8 and the optional range upgrade are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2013 through Trimble’s Geospatial Division distribution network.

About Trimble
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. For more information, visit:  www.trimble.com.