Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kevin Collins, 366th Maintenance Squadron aircraft metals technology section chief scans an aircraft structure, March 2, 2020, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The HandySCAN 3D allows Airmen to scan a structure, eliminating the need to hand draw it on the computer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Natalie Rubenak)Tech. Sgt. Kevin Collins, 366th Maintenance Squadron aircraft metals technology section chief scans an aircraft structure at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, March 2, 2020. The HandySCAN 3D allows Airmen to scan a structure, eliminating the need to hand draw it on the computer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Natalie Rubenak)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        A HandyScan image is displayed on the computer, March 2, 2020, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The HandySCAN is used to scan a structure that needs to be fixed or replaced. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Natalie Rubenak)A HandySCAN 3D image is displayed on the computer at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, March 2, 2020. The HandySCAN 3D is used to scan a structure that needs to be fixed or replaced. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Natalie Rubenak)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Mountain Home AFB brings future faster with hand-held 3D scannerPublished March 11, 2020
                    
                    By Airman Natalie Rubenak
                    
                    
                    366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
            **MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho (AFNS) --**As technology advances around the world, the Air Force continues to fly to new heights. The future is now and Mountain Home Air Force Base is bringing it faster with the HandySCAN 3D, a hand-held 3D scanner.
The 366th Maintenance Squadron acquired the device in October 2019 and began training Airmen on the most efficient ways to use the scanner.
The device allows Airmen to scan a structure, eliminating the need to hand-draw the structure on the computer.
“We can take an aircraft part, either on or off the aircraft, and scan it with this portable scanner,” said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Collins, 366th MXS aircraft metals technology section chief. “Once we scan it, we now have an image pulled up on the computer without needing a blueprint.”
From the computer, the image is then transferred to the machine that cuts the metal.
What used to take anywhere from five to ten hours of computer time now takes less than an hour.
“It’s a huge time saver which ultimately saves the Air Force money,” Collins said. “The faster we can get these parts made, the faster the jet can be back up in the air.”
Before the scanner, Airmen used a facsimile mold to fix a broken aircraft piece or recreate a structure.
“You take this putty, mold it to the structure and wait for it to dry,” Collins said. “When it is done drying, you take it out and still have to go in and measure everything and hand draw it on the computer. It was so time-consuming.”
Airman 1st Class Luke Haener, 366th MXS aircraft metals technology craftsman has been using the HandySCAN 3D since it arrived.
“We use it for the complex pieces that aren’t as easy to measure and would normally take much longer,” Haener said. “It can be used for small pieces but it really comes in handy for those giant structures.”
Collins also explained that the HandySCAN 3D has a stronger ability to get into the nooks and crannies of a structure.
“With the facsimile, it was not very accurate sometimes, so occasionally we would have to remake the piece several times over to make it fit,” Collins said. “With the scanner, we never run into that issue. In fact, it’s accurate up to about .025mm.”
The HandySCAN 3D offers simplicity and efficiency allowing Airmen to work at a fast pace, ultimately making them more mission ready. This technology is one way Mountain Home AFB is leading the way through efficiency, innovation and accuracy.FS 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



ACC 



Air Combat Command 



Mountain Home Air Force Base 



366th Maintenance Squadron 



366th MXS 



3D Scanner 



aircraft metals technology Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil