Z+F UK

Z+F

Company type	Private company
Founded	Wangen, Germany (1963 (1963))
Founder	Hans Zoller and Hans Fröhlich
Headquarters	Wangen , Germany
Products	Laser scanners, LFM software
Owner	Dr Christoph Fröhlich
Number of employees	220
Subsidiaries	Z+F GmbH in Wangen, Germany Z+F UK in Manchester,UK Z+F USA in Pittsburgh, USA
Website	http://www.zf-uk.com

Z+F (Zoller & Fröhlich) are suppliers of high-speed accurate phase-based laser measurement and scanning systems. Z+F supply laser scanning hardware, software and scanning services to customers who need to capture high resolution data.

The 'Z+F group' covers a wide spectrum in the field of laser measurement technology: they develop hardware and software, they offer sales and product training and other auxiliary services worldwide.

Z+F has a strong market presence in many industry sectors such as Process, Power & Marine (PPM), Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC), Forensics and Cultural Heritage. In these fields, Z+F boasts a loyal and long standing customer base consisting of market leading global organisations.

Historical Background

Imager 5006i

M-CAM CAMERA

File:IMAGER 5006EX.jpg

IMAGER 5006EX

Z+F is a privately owned company and was founded in 1963 by Hans Zoller and Hans Fröhlich. Since the death of Hans Zoller in 1975 the company has remained under the ownership of the Fröhlich family. The current Managing Director is Dr Christoph Fröhlich, who is the son of Hans Fröhlich.

Z+F have several businesses existing within the Group umbrella. These include ferrules and ferrule machines, wiring systems and laser scanning. The company has specialised in supplying high speed laser scanning systems to customers since the early 1990s following the completion of a doctorate in this subject by the current Managing Director, Christoph Fröhlich.

3D Laser scanning Products

The Z+F range of laser measurement systems include the M-CAM Camera systems, the PROFILER systems, the IMAGER 5006i and the IMAGER 5006EX (3D) systems. Each system has high speed, phase-based technology at its core of operation.

The IMAGER 5006 was the first true "stand alone" laser scanner, worldwide. The integrated hard disk and power supply and operating methods enable a completely wireless operation. This technology has been carried over into the improved IMAGER 5006i.

the IMAGER 5006i has a high ambiguity interval of a maximum of 79 meters and the quality of the point cloud data allows for reduced post-processing.

Software

LFM software has been designed to work hand in hand with the high resolution data captured by the IMAGER 5006i 3D laser scanner. LFM is used to take the data from the field, through registration and viewing, to delivery to the designers or operators desktop.

LFM Software Packages include: LFM Register, LFM Modeller, LFM Server, LFM NetView and LFM Viewer/ViewerLite.

LFM is the industry standard within the PPM market and is heading towards industry standard status in other markets also.

Markets

The phase-based Z+F scanning systems were first used in the rail industry in the early to mid 1990s to capture the detail of rail infrastructure and tunnel information for route planning and design work. The use of high speed, phase-based laser measurement enabled the rapid data capture of rail infrastructure within a reasonable time period that had previously not been possible.

Since that time the growth of Z+F's laser scanning systems has extended to other markets where accurate 3D high resolution data is required and carries significant value.

The use of high-speed laser scanning within the process industry has transformed the speed and cost of data capture associated with revamp and brownfield projects where previously the use of technologies such as photogrammetry would have proved too time-consuming or prohibitively expensive. In the automotive industry high-speed laser scanning has been used for revamp projects and also to reverse engineer direct plant information into CAD for off-line simulation work associated with new model introduction. In both of these market areas Z+F can claim to have pioneered the use of phase-based laser systems due to the high speed of data capture and also the high resolution (and hence engineering value) of the data obtained.

There is also an increasing use of Z+F scanning systems in heritage, architectural and civil engineering applications as clients realise the added value of the high-resolution data in these markets. In these markets the use of laser scanning is becoming much more prevalent as the processing power of computer hardware grows markedly year on year and is able to handle the large data sets that laser scanners capture. Also software packages such as LFM have become much more able to handle these large data sets and are increasingly offering deliverables specific to these markets such as orthophoto and 2D drawing creation.

Geographical Representation

Z+F has more than 300 employees based throughout three offices in Wangen, Germany (Head Office) , Manchester, UK and Pittsburgh, USA. In addition Z+F is represented throughout the world via a multitude of authorised re-sellers and service providers

Z+F also works in collaboration with a number of associated companies on a global scale, for example Leica Geosystems who carry an OEM arrangement for its IMAGER series of 3D Laser scanners. Leica Geosystems sells the IMAGER 5006 as the HDS 6000 and the IMAGER 5006i as the HDS 6100. Z+F also have an OEM arrangement with Amberg for the PROFILER systems which are incorporated within a trolley system offered in the rail and tunnelling markets.

External links

BOEHLER, M. and MARBS, A., 2002. 3D scanning instruments. Proceedings, International Workshop on Scanning for Cultural Heritage Recording, Corfu, Greece. 160 pages: 9-12

BARBER D. M., MILLS, J. P. and BRYAN, P. G., 2002. Experiences of laser scanning for close range structural recording. Proceedings, International Workshop on Scanning for Cultural Heritage Recording, Corfu, Greece. 160 pages: 121-126.

ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2003. An addendum to the metric survey specification for English Heritage – Draft June 2003– Terrestrial laser scanning. (Unpublished) 18 pages.

IEC, 2001. Safety of laser products – Part 1: Equipment classification, requirements and users guide. Edition 1.2. International Standard, IEC 60825-1.