Glaziers keep dozens of items in their toolkits, from glass-cutting blades to grinders. But new glazier technology, including 3D laser scanners and total stations, have also gained steam in the glazing world to help take field measurements, perform layout, and ensure maximum precision during glass installations.

Let’s explore the various ways these technologies help glaziers improve efficiency (and the quality of their product).

What is Glazier Technology?

Traditional tools used by glaziers include the above, along with straightedges, saws, scrapers, glazing compounds, sanding blocks, glazing knives, and drills.

But as the construction industry as a whole becomes more digitally sophisticated, so have glaziers, who have expanded their toolboxes to include 3D design software using laptops and tablets, smartphones, and two-way radios for on-site communication.

In the constantly evolving glass and glazing industry, cutting-edge tools like 3D laser scanners and total stations have also emerged, further enhancing efficiency and precision.

What are Total Stations? What are 3D Laser Scanners?

Both total stations and 3D laser scanners are portable devices that capture the necessary data for glaziers to improve measurement precision and efficiency. But there are differences between the two:

• A total station, also known as a total station theodolite, is an electronic/optical device that uses electronic distance measurement (EDM) and an onboard computer to measure angles and slopes for surveying and building construction. If you’ve ever seen a surveyor working with an instrument on a tripod, that’s probably a total station.
• A 3D laser scanner, on the other hand, is an electronic device that’s either tripod mounted or handheld and that is used to document “as-built” conditions of a structure. 3D scanners use light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to measure location data.

How 3D Laser Scanners and Total Stations Help Glaziers

3D laser scanners and total stations help glaziers measure more precisely and reduce waste while improving efficiency along the glass component design, fabrication, and installation value chain. Here are some of their most compelling examples:

Site measurement, surveying, and layouts

Glaziers can more accurately measure “as-built” specifications of a structure such as distances, angles, and elevations to help determine the right placement and dimensions of glass panels. Total stations can help create perfectly aligned curtain wall, window, and facade layouts. 3D laser scanners can measure “as-built” conditions, process the data in 3D modeling software, and generate perfectly-fitted glass panels for various use cases.

3D laser scanners can also ensure better modeling or measurement of complex shapes for custom glass installations, along with accounting for inconsistencies or imperfections in older structures undergoing renovations.

Design, modeling, alignment, fabrication, and precision

Total stations can project exact reference points, helping to align glass frames or support systems and ensuring panels are level and installed at exactly the right angle, helping to avoid misalignments.

The improved precision provided by the use of 3D laser scanners helps verify the measurements of fabricated glass against design specifications, helping to identify potential misconfigurations early and reducing the need for time-consuming manual adjustments during installation.

The 3D models generated by these scanners can also be sent directly to CNC machines for cutting and shaping glass panels.

Quality control and documentation

Glaziers can deploy total stations following installation to ensure the correct positioning of glass panels. And the models generated by 3D laser scanners can be imported into CAD, BIM, or digital twin software for better integration and coordination with other stakeholders and accurate “as-built” record-keeping.

Highly Engineered Building Products From Unicel Architectural

While we aren’t glaziers and don’t work with glazier technology, Unicel Architectural knows all about precision. Our highly engineered glass, timber, and aluminum building products are fabricated using the latest technology, come in a range of geometric shapes, and are customizable to any architectural vision.

From our award-winning Vision Control® IGUs to our elegant, design-friendly timber curtain walls, Unicel Architectural delivers facade, glazing, privacy shading, and structural solutions tailored to your design vision—no matter how unique the challenge.

Contact Unicel Architectural today to learn more about how we can help you define the space within.