No second chances needed for Reynolds Polymer Technologies

Reynolds Polymer Technologies, Inc. pulls off a complex installation using the Leica Geosystems 3D DISTO for precise 3-dimensional measuring.

Reynold Polymer Technologies, Inc. needed to validate the fit of a 36000lb custom dome window in a space that didn’t allow for second chances.  The panel for the new shark tank at the Georgia Aquarium needed to be lowered through a block-out in an elevated concrete slab with a framed opening in a steel roof, to fit perfectly between 2 opposing arches.  If they didn’t get the fit just right the first time, there was nowhere else to place the polymer window to spend a few hours making corrections.  It absolutely had to fit on the first try.

Capturing the measurements of the two arches to determine if the concrete rebates would fit would have been no easy feat with conventional measuring techniques. In discussing the challenge of measuring the distance from one point of the horizontal arch to another point on the opposing arch, Project Manager Troy Bryant explained: “Seemed like numbers were pretty arbitrary. Laying out the grid would have been so complex; it would have taken days.”

Already an owner of several measuring tapes and small hand-held laser devices, Bryant was blown away by the ease of measuring along the X, Y, and Z axes simultaneously with the Leica 3D Disto.

To be able to measure the length, width and depth all at the same time was a very new experience for me.

This not only allowed for much higher accuracy and precision but also allowed for the engineers to take the digital measurements and overlay them onto the CAD design within minutes to validate the correct fit, before any road closures, shipping, and crane rental were undertaken.

“We were able to shoot the points within an hour,” says Bryant. “and in the next 15-20 minutes I had those points loaded into a file and emailed directly from the job site to my engineer back in Colorado.  He overlaid the measurements onto his CAD drawing to see if it was correct.  It worked out very well.  It was a lot easier and a lot more accurate.”

The team at Reynolds Polymer, Inc. will be able to continue taking on bigger and more ambitious projects with the 3D Disto providing the confidence and ease-of-use they need for challenging job sites.

“I felt much more confidence about the measurements themselves.” – Troy Bryant, Project Manager, Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc.

Credits

Troy Bryant, Project Manager

Reynolds Polymer Technologies, Inc.

Custom Acrylic Windows

 

Brasfield & Gorrie

General Contractors

 

Video courtesy of Leica Geosystems US & Canada