Creality has led the way when it comes to 3D printing, materials, laser tools, and are now extending that technology reach to include 3D scanning. A natural extension of their technology stack, their freshly announced Sermoon P1S is an all-in-one blue-laser 3D scanner with built in compute with a great deal of advanced capabilities. Let's get into the details.
Rather than treating the scanner as a capture device that must remain tethered to a workstation, the Sermoon P1S brings more of the scanning workflow onto the handheld unit itself. Its PC-free standalone workflow, supported by onboard computing, local storage, and a 6-inch touchscreen, allows users to capture an object, review scan coverage, and perform common processing tasks without moving back and forth between the scanner and a separate computer.
For professionals working around vehicles, machinery, large parts, or objects that cannot easily be moved to a scanning station, that standalone workflow means less equipment to carry and faster feedback at the point of capture.
Portable scanning has wide-reaching uses, especially in the 3D printing space. Replication of broken parts, capture of complex and irreplaceable objects for replication, and much more. This has use in the automotive, aeronautical, and medical space as well, providing 0.02mm of accuracy in a handheld platform.
The Sermoon P1S combines 34 Cross Laser Lines, 7 Parallel Laser Lines, 1 Blue Laser Line, and NIR structured light, allowing users to choose a capture method according to the geometry and requirements of the object being scanned.
The 34 Cross Laser Lines prioritize coverage and scanning efficiency across larger surfaces. The 7 Parallel Laser Lines are designed for surface features and finer geometric detail, while the 1 Blue Laser Line is better suited to recessed areas such as narrow grooves and deep holes.
NIR structured light adds another layer of flexibility. Creality's MASK technology is designed to capture surface contours and fine details on small- to medium-sized objects with greater fidelity, preserving subtle features of the original object.
Together, the four approaches allow the P1S to move between detailed components, recessed geometry, larger workpieces, and fast marker-free scanning without requiring a separate scanner for each type of task.
Precision is key when it comes to laser scanning, and the Sermoon P1S is providing that at up to 0.02 mm accuracy, with volumetric accuracy of 0.02 mm + 0.08 mm/m. This is more than sufficient for scanning complex objects with very little tolerance for variance. Objects such as gears need to be precisely the right size, lest they throw off ratios, cause unnecessary or dangerous friction or imbalance, or even introduce vibration which can be fatal to a structure. To ensure that level of accuracy, you need very precise methods of calibrating.
For reverse-engineering workflows, those specifications are intended to provide a more dependable geometric reference for CAD reconstruction, fit checks, part replication, and design iteration. The scanner also includes a high-precision glass calibration board to establish a consistent dimensional reference.
Speed matters just as much when larger surfaces are involved. Blue-laser scanning reaches up to 60 fps in standalone operation and 100 fps when connected to a PC, while NIR scanning reaches up to 20 fps standalone and 30 fps with a PC connection.
This combination of scanning speed and multiple projection patterns is designed to keep handheld movement more continuous while reducing the time required to build sufficient surface coverage.
Accuracy figures are based on laboratory testing. Actual results may vary depending on vibration, temperature, operating conditions, and other environmental factors.
One of the biggest advantages of scanners such as these is portability, and that's achieved with a combination of a number of powerful mobile chips and a rather robust amount of memory. Here are the specs of the Sermoon P1S:
Inside the device is an 8-core Qualcomm CPU running at up to 3.36 GHz, alongside an Adreno 740 GPU and FPGA, supported by 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory and 256 GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Its 6-inch touchscreen provides on-device control and live scan review, helping users identify missed areas while they are still next to the object rather than discovering them later at a computer.
The scanner supports three working modes: standalone operation, wireless PC connection, and wired PC connection. Wi-Fi 7 enables wireless collaboration with a PC when additional desktop processing is needed, while USB 3.0 remains available for stable wired workflows.
Two replaceable 3,300 mAh batteries and PD 3.0 fast charging are intended to reduce interruptions during longer field or workshop sessions.
You might ask why Creality chose a blue laser, and there's a very specific reason for that – not only accuracy once again, but also the challenge of scanning complex objects that are dark or may have shadows or hard to reach angles.
Professional scanning does not always take place under controlled studio lighting. The Sermoon P1S is designed to expand the range of environments in which scanning can take place.
Blue-laser scanning supports outdoor conditions of up to 110,000 lux, while NIR structured-light scanning supports up to 80,000 lux when used with the included NIR filter. The filter helps reduce interference from strong ambient light, making outdoor capture more practical in suitable conditions.
Surface finish presents another challenge. Dark materials can absorb projected light, while highly reflective metals can produce difficult returns. Rather than making an absolute claim across every material and finish, the P1S is designed to reduce reliance on scanning spray on suitable dark and metallic surfaces, helping cut preparation and cleanup in applicable workflows.
That can be particularly useful for automotive parts, finished components, and objects where applying and removing spray adds unnecessary time or surface contact.
The device is now available through the Creality Store and will ship at $US2,299. If you act quickly and purchase before October 12th, you 'll get a price break of $200 for an early-bird price of $2099. In addition, customers who purchase during the launch period will also receive one complimentary AESUB blue scanning spray, a self-vanishing 3D scanning spray that requires no post-scan cleaning. These are highly useful for raising the scanning fidelity and ease of capture when applied to challenging surfaces.
