Z+F are suppliers of high-speed accurate phase-based laser measurement and scanning systems. The company supplies laser scanning hardware, software and scanning services capturing high resolution data. The firm covers a wide spectrum in the field of laser measurement technology: they develop hardware and software, and offer sales and product training.
Historical background
Z+F is a privately owned company, 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 Christoph Fröhlich.
The firm's range of laser measurement systems include the M-CAM Camera systems, the PROFILER systems, the IMAGER 5006i and the IMAGER 5006EX systems. Each of the measurement systems operate using high speed, phase-based technology. 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 and the quality of the point cloud data allows for reduced post-processing.
Software
LFM software has been designed to work 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. On 3 October 2011, AVEVA announced the acquisition of LFM software division of Z+F UK Limited.
Markets
Their phase-based laser 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 its 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. There is an increasing use of the firm's 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 more prevalent as the processing power of computer hardware grows, and is able to handle the large data sets that laser scanners capture. 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
The firm has more than 300 employees in three offices: the head office in Wangen, Germany, Manchester, UK and Pittsburgh, USA. In addition it is represented throughout the world via authorised re-sellers and service providers. The firm works in collaboration with other companies, such as Leica Geosystems. Z+F also have an OEM arrangement with Amberg for the PROFILER systems incorporated in a trolley system for the rail and tunnelling markets. now IMAGER PRO C is the same scanner which is now selling by API sensor.
