Flagship Service

3D Laser Scanning

Millimetre-accurate point clouds that turn a shaft, tunnel, stockpile or plant into a measurable digital twin — captured fast, and often without putting a person in harm's way.

What it is

3D Laser Scanning — engineered for accuracy.

A 3D laser scanner sweeps millions of measured points across a surface to build a dense, accurate point cloud — a true-to-life digital record of whatever it captures. For mining and engineering, that record becomes the basis for measurement, comparison and design, without repeated and hazardous manual access.

The applications run deep. Underground, scanning measures convergence — the slow closure of walls, roof and floor under stress — so deformation can be tracked over time and managed before it threatens safety or production. It quantifies overbreak and underbreak against the design profile to control excavation and blast performance, and it documents inaccessible or unsafe areas: a mobile scanner can be lowered into a vertical shaft to capture the walls without sending a person down.

On surface, the same technology measures stockpile and excavation volumes to within a few centimetres, captures open-pit benches and topography, and records plant, headframes and steel structures as as-built models. Survey House combines scanning with conventional survey to compare actual as-built geometry against the planned engineering drawings — the quality check that confirms what was built matches what was designed.

Deliverables range from raw registered point clouds to engineering models, cross-sections, plan-versus-actual comparisons, volumetric reports and full digital twins for asset management.

Where it's used

Typical applications

  • Shaft & ore-pass wall inspection
  • Tunnel convergence & deformation monitoring
  • Overbreak / underbreak vs design
  • Stockpile & excavation volumetrics
  • As-built models of plant & steel structures
  • Digital-twin creation & facilities management
What you receive

Typical deliverables

  • Registered point clouds
  • Engineering & wire-mesh models
  • Cross-sections & long-sections
  • Plan-vs-actual comparison reports
  • Volumetric reports & digital twins
FAQ

3D Laser Scanning — frequently asked questions

Clear answers to the questions clients and search engines ask most about this service.

How accurate is 3D laser scanning?
Terrestrial laser scanning achieves millimetre-level accuracy for precision work such as shaft-guide and structural alignment, while mobile (SLAM) scanning typically achieves 1–3 cm — ideal for convergence checks, general arrangement and volumetrics.
Can you scan a vertical shaft or other unsafe area?
Yes. A mobile scanning unit can be lowered into a shaft or ore pass to capture the walls, removing the need for a person to enter a hazardous space while still producing objective, repeatable data.
What is overbreak and underbreak, and why scan for it?
Overbreak is excavation beyond the design line; underbreak is short of it. Scanning compares the as-built surface to the design profile so both can be quantified — supporting blast control, support design and accurate measurement.
What do I receive from a scan?
Typically a registered point cloud plus the derived products you need — engineering models, cross-sections, plan-vs-actual comparisons, volume reports or a digital twin.
Related Projects

Recent applications

Burnstone
Great Basin Gold

Burnstone

7-year project — site infrastructure, vertical & decline shaft, start to handover.

Thubelisha Shaft
Sasol

Thubelisha Shaft

Surface infrastructure, decline & 2× vertical shaft surveys.

Zondereinde
Northam Platinum

Zondereinde

Vertical shaft equipping & 3D scan of 730 m reamed shaft.

Speak to our survey team about 3d laser scanning:+27 (0)11 472 1527
Let's work together

Let's Build With Accuracy.

Precision. Accuracy. Trust.

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