Scan systems turn laser equipment into highly flexible processing tools. The capabilities are determined primarily by the scan system's servo electronics and the controller. The servo electronics in SCANLAB's scan systems are responsible not only for dynamically positioning the laser beam, but also for generating status signals for system monitoring. Control can be achieved via SCANLAB's RTC® boards.

The RTC® is available as a PCI, PCI-Express, PC/104-Plus or standalone board. RTC® PCI and PCI-Express boards are intended for control via a personal computer. RTC® PC interface boards are intended for control via a personal computer. If needed, multiple RTC® boards can operate in a PC. RTC® SCANalone boards enable control without a PC, and only require an external power supply for operation. The RTC® provides control of digital scan systems along with synchronous control of lasers and handling systems.

The RTC® command set enables straightforward and flexible creation of applications in a variety of programming languages.

Image field distortions related to the scan system's specific optical construction are compensated via correction files.

Commands for querying status signals enable scan system monitoring and diagnosis. Optional commands support processing of moving objects (processing-on-the-fly), control of 3-axis scan systems, or simultaneous control of two scan systems.

Additionally, SCANLAB's iDRIVE® technology allows tailoring of a scan system's servo, status signal and reset behaviors.

For RTC®5 boards (PCI, PCI-Express), the laserDESK® software is available from SCANLAB. laserDESK® lets you easily create and execute professional laser jobs.

All SCANLAB scan systems are available with a digital interface for RTC®-based control. Alternatively, an analog interface can be specified for almost all SCANLAB scan systems.

Digital data transfer between the scan system and the controller is either electronic or optical. Electronic data transfer is based on the XY2-100 protocol. Optical data transfer uses the XY2-100-O protocol developed by SCANLAB. For iDRIVE® technology (e.g. for controlling intelliSCAN®-, intellicube®-, intelliWELD®- and intelliDRILL® systems), SCANLAB transfer protocols also support extended capabilities such as servo tuning and highly advanced system-monitoring capabilities.

SCANLAB scan systems are available in a wide variety of calibrations providing a range of image field sizes and levels of control accuracy.

In SCANLAB systems, dynamics settings of the servo electronics are generally optimized for vectors. Other dynamics settings are available on request (e.g. for jumps or micro processing). SCANLAB's iDRIVE® technology enables switching between different settings.

For applications requiring high long-term stability, scan systems can be equipped with automatic self-calibration.

SCANLAB also offers water-cooled scan systems for applications with extreme speed or accuracy requirements.