(Laser Design: Minneapolis) -- Laser Design Inc., the leading supplier of 3-D laser scanners for more than 20 years, was named one of the United State’s fastest-growing private companies by Inc. magazine for the third year in a row. The 2009 “Inc. 5000” award honors 5,000 U.S.-based, privately held, independent companies that are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. Ranked number 3,525 nationally, Laser Design holds place 69 of the fastest-growing companies in the state of Minnesota in all industries. Revenue growth in the last three years is 68.3 percent.

“We are honored to once again be amongst the fastest-growing, most-successful companies in the United States in 2009,” says C. Martin Schuster, president of Laser Design. “Obviously, this year was challenging from a business and growth standpoint, but we came out strong for the third year in a row, thanks to our advanced 3-D scanning technologies and services, and a phenomenal customer base.”

Inc. magazine’s editor notes “The Inc. 5000 list has served as evidence of the significant accomplishments of entrepreneurial companies.” Many of the selected companies do business overseas, where markets are becoming more accessible and the customer's nondollar goes a long way, increasing the companies’ likelihood of surviving a down economy. These fast-growing companies make a positive contribution to the economy, whatever its condition. Laser Design’s revenue continued to increase during the tough economic conditions from 2007 to 2008. The company is employing the 2009 economic stimulus program which almost doubles the 2008 amount a company is allowed to deduct from their taxable income to encourage businesses to invest in their cutting-edge high-speed, high-accuracy laser scanning systems. In addition, companies may qualify for a one-time 50-percent bonus depreciation on certain assets placed in service before Dec. 31, 2009.

Cited as a product innovator, Laser Design seeks to establish itself as the gold standard in speed, accuracy, and ease-of-use for 3-D laser scanning with its patented laser probe technology which it designs and manufactures. The company also operates GKS Global Services, formerly GKS Inspection Services, a worldwide services division offering contract 3-D laser scanning, dimensional inspection, and other measurement services.

3-D laser triangulation scanning was originally inspired by a grant offered to industry by the U.S. Navy to devise a noncontact scanning technology that would measure cavitation wear in large ship propellers. Out of that came single-point laser scanning technology. Laser Design improve on that design and developed laser-line scanning technology. Today Laser Design’s laser-line technology is thousands of times faster than the original. Laser Design won Minnesota’s "Technology of the Year” award for its development of this laser-line scanning technology.

As mainstream computer hardware and software became more powerful and affordable, the ability to work with large 3-D data files (point clouds) without a super-computer also fueled the growth of the laser scanning industry. Laser scanning systems project a line of laser light onto surfaces while cameras continuously triangulate the changing distance and profile of the laser line as it sweeps along. The problems of missing data on an irregularly shaped or concave surface are eliminated. The system measures fine details and captures complex free-form geometry so that the object can be exactly replicated. Laser scanners quickly measure objects, picking up tens of thousands of points per second, and generating huge numbers of data points without the need for templates or fixtures.

Noncontact 3-D laser scanning has become a mainstream technology for industries such as automotive, aerospace, marine, architecture, archaeology, biomedical, and consumer and commercial electronics, as well as apparel. It is now a standard process for industrial projects that require inspection, reverse engineering, ultra-precise measurement of parts with complex shapes or free-form surfaces, long-range laser scanning, and high-speed inline inspection. 

“We have always had high-profile customers including Apple, Motorola, Samsung, Toyota, and Hyundai, who make the latest in consumer electronics and automotive products as well as NASA, the CIA, the U.S. Army and Navy, as well as art museums and universities scanning ancient artifacts,” explains Schuster.

With no end in sight for the advancement of the technology or the proliferation of applications, Laser Design is poised for even more rapid growth on a worldwide scale. Schuster continues, “This year we expanded significantly across the globe and added several more items to our services menu, including long-range scanning for large-scale applications, product design services, prototyping and manufacturing services, along with laser tracking, portable measurement device rentals, and CT scanning and systems sales. Laser Design can also retrofit their high-accuracy laser probes to customers’ existing CMMs, keeping costs down while still providing access to advanced laser scanning technology.”