Laser Tracker vs Portable Arm – What’s Best for Your Shop?

 – Radar

Basics

Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) emits microwave pulses and measures the time for echoes to return. Because radio waves have long wavelengths, radar devices can detect objects at great distances and through fog, rain or dust. They are widely used in aviation, weather monitoring and speed‑enforcement. The Wevolver comparison notes that radar systems provide a long range but lower spatial resolution compared with LiDARwevolver.com. This lower resolution arises from the larger wavelength and beam divergence; as a result radar cannot pinpoint features smaller than several centimetres.

Fit for metrology

For dimensional metrology—the science of measuring shapes and geometries—radar’s long range and speed are not enough. High‑precision manufacturing requires measurements down to microns. Radar’s low spatial resolution makes it unsuitable for tasks like inspecting small parts or verifying tight tolerances. While radar excels at detecting large objects and determining their speed, it cannot provide the accuracy needed for precision metrology.

Section 3 – LiDAR

Basics

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses pulsed laser light to measure distance. Because it operates at optical wavelengths, LiDAR can produce very high‑resolution 3D point clouds. It is the backbone of autonomous vehicles and aerial mapping. The Wevolver article explains that LiDAR systems generally have a shorter to medium range but offer high spatial resolution, enabling detailed 3D mappingwevolver.com. Advanced LiDAR designs like solid‑state or MEMS‑based systems can improve scanning speed and costwevolver.com.

Fit for metrology

LiDAR’s ability to capture millions of points quickly makes it ideal for applications such as autonomous driving and surveying. For manufacturing metrology, LiDAR is useful for creating digital twins of large objects or structures. However, typical LiDAR accuracy (millimetre to sub‑millimetre) is not sufficient for tight‑tolerance inspections that require micron‑level precision. Therefore, LiDAR is excellent for automated cars, drones and large‑scale scanning, but it still falls short for high‑precision metrology in aerospace and automotive manufacturing.

Section 4 – Laser Radar

Basics

Laser radar is often used to describe high‑precision laser time‑of‑flight systems such as Nikon’s MV351. It uses a narrow, focused laser beam and measures not only the time of flight but also the angles of the incoming beam to compute precise coordinates. Laser radar systems can achieve micron‑level precision but typically operate over shorter ranges and at slower scanning speeds compared with LiDAR. An article from East Coast Metrology explains that Nikon’s laser radar system steers a focused beam, reading the return signal directly from the object without a retroreflector, and is engineered to provide precise, industrial measurements with tolerances of thousandths or even tenths of thousandths of an incheastcoastmetrology.com. However, the article notes that speed of data collection is sacrificed for resolution—laser radar scans smaller areas more slowly to achieve high accuracyeastcoastmetrology.com.

Fit for metrology

Laser radar represents one of the first non‑contact metrology solutions that can achieve high accuracy. Systems like Nikon’s MV351 can inspect large parts, measure hole positions and diameters, and capture data without requiring tactile probes. The trade‑off is measurement speed; scanning an entire part can take minutes or hours. In automated production, laser radar may be too slow for in‑line measurements, but it remains valuable for off‑line inspection and reverse‑engineering tasks.

Section 5 – LADAR (Dynamic 9D LADAR by API)

Basics

LADAR (Laser Detection And Ranging) is sometimes used interchangeably with LiDAR, but API’s Dynamic 9D LADAR is a novel system that blends interferometry with laser scanning. According to API’s technical article, LADAR is an interferometry‑based non‑contact measurement system that provides fast and accurate data acquisitionapimetrology.com. It overcomes several limitations of conventional measurement methods by delivering micron‑level resolution and eliminating issues such as limited accuracy, slow data acquisition speeds and sensitivity to surface reflectivityapimetrology.com. LADAR technology uses fast data acquisition to deliver rapid, real‑time data collection, significantly reducing measurement and analysis time compared with traditional methodsapimetrology.com. It also functions effectively in noisy production environments and at various incident anglesapimetrology.com.

Fit for metrology

API’s Dynamic 9D LADAR keeps the micron‑level precision of laser radar but dramatically improves measurement speed. The article notes that LADAR’s micron‑level resolution allows for incredibly precise measurements and enables manufacturers to achieve tight tolerance scansapimetrology.com. The technology delivers rapid, real‑time data collection, making it suitable for in‑line production measurements where conventional laser radar is too slowapimetrology.com. LADAR is also non‑contact, meaning it can measure delicate components without risk of damageapimetrology.com. Because of these improvements, LADAR is poised to revolutionize manufacturing and quality control, allowing real‑time quality checks and reducing wasteapimetrology.com.