Ballistics Evidence
A cartridge case carries firing pin, breech face and extractor marks a fraction of a millimetre deep; a projectile carries land and groove impressions; a bullet defect carries the angle it was struck at. All three are geometry, and all three are photographed today.
3D scanning records cases and projectiles on the bench at 0.005 mm and defects in place at 0.1 mm — measurable, comparable, and handled once.
No sensitive case details required.
How is ballistics evidence documented in 3D?
Cartridge cases and projectiles are scanned on an automated desktop scanner at 0.005 mm for comparison; bullet defects are captured in place at up to 0.1 mm and registered into the scene for the trajectory work.
Cases at 0.005 mmFiring pin, breech face and extractor marks as measurable form.
Handled onceThe turntable does the turning; the examiner works on the model.
Projectiles compared as geometryLand and groove impressions overlaid and measured, not eyeballed under a light.
Defects in positionEach defect placed in the room, ready for the trajectory work.
Why cases, projectiles and defects all want geometry
Firearms comparison rests on marks that are a fraction of a millimetre deep: the firing pin impression, the breech face, the extractor and ejector marks on a case; the land and groove impressions on a projectile. Under a comparison microscope they are visible at one lighting angle and gone at another, and the photograph records only the angle that was chosen. The examiner's conclusion rests on what the light showed.
Artec Micro II records a case or a projectile at up to 0.005 mm accuracy and 0.04 mm resolution on an automated turntable — the item is placed once and nobody turns it by hand. Questioned and known are overlaid as geometry and the correspondence is measured, sectioned and repeated by a second examiner on the same files. The same bench handles toolmark comparison, and the two disciplines share a method.
Bullet defects stay at the scene. Artec Leo records a defect in one to three minutes at up to 0.1 mm, in place, and the room scan gives it a measured position — the input for the shooting scene reconstruction. Cases, projectiles and defects are then three files from one incident, and a new weapon or a new theory is tested on the same data.
The workflow, end to end
Exhibits to the bench, defects in place — and the scene scan holding them together.
1. Recover and logCases and projectiles bagged and logged; the scene scan records where each lay.
2. Bench-scan the casesOn the desktop scanner at 0.005 mm — firing pin, breech face, extractor marks.- 3. Bench-scan the projectilesLand and groove impressions as geometry, automated, handled once.
- 4. CompareQuestioned against known, overlaid and measured; repeatable by a second examiner.
5. Capture defects in placeHandheld, 1–3 minutes each at 0.1 mm, before any probe or repair.
Which scanner for this work
The bench first, the scene second.
Artec Micro II
- Best for
- Cartridge cases and projectiles
- 3D point accuracy
- Up to 0.005 mm
- 3D resolution
- Up to 0.04 mm
- Capture
- Desktop, fully automated turntable
- Object size
- Up to 200 × 200 × 150 mm
Micro II records a case or a projectile at 0.005 mm accuracy on an automated turntable — firing pin impression, breech face marks, extractor marks and land and groove impressions as geometry, with the item handled once.
Artec Leo
- Best for
- Bullet defects in walls, vehicles, glass
- 3D point accuracy
- Up to 0.1 mm
- 3D resolution
- Up to 0.2 mm
- Capture
- Wireless, screen and processing onboard
- Capture speed
- 35 million points per second
- Typical time
- A bullet hole in 1–3 minutes
Leo records a defect in 1–3 minutes at up to 0.1 mm without cables or a laptop, so the operator works around a vehicle freely. HD Mode is what handles dark paint and glass edges.
See cartridge cases and projectiles compared as measurable geometry — book a demo for your firearms unit.
Book a demoQuestions practitioners ask
Can a scan replace the comparison microscope?
It gives the examiner measurable geometry of the marks instead of an image under one light. The comparison and the conclusion remain the examiner's; the scan is what makes them repeatable by a second examiner on the same data.
How fine a mark is resolved on a case?
Micro II states 0.005 mm accuracy and 0.04 mm resolution. Firing pin impressions, breech face marks and extractor marks are within range; below that is microscopy.
Can shiny brass and copper be scanned?
Polished metal is the known hard case for optical scanning. Micro II's processing is built for small reflective objects; test your own exhibits at a demo.
What about the bullet holes themselves?
They are captured in place with Leo and placed in the scene by the room scan. The trajectory work — angles, rods, lines to the shooter's position — is covered on the shooting scene reconstruction page.
Tell us about the work you do
A forensic application specialist will come back with the device that fits it, the accuracy to expect at that scale, and how the data reaches your existing workflow.