What are reverse engineering services?
How is reverse engineering different than just 3d scanning?
The process of creating a CAD model for reverse engineering services requires some understanding of the original designer’s thought process. For example, one must make assumptions about whether a part is supposed to be symmetrical or perfectly round in shape. With reverse engineering, the goal is often to produce a CAD model of very high quality surfaces, or “idealized”, where faces are perfectly flat, holes are perfectly round and surfaces are all seamlessly blended into one another. This makes it easier to create feature-based models along with dimensioned 2D drawings. This is different than “as-built” modeling, where the goal is to intentionally model a part’s flaws wherever they exist.
Why utilize Reverse engineering services?
- To try and make something cheaper
- Replicate a one-of-a-kind part
- Analyze a competitor’s product
- Create machining drawings for a handmade prototype
- Create a nominal model to be compared against for inspection
- Make changes and improvements to a product’s design
- Preserve and document handmade molds & obsolete parts
- Blueprint parts for government certification
- Create the mold for a part
What can you do with a 3D model created by reverse engineering services?
- Machining & molding
- 3D printing
- Making changes to the design
- Patent drawings
- Exploded 3D visualizations and animations
- Comparisons with other parts or scans
- Can be used to design mating parts or packaging
- Drawings can be sent overseas for manufacturing instead of the part
Alternatively, you can just keep the 3D model for safekeeping as documentation for future reference knowing, should the part ever be lost or destroyed, that you have sufficient information build another one. The sky is the limit as to what you can do once the object is in its digital form.
Are there limitations on how big or small an object is that you can have scanned?
Different scanners are used depending on the application. Most of our scanners are portable, therefore we are able to scan at the your location. But if your item is small enough, it is usually cheaper to ship the item to one of our scanning offices. This is because our offices are set up to scan items quickly and economically.