What is Reverse Engineering?
Reverse Engineering is defined as the analysis of a device or object
to determine its structure or function.
Previous methods of doing this involved using various measuring devices
to hand measure the part or parts and then recreating those dimensions in CAD.
For simple parts, this works fine. But for complex surfaces, it is nearly
impossible.
How does 3D Scanning help?
3D scanning has made it possible to accomplish this task very quickly with
high accuracy and affordability.
The laser scanner captures thousands of measurements
per second and creates what is called "point cloud" data. This data is then
converted to a mesh model such as .STL that can be used in downstream applications.
Direct uses of the mesh model:
- Scale or mirror the file to make patterns for downstream processes such as Rapid
Prototyping, RPM castings, or RTV tooling
- Use the shaded image for archiving, catalog or WEB page development
- Create tool paths to machine tooling or replicas
- Make minor changes to the file for re-engineering the product
If major changes to the model need to be made, Absolute Geometries can create precise 3D surface models in IGES format or fully
parametric CAD models from the 3D mesh model:
- Captures design intent and design feature parameters
- Full model history tree
- Can be exported as a parametric solid model to a variety of CAD applications
