Reverse Engineering
-
When reverse engineering a part we discern the characteristics of the part to determine the best way to get scan data that is accurate and complete.
-
Dark, reflective, or translucent surfaces sometimes need additional preparation before they can be scanned accurately.
-
The second step in the reverse engineering process is to take a scan of the part to be reverse engineered and post process the scan data.
-
Scan data post processing involves repairing defects in the mesh model that the scan data produces. This can include holes on data or fixing areas that can not be seen by the scanner.
-
The third step in the process is to take the scan data and extract the solid model from the data. The scan data by itself can be useful for reference, but not to recreate a part with most tooling (3d printing excluded).
-
This is the most labor intensive part of the entire process and can take a great deal of time depending on the complexity of the part.
-
The fourth and final step in the reverse engineering process is to check for deviations from the original scan data.
-
Checking the deviation from the scan data verifies that your file is exactly like the original part so you can tool the part and the outcome will be as close to identical as possible.