Capture, clean up, make usable
Reverse engineering: From analog part to digital CAD model
Reverse engineering is the process of redesigning an existing product through digitization. Scanning methods are used to spatially capture a component using an extensive set of points. Triangulated surface models and finally CAD models for specific applications are generated from these data points.
These steps are necessary to create a meaningful digital image from a physical part:
From scan to usable CAD model
The art lies in data preparation
Creating scans and computer tomographies is one thing - but generating a valid CAD model from this vast amount of raw data is a completely different challenge. We have mastered this art to perfection. These are the steps involved:
The information obtained from scanning processes must first be converted into STL data. However, scans often contain errors such as holes or artifacts that need to be corrected before further processing.
We can correct these errors in scan data and thus provide consistent basic digital information.
Adjustments such as point reduction or surface smoothing prepare the data for CAD transfer. However, this also requires experience: The aim is not simplification at any price, but the exact reproduction of what constitutes the central properties of the component.
We can smooth accordingly where obvious errors incorrectly describe a surface or contour and reduce the number of triangles.
Only after the STL data has been corrected and cleaned up can it be converted into various CAD formats, including
Just because it looks good digitally doesn't mean it has to make sense in production: During CAD modeling, we therefore take production-relevant aspects such as draft angles and mechanical manufacturability into account and incorporate them where necessary. Naturally in strict compliance with the given tolerances.
Once a test run based on the CAD model has been completed, everything should fit: And if not, the tool is reworked. Optimization is based on a precise analysis of shrinkage and warpage in order to create production-ready geometries, for example by incorporating correction surfaces.
In practice, reverse engineering is complex and involves a series of steps for data cleansing and optimization in addition to the initial data acquisition. Industrial computer tomography also makes it possible to capture inaccessible and internal geometries. The challenge lies in the precise processing of the data in order to create usable and production-ready CAD models.
Through reverse engineering, analogue parts are efficiently digitized for CAD, enabling precise redesign and optimization of products. The process from data acquisition to the finished CAD file requires expertise in scanning technologies, data processing and CAD modeling to achieve the best possible results.
Talk to us
We turn physical into digital for you
Do you need someone who is very familiar with the challenges of reverse engineering and can make the most of your physical component digitally? Then simply get in touch with us: We will be happy to show you what we can do for you in answering your questions - with which methods and at what cost.