Reverse engineering using 3D scanning is an industry 4.0 technique used by designers and engineers to produce CAD based on physical objects. These CAD models can be modified at will, used to create moulds and tools for manufacturing, or used to produce components directly using additive manufacturing & 3D printing.

In order to demonstrate these concepts, the Scan-Xpress team performed a reverse engineering for production project. Watch the video below to see the full journey, benefits and applications of this technology.

3D Scanning for capturing digital twins

The first step in this journey is capturing a digital twin of the object we wish to reverse engineer. In this use-case, we chose a chrome plated skull model as our target object. The skull offers distinct challenges due to its free-form geometry and shinny surface finish. In order to accurately capture data, we used AESUB scanning spray to create a matte surface finish.

The 3D scanner selected for this project is the GOM Scan 1. It is an entry level scanner built for design and additive manufacturing applications. It captures 6 million points per scan and comes in multiple resolution and volume configurations allowing it to adapt to the task at hand.

Additive manufacturing for rapid prototyping

Using the digital twin captured by the GOM Scan 1, we reverse engineered a CAD model in Geomagic Design X. Using Geomagic, we modified certain key features, scaled our object and exported our new model in a production ready format.

We then used a Delta WASP 3D printer to create an accurate prototype of our reverse engineered skull model. The whole process took just a couple days showing how much time can be saved in design and prototyping using these modern tools.