What is Reverse Engineering ?
A question we are often asked when doing high precision 3d scanning is: what is Reverse engineering and how does 3d Scanning benefit our workflow ?
The Creaform blog … has a good explanation.
In summary, Reverse engineering is a process. By combing precise 3D geometry measurements with an analysis of the objects function and structure, it allows for the replication or enhancement of an existing part.
The article introduces the history of reverse engineering and how it has progressed since the times of the Romans.
It goes on to discuss is why and when you would use reverse engineering. For example even in today’s digital world, we still discover that part design can only exist on paper and in institutional memory or the OEM no longer exists or does not have plans of the original component and reverse engineering then provides a solution to replace worn parts.
Interestingly for us, we notice that as we provide 3-D scanning services for the reverse engineering process, our clients are discovering that we can then combine the 3D scan with a generative engineering process to improve the design and reduce the costs both in time and money that a worn or broken components can cause in a production facility.
The article expands on this by showing the value of reverse engineering in preventing or minimising production down time.
The article continues to then show various use cases for the manufacturing industries and how these “industries leverage the reverse engineering processes to optimize their production, gain a competitive edge and cut costs. “
The strength of the article is its focus on how handheld 3D Scanners are making the reverse engineering process more efficient due to their ability to capture complex geometry accurately and eliminate human error associated with manual measurement. Their portable nature allows them to go to the machine and often scan the part in situ. This reduces downtime and often assist in understanding and enhancing the parts functionality.
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