How We Do Things
Curious about the process? Learn how we've honed our craft to get your parts scanned and reverse engineered faster than ever before!
1
Small stickers, known as “targets,” are placed on/around your part. These keep the scanner aligned in space as it moves around in space. (Don’t worry, we have several other methods of applying these targets that won’t damage your surface finish!)
2
Your parts are scanned using a metrology-grade blue laser scanner, with resolution up to 50 micron. That’s only 0.05mm! These scans are colorless, but if you have a part that needs to be scanned in color, contact us to check our capability.
3
The scan file is cleaned up and shared to you, generally within a few hours of scan completion. This file is in STL format, and is only a reference. It can be 3D printed if you want to replicate your part, or we can also provide a converted solid model for use in your assemblies to design mounts, clamps, add-ons, modifications, and more!
4
If you need to take it one step further and need a fully reverse engineered solid model with correct features for machining or design alterations, we can do that too! We’re experts in high-end reverse engineering and 3D modeling software to ensure your 3D model is accurate to real life. This file is generally sent in a STEP or parasolid format, but other formats are possible.
"What Can I Scan?"
Nearly any object can be scanned with the right prep work. Most objects can be scanned as is, even shiny/reflective surfaces! However, clear surfaces require a dulling agent to capture the geometry.
Size limitations are about a ½” cube at minimum, up to 10+ feet. One of our scanners effectively has no maximum limit, however the file size becomes unusable at a certain point, depending on the geometry of the part and the resolution of the scan.