Starting in 2014 DE purchased its first Faro ScanArm to fill a need in the West Michigan area for reverse engineering large cast gears and hydraulic components. Overtime the scanning business has expanded its scope to include the 3D laser scanning and reverse engineering of just about everything imaginable. Using Geomagic Design X CAD Software combined with the FARO ScanArm we are able to take digital captures of an object and perform the following reverse engineering services:
– Generate useful surface and solid 3D data to assist with the creation or update of CAD designs in systems like Solidworks, Catia, NX, AutoDesk, etc.
– Reverse Engineering Example: Scan the bucket connection points on an OEM wheel loader to allow for the development of aftermarket implements in Solidworks.
– Capture digital recreations of hand built prototypes or one-of-a-kind custom parts with precise measurements allowing for digital documentation.
– Reverse Engineering Example: Scan a plastic injection mold to capture hand grinding and polishing that was done to the runner system to allow a second tool to be built identical to the first.
– The capture of an exterior shape on an existing part or model that will be used in the design of a new mating part.
– Reverse Engineering Example: Scan the exterior of an automotive glove box light switch and use that shape as a bounding box to design a new switch in that will still fit in the space allocated for the original switch design.
– Scanning legacy parts that were made by hand in the 1900’s to allow for there accurate reproduction with new tooling and manufacturing methods.
– Reverse Engineering Example: Scan legacy theater seat castings and then reproduce them as a fully mechanically reverse engineered 3D CAD file while preserving the hand made organic features so they can be reproduced in modern casting patterns.
Example of starting with a raw legacy casting and then converting it into tooling ready 3D CAD data
The 3 work flows used in DesignX: STL Mesh, Featured Based, & Auto surface. Click this image to see a video showing these workflows.
Utilizing traditional contact-based part probing at accuracy of+/- .0016” or non-contact 3D laser scanning at +/- .0025”. This 6′ Portable Coordinate Measuring Machine (PCMM) can be taken to any job site for direct measurements within hours of receiving a call or email.
Examples of the Faro Arms capability:
– Faro used as a 3D Laser Scanner
– Faro used as a CMM probing system
Re-manufactured hydraulic salt block press ram.
The part was on its way back to the customers facility after re machining and the recent work needed to be captured so a spare can be manufactured.
Part to large or too heavy to being it to a traditional CMM or Scanner? No problem, our FARO system will come to your part! It does not matter if the part is in the shop or on the job site, we can scan it.
While the Faro ScanArm is a great fit for most laser scanning projects, DE has access to other scanning technologies for the times when jobs necessitate something other then a red line 3d laser scanning. These other technologies include:
– Industrial CT scanning: CT is well suited for very small parts that are highly detailed or part that require the scanner to look inside them (plastic injection molded parts, assemblies, hollow parts, etc).
– Blue Structured Light Scanning: Blue Light is useful for capturing large parts in extremely high detail as well as capturing color data while scanning.
DE has a in house metrology lab that is fully temperature controlled and has the ability to accept parts up to 4000 LBS in weight and 10′ x 10′ x 10′ in size. If the part that needs to be scanned is larger or heavier then this, DE has access to high bay manufacturing space directly next to our current lab space with a 10 Ton overhead crane for loading and unloading trucks as well as moving around large parts.
DE has several customers who own their own 3D laser scanning or imaging systems who don’t want to deal with training and maintaining a reverse engineer on staff for occasional projects. DE steps into this situation to handle all of their reverse engineering needs. After laser scanning the part they send us the raw scan data files and have us handle the reverse engineering they need completed. This also saves them the cost of maintaining a seat of Design X.
Geomagic DesignX costs around $15,000 per seat plus $3,000 a year in maintenance fees.
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