LET'S TALK ABOUT 3D SCANNING |
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THE PROBLEM: The Jeep Wrangler auxiliary light bracket mount had a stress fracture thus needed to be replaced. THE CHALLENGE: Reverse Engineer the Jeep Wrangler auxiliary light bracket mount and make it stronger than the original bracket mount using the latest 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies. 1. Background Chris loves driving around Lake Tahoe in his open-top Jeep Wrangler, enjoying the blue skies and fresh air. The Jeep Wrangler is his vehicle of choice for fun adventures and transporting his wet dog after a swim in the lake. One day, Chris noticed that one of the auxiliary light mount brackets at the front had cracked. Initially, he planned to search for replacement parts, but then he heard about Growshapes' 3D scanning technology. Intrigued by the idea of reverse engineering and 3D printing the bracket, he contacted Growshapes to explore the possibilities. The original bracket mounts were made of plastic and had cracked under stress, so Chris was looking for a solution that would be stronger and more durable than the originals. 2. The Tools and Method Growshapes used Einscan Pro 2X 2020 to 3D scan the cracked plastic bracket mount and worked with an engineer at Uniformity Labs to reverse engineer and create a metal 3D-printed replica. 3. The Reverse Engineering Process Step 1: 3D scan the bracket mount to capture complex geometries using Einscan Pro 2X 2020 Growshapes received the broken plastic bracket mount from Chris. Judging from the size of the part, we decided the best scanning tool was the EinScan Pro 2X 2020 that can capture intricate details with high accuracy, especially in fixed scan mode using it in conjunction with the automated turntable. For small objects, EinScan Pro 2X is the way to go for sure. It captures fine details as point cloud data, then converts it into a mesh that can be exported as an .stl file into a CAD software such as Solidworks. Growshapes 3D scanned the black plastic part that had a fracture on the main wall of the bracket mount. You can see the fracture in the scan results below. We scanned the bracket in fixed mode to digitally capture accurate data of this small part. Fixed scan mode was chosen to use the 3D scanner with the automated turntable. There was no need to put any markers on the parts as the scan was aligned to the markers on the turntable and didn’t even require spraying even though the part was black. The Einscan Pro 2X 2020 uses structured white light technology and the software allows for the capture of dark parts.
Step 2: Reverse Engineering We required expert knowledge rather than simply converting the 3D scan data into a solid model in CAD as the output was going to use additive manufacturing technology, and 3D printed metal. Therefore Growshapes worked with an expert at Uniformity Labs to create the output required. Groweshapes sent the raw scan data in .stl file format to Marlon. Marlon, who led Application Engineering at Uniformity Labs started the reverse engineering process by importing the .stl file of the original design that Growhapes 3D scanned into his CAD software Solidworks. For Marlon, extracting the geometry data from scan data was easier and required less time than measuring the bracket with calipers as it gave accurate values quickly. Furthermore in the CAD software, Marlon was able to model directly over the scan using it as a constant reference. The key expertise Marlon added further was optimizing the design for additive manufacturing in metal, i.e. removing as much material as possible while ensuring strengths which results in adding lattice design.  The steps that were taken from editing the scan files to print:
Some of the challenges Marlon faced specifically for optimizing for additive manufacturing:
Things specifically engineered to optimize for 3D printing:
The original bracket was made from injection molded plastic but the plastic gave way to stress over time. The metal bracket should be stronger than the original plastic bracket mounts. Marlon decided to use 316L (stainless steel) as is resistant to corrosion in harsh weather and can withstand varying temperatures. Injection molding requires a substantial investment in tooling thus requires volume production but with additive manufacturing, one-off print is possible with drastically shorter lead times. See the full additive manufacturing workflow below:  Courtesy of Uniformity Labs Chris is happy with the new and improved auxiliary light bracket mount that is stronger than the original one that came with the Jeep Wrangler. He won't have to worry about having another stress fracture in the bracket mount. Reverse Engineering is not just about replicating but also about improving upon the original design! Check out the mounting brackets that were fixed onto the Jeep Wrangler below.
 Growshapes the official U.S. distributor of Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners. We now carry the eviXscan 3D scanner and THREE from Matter and Form as well!
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Edward Van Zyl, a seasoned 3D scanning and printing expert from Manitoba, heads the company Dreamworks 3D Printing and Scanning. With extensive expertise in vintage car restoration and customization, he is enthusiastic about utilizing state-of-the-art equipment to capture intricate details of automotive components and then utilizing software to generate accurate 3D models. This article, courtesy of Shining 3D, deep dives into the tips utilized by Edward for scanning with the EinScan HX Hybrid Light Source Handheld 3D Scanner and the reverse engineering of car parts through the use of Geomagic Essentials and Fusion 360. Scanning And Printing An Arrow 50 Scooter Part Edward embarked on a projet to 3D scan and reverse engineer an Arrow 50 scooter part and then 3D print. He chose the EinScan HX Hybrid Light Source Handheld 3D Scanner for this reverse engineering project. In the 3D scanning process, Edward provides a small tip: utilizing miniature pyramids as markers rather than some of the markers that need to be put directly onto the object. This has the advantage of saving time and cost, as it eliminates the need for post-scan cleaning and the small pyramids can be reused. You may download files of pyramids here.  Arrow 50 Scooter Part & Pyramid Markers Photo: Courtesy of Shining 3D In laser scan mode, EinScan HX has a maximum scan speed of 480,000points/s. It just took around 12 minutes to complete the whole scan of the component. And the laser scan mode of EinScan HX makes the scanned data accurate up to 0.04mm, thus you get a very accurate model for subsequent work.  Scan File generated by EinScan HX Photo: Courtesy of Shining 3D Below is the 3D printed part from Bambu Lab X1-Carbon Combo 3D Printer.  3D Printed Part Photo: Courtesy of Shining 3D Cutting A Fender Using Geomagic Essentials Edward’s goal was to cut a fender and make sure it was the right size for installation. Usually, he will print out the part for test, and in this case he offers an easy-to-print and material-saving trick. He creates a small offset about 5 mm or even less, and cuts the part again, so that he gets a tiny piece of the fender, but maintains the geometry he need. 3D printing this thin piece was just as good for installation testing, and using only a minimal amount of printed material.
Reverse Engineering An Engine Using Geomagic Essentials And Fusion 360 Furthermore, Edward uses Geomagic Essentials to extract features on the engine, and then using Fusion 360 to model the three holes in which he wants to simulate the mounting bolts.  Extracting features in Geomagic Essentials Photo: Courtesy of Shining 3D One thing to keep in mind here is that you need to maintain the mesh and the extracted features in uniform coordinates. This step ensures that the extracted features can be overlayed on the mesh in the right position. After extruding two cylinders of different sizes and modeling some threads, the mounting bolt is done.  Modeled Mounting Bolts and Brackets Photo: Courtesy of Shining 3D This is basically how to go from scanning to printing of a part; how to use a mesh and model mounting bolts in Geomagic Essentials and Fusion 360. And it is clear how much can be done with a bundle of 3D scanners and softwares. You may find more operation details in the playback video. If you found this content useful, please follow Shining 3D's webinar pages, so you won’t miss out on more information. Growshapes the official U.S. distributor of Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners. We now carry the eviXscan 3D scanner from Evatronix as well!
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D Solid Edge 2021 brought us powerful performance updates to make our working flow more efficient in the areas of Reverse Engineering as well as Part Modeling, and this year, it moves further, launching the promising and practical next generation design functions, Subdivision Modeling and Convergent Modeling. Let´s take a look at the detailed updates of Solid Edge 2022 and discover its advantages and innovations. Please note:
Subdivision Modeling EnhancementsSubdivision Modeling makes it easier to generate a stylized body and control its shape by using a polygonal cage. Solid Edge 2022 introduces new modification functions.   Bridge In the Subdivision Modeling environment, you can use the new "Bridge" command to create a loft-like feature that connects edges or faces selected on a single cage or two separate cages.
Offset Cage Faces Offset allows users to select faces of a cage and offset them along their normal direction. Offset allows users to select faces of a cage and offset them along their normal direction. Offset allows users to select faces of a cage and offset them along their normal direction
Split with Offset Allows adding local detail to model without having to split the entire model, use the new "Split with Offset" command to add detail to a face by offsetting the new faces inward by a user-defined amount.  Align to Curve Use the new Align to Curve command to fit the vertices of body cage faces to one or more existing curves or to curves you interactively sketch. You can undo and redo each curve edit until you achieve the desired shape.  Convergent ModelingSolid Edge now supports mixed mesh modelling (a.k.a Hybrid Convergent modelling). Mesh and Classical faces are in one body, this is extremely helpful when you do assembly reverse engineering and 3D printing.  The new "Show Facet Edges" command controls the display of facet edges within a model. When selected, the command displays the facets; when deselected, the facet edges are not displayed.  Reference Point Cloud
With all new features, Solid Edge 2022 Shining 3D Edition allows you to do more with your scanned data. It is the practical and efficient solution for engineers, designers and 3D enthusiasts for sure. Growshapes the official U.S. distributor of Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners. We now carry the eviXscan 3D scanner from Evatronix as well!
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D Challenge: Finding replacement parts for a classic car
Solution: EinScan Pro 2X fills the gap John, also being a talented engineer and with his deep knowledge of 3D printing technology, he decided to reverse engineer these Mini Cooper steering column covers and 3D print new replacement parts. Rather than measuring the parts with a caliper and designing in CAD from scratch, John decided to 3D scan the plastic steering column covers to generate a 3D digital surface model to get accurate measurements of the parts with the EinScan Pro 2X 3D scanner
 The EinScan Pro 2X 3D scanner with the Industrial Kit enabled John to put the object on the turntable and within an hour or so, get a workable 3D mesh. Multiple scans were automatically fused together to create a watertight 360-degree digital surface mesh that was then imported into the Solid Edge Shining 3D Edition reverse engineering software. The surface mesh files were leveraged to build a solid model, make design improvements, and then be further process for 3D printing. Results: Capturing details enabled precise CAD file creation for 3D printing
“By using the 3D scanner, I was able to focus on creating the CAD file suitable for 3D printing without having to wrestle with measurements and generating a CAD file from scratch.” - John Buffington. Also importatnt to note is to understand copyright laws in the US. Reverse engineering is legal but if you are going to reproduce and profit, you should get in touch with a patent lawyer. With an old part like above, it's beyond the copyright Growshapes the official U.S. distributor of Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners. We now carry the eviXscan 3D scanner from Evatronix as well!
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D 3D scanner is a data-acquiring device that captures the surface model of a physical object in a digital polygonal model. The types of output data format that 3D scanners can generate maybe confusing. What is an ASC file? Which export formats does my CAD software import for rapid prototyping? What is the best practice for saving scans? Which file format is the best choice for 3D printing? In this post, we will discuss all file types that involve Einscan software. The type of file you require depends on what you are going to do after the scanning process. There are a total of 6 types of output data formats (ASC, p3, STL, PLY, OBJ, 3MF) that you can export from EinScan software during data capture and generating mesh which are polygon models. We will explain the differences among these 6 file types in this blog. Point Cloud Data Format When you have finished your scan and are ready to convert your raw scan data to point cloud data, you can click on the save button to save the point cloud data as an ASC file and the marker position as p3 format when markers are detected. ASC file contains the position information of each point in the point cloud. This file type can be opened in most scan data processing software and metrology software like Meshmixer, GOM Inspect, and Geomagic Essentials. The P3 file is for marker reuse purposes in EinScan software. For a large object scan, the user can scan all markers only first and save the marker frame as a p3 file. Later the object can be scanned part by part in a separate project using the same p3 file as a reference which improves the accuracy and will require no alignment between each project.  With Fix scan mode number of scans will be saved as separate files, while for handheld scans the full point cloud will be saved as one file. Meshed Data File Format After the data is meshed, more saving options will be available. ASC file is still available while the mesh can be saved as STL, PLY, OBJ, or 3MF files. STL file format is the most common mesh file format. It only contains the position and normal directions of all triangles in the mesh. This polygon file format can be opened by mesh editing software and many CAD software like Solid Edge or Solidworks for reverse engineering. PLY and OBJ file formats contain mesh texture information, including color information, in addition to the STL file. Users can export these data types for digital documentation and online model display. 3MF file is the 3D printing format published by the 3MF Consortium. This format includes information about materials, colors, and other information that cannot be represented in the STL format. Windows system and other CAD software packages can open this mesh format.  Post Processing Data EinScan software provides basic functions for mesh editing in Post Processing and Measurement sections. Usually, users use these functions right after meshing data. However, external mesh data can also be imported into the EinScan software for editing. The EinScan software supports STL, OBJ, and PLY formats for post-processing and measurement. 
The project group folder contains different kinds of files. The project group directory links all projects in the group. The project directory links all data files belonging to this project and the rest are project data files. When moving the project group, the user needs to move all the folders in the project group. When opening the project, the user needs to locate the folder where the project group was saved and open the corresponding directory files.The project group folder contains different file formats. The project group directory links all projects in the group. The project directory links all data files belonging to this project and the rest are project data files. When moving the project group, the user needs to move all the folders in the project group. When opening the project, the user must locate the folder where the project group was saved and open the corresponding directory files.
So that's it! You have 6 output formats to choose from and all the required scans for your saved project will be in a project group folder. Remember, the file size for each project is large, so make sure you secure a space on your PC where you can save the files. Growshapes the official U.S. distributor of Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners. We now carry the eviXscan 3D scanner from Evatronix as well!
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D EinScan H users, download the latest software version V1.0.5.3 Exscan H that enables the capture of fine details when using Infrared Scanning, Face Scan Mode. With the newly developed algorithm, the software can capture more details around the face with invisible Infrared light. Check out the details below.
EinScan H is also useful in making 3D digital replicas of ancient artifacts which may be sensitive to white light.  The combination of great hardware and software truly makes a difference in how much detail can be captured with 3D scanning technology. The team behind EinScan 3D scanners continues to innovate pushing frequent software updates and develping new software algorithms, so make sure you have the latest software to get the benefits of all the new features! Growshapes is an HP Silver Partner of HP 3D scanning solutions and the official U.S. distributor of Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners. We are now carry the eviXscan 3D scanner from Evatronix as well!
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D.  3D Printed Valves. Photo courtesy of dezeen. Recently the media picked up a story about how 3D printing saved the day to produce valves for an intensive care unit in Italy to treat COVID-19 patients. The Italian startup company reverse engineered, and 3D printed these valves that are key components of Venturi oxygen masks that are connected to ventilators. When you read the details however, you realize they jumped various legal hurdles to do this - the valve is protected by copyright and patents with its blueprint not released but in an emergency case such as this one, the hospital seemed to have allowed them to reverse engineer the valve and 3D print them. The CEO of the company that 3D printed the valves is now is explaining what his intentions were on his Facebook post and LinkedIn video (in Italian). When emergencies of such enormous scale occur as is happening right in front of our eyes, you just want to help if you have the capability and technology to solve the problem quickly. But regulations exist to ensure safety and durability thus everybody in the 3D printing industry is doing a thoughtful balancing act. It is not clear if they used a 3D scanner or just used calipers to do the reverse engineering but 3D scanners can play a key role in enabling accurate and quick reverse engineering of physical objects. Using 3D scanning technology, you can capture the surface dimensions of complex physical objects accurately and quickly especially with the structured light 3D scanners, then then reverse engineer with various CAD software such as Geomagic and Solid Edge which comes bundled with EinScan Pro 2X & 2X Plus to create a blueprint that can be 3D printed. Have a look at how you can reverse engineer products that are missing a blueprint by using 3D scanners. https://www.growshapes.com/einscan-pro-2x-3d-scanner-series-bundle.html Growshapes is an HP Silver Partner of HP 3D scanning solutions and the official U.S. distributor of Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners. We are now carrying the eviXscan 3D scanner from Evatronix too!
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D. "California-stationed medical 3D printing service bureau PrinterPrezz has joined hands with UCSF Surgical Innovations, a startup-accelerator for MedTech innovators at UC San Francisco. Growshapes is an HP Silver Partner of HP 3D scanning solutions and the official U.S. distributor of Open Technologies 3D Scanners and Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners.
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D Over the past few months, we have been quietly working with PrinterPrezz, the new additive manufacturing startup in the Bay Area focused on the medical field. Growshapes partnered with PrinterPrezz to help them select the right 3D scanner solutions to advance in their mission "to bring more ideas for innovative medical devices to market faster, connecting medicine and manufacturing to become the first Medifacturing™ company in the world." We helped them set up a dedicated 3D scanner room in their facility in Fremont so that surgeons, engineers and innovators can try various 3D scanning equipment and find a solution that fits their needs, whether it be design creation, reverse engineering or measurement and further explore new possibilities such as creating AR/VR applications by digitizing physical objects to create content for AR/VR applications for surgeon training. We hope the medical field will get more exposure to various 3D scanning solution through PrinterPrezz and learn how 3D scanning technology can help in their quest for innovation. Current lineup of 3D scanners being used at PrinterPrezz include the Cronos Dual from Open Technologies, now FARO, HP 3D Scanner and the Artec 3D scanner Eva and Artec Leo coming soon. Read more here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181212005580/en/PrinterPrezz-Opens-Bay-Area-3D-Print-Nanotech  Growshapes is an HP Silver Partner of HP 3D scanning solutions and the official U.S. distributor of Open Technologies 3D Scanners and Shining 3D EinScan 3D scanners.
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D What does Growshapes do to prepare for Halloween? We 3D scan pumpkins! We 3D scanned this pumpkin using the HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 with dual camera and automated turntable. Actually the pumpkin's organic shapes is more difficult to 3D scan than you think due to the top half and bottom half of the pumpkin being sort of symmetrical. If you 3D scan the top half first, then 3D scan the bottom half next, alignment can go haywire. There is a high chance that the 3D scans of the bottom half of the pumpkin tries to align to the top half of the pumpkin by the contours of the pumpkin. This tends to result in the bottom half of the pumpkin aligning directly on top of the top half of the pumpkin, ending up with a 3D scan of a half empty pumpkin that is distorted, rather than a full pumpkin where the top half and the bottom half are aligned as it should be. In order to avoid this, putting some markers on the pumpkin helps. The markers help the HP 3D Scan Pro 5 software to align the 3D scans to distinct features i.e. markers on the pumpkin, rather than just the contours of the pumpkin as it is flipped over.
So here you are, the 3D scanned model of pumpkins with and without texture.
On the latest HP 3D Scan Software Pro v5.5.1, "export fusion result to PreForm" has been added. PreForm is a software that prepares 3D models for printing on the Formlabs 3D printer.  Figure 3 : "Export fusion result to PreForm"on HP Scan Pro 5.5.1  Figure 4 : Exported fusion result of pumpkin to PreForm software by Formlabs 3D scan to 3D print is getting easier now as well! Growshapes is an HP Silver Partner of HP 3D scanning solutions and the official U.S. distributor of Open Technologies 3D Scanners - an endorsement that makes us proud. We are adding the Shining3D EinScan 3D scanners to our line up too.
See the innovators on Growshapes’ social media channels to get the latest expert news on innovation in 3D digitization, then share your thoughts and join the conversation about 3D digital innovation with #digitize3D |
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