Are you still using calipers? Have you tried reverse engineering using 3D scanners? It's a new tool for an old task.

Merriam-Webster defines reverse engineering as "the process of disassembling and examining a product or device to discover the concepts involved in its manufacture, usually with the goal of producing something similar."

As the design process is beoming digitized, reverse engineering today is more commonly associated with the process of converting a physical object’s geometry into a digital 3D model and replicating the original design or further improving for new manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing. More engineers are moving away from using calipers and adopting 3D scanners to take measurements, especially of complex parts.

3D scanners allows you to digitally capture the geometry of even the most complex parts in an extraordinarily quick and precise manner. A large docking pump was recently captured in just 20 minutes for example, with the help of laser 3D scanning. This technology has enabled the use of reverse engineering in situations beyond simple benchmarking and part reproduction, as we explore in the next section.

Main Applications for 3D Scanning & Reverse Engineering

Reverse engineering with 3D scanning offers many possibilities for product development and manufacturing. Overall, the different uses of reverse engineering can be divided into three major applications: (1) to replicate parts,  (2) to create variations of existing parts, or (3) to develop entirely new parts based on an existing environment or object. Let's look at each application in a bit more detail.

1. Recreate & Replicate Parts

One of the most popular uses for 3D scanners is recreating damaged or worn-out parts that are unavailable from the original supplier or lack proper documentation. This is a common problem when working with old machinery or vintage vehicles, and it’s always challenging to do with manual reverse engineering tools like calipers. However, with a good 3D scanner and the proper software, it can become a straightforward task.

Katsuya Tanabiki, for example, shared his process of reverse engineering a shield notch on an old motorcycle helmet. The helmet featured two shield notches, but one was broken, and it was too difficult to obtain a replacement notch. This tiny part was 3D scanned with an EinScan Pro 2X in Fixed Mode, and later 3D printed.

2.  Improve The Design of Existing Parts
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Another goal of reverse engineering is to use digitized parts to create new and improved variants instead of merely reproducing them. This method can significantly reduce the time and costs of creating parts from scratch and also ensures a perfect fit for components belonging to larger assemblies.

Taiwanese company Kiden Design has illustrated the reverse engineering process of optimizing a pipe using 3D scanning, CAD, and 3D printing. The EinScan Pro HD 3D scanner, used in Handheld mode, captured the irregular geometry of the pipe on two opposite sides that were stitched together later in software.  Thanks to the accurate 3D model obtained, the geometry could be easily optimized in CAD.

​This particular technique is also commonly practiced by medical professionals since body parts are unique and challenging to accurately replicate using manual methods. Here, 3D scanning once again has proven to be an efficient tool for digitizing human parts and surfaces.

Earmolds, for example, are patient-specific parts that help conduct sound from the hearing aids to the ear canal. Servicing or creating new earmolds from scratch can take several weeks during which patients experience hearing problems without them. However, thanks to reverse engineering methods with 3D scanning and 3D printing, the Hearing Beyond Audiology Clinic in Toronto can produce temporary earmolds in just one day. The temporary accessory allows patients to keep their hearing while waiting for the earmolds to be produced or serviced in other facilities.  Similar reverse engineering methods with 3D scanning are also utilized for producing facial prosthetics and custom orthotics.

Quality Data Capture Is Key for Successful Reverse Engineeing

​The use cases above clearly demonstrate the central role of 3D scanning in reverse engineering. It comes as no surprise that the effectiveness and accuracy of data captured by 3D scanning are crucial for a successful reverse engineering process. Yet, the software tools used for processing the data and working with the 3D models are also essential for achieving the desired results in reverse engineering. To understand the importance of good data and adequate software, let’s go over the main steps of reverse engineering with 3D scanning.

Step 1. Data acquisition

The very first step in any reverse engineering process is data acquisition. Regardless of the method, proper planning and preparation can make the difference between good and poor data. With 3D scanning, this involves selecting the correct device for the job, including the proper configuration (handheld or stationary) and accessories such as turntables, fixtures, and calibration panels. Correct calibration of the device is also vital to acquire quality data.

The regions or parts to be digitized usually demand some kind of preparation. Besides a good cleaning, some 3D scanning devices also require the use of markers or even special coatings on reflective surfaces. One should also consider the ambient conditions before starting the digitization process. A controlled environment (e.g. indoors, without direct sunlight, a cleared tabletop, …) is always preferred to reduce noise in the data, but that’s not always possible. All the factors mentioned will contribute to proper data collection, which will in turn determine how quickly and easily the data can be processed next.

Step 2.  Post-Processing

The next step in a reverse engineering process is post-processing the acquired data, or the  “point cloud”. Here, the point cloud is processed by software tools – like EinScan software – resulting in a 3D mesh representation of the digitized object.

​The better the data quality acquired, the less post-processing and repairing will be needed. The post-processing step is also when reference entities are assigned to the 3D model, a procedure that should expedite the next stage of the reverse engineering process.

Step 3. CAD Model Generation

The final step in a reverse engineering process is to convert the mesh representation of the physical object captured by the 3D scanner into a solid 3D model.

​​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

In 3D scanning, accuracy is a key metric in choosing which model to use for your project. 

How accurately do you need to replicate the physical model? In other words, how authentic do you want the 3D digital model of the real object to be?

High end 3D scanners like eviXscan Quadro+ can achieve up to 0.007mm (7 microns) accuracy, while lower end 3D scanners like EinScan SP can still achieve an accuracy up to 0.05mm (50 microns). Accuracy of a 3D scanner depends on the quality of the camera, projector lights as well as the software.

Meanwhile there is another important metric, resolution.  Resolution is about defining the point distance the 3D scanner can capture to generate the point cloud which is then converted into a mesh.  If you 3D scan your object in high resolution, the point distance is small thus details will be more visible, while if you 3D scan your object in low resolution,  the point distance is bigger.

Below is a guideline of resolution settings that is optimal depending on the type of objects you are 3D scanning. Basically the recommendation is the smaller the object, use high detail (higher resolution) and the larger the object, use low detail (lower resolution) settting.

The Einscan Pro HD and EinScan 2X 2020 provde super high resolution with HD scan mode and setting the resolution to "High Detail".  This kind of high detail captures is useful for objects with that has a lot of details like the object below.  On the other hand, large engineering parts may not require such detail but higher accuracy.

Basically the tip is to think about what you are going to do about your 3D scan file and choose the right resolution setting depending on the object you are 3D scanning.

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:

1. Users who activated Solid Edge SHINING 3D Edition Floating Version (not for dongle key) between 2021/5/9 and 2022/5/9 can update to the latest version for FREE. Download the software now.
2. Users who activated Solid Edge SHINING 3D Edition before 2021/4/26 can obtain a FREE license in exchange for a Solid Edge/EinScan case study. (See reference@https://youtu.be/QhN5jqbbEiI) If you are interested in updating via this option, please fill in the form.
3. For more upgrade options, please feel free to contact info@growshapes.com

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
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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
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​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.

​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​

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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 

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

3D scanner is a data acquiring device. There are multiple data types involved in 3D scanning and users may be confused by all the filename extensions. What is an ASC file? Which file should I export into other software? In this post, we will discuss all file types which involve Einscan software.

There are a total of 6 types of output data format (ASC, p3, STL, PLY, OBJ, 3MF) that you can export from EinScan software during data capture and generating mesh. 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 generate a point cloud, 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 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.

Post Processing Data
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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 format 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.

So that's it!  You have 6 output formats to choose from and all the associated files of your project will be saved in a project group folder.  Remember, these file sizes are large, so make sure you secure a space on your PC where you can save the files.