Computer-Aided Design (CAD) has become increasingly popular and in demand. Aerospace suppliers, the automotive after market, biomedical industries, and general manufacturing companies make use of reverse engineering services.

Reverse engineering services involves generating 3-D images of manufactured components when a blue print is not accessible in order to re-manufacture the part. Reverse engineering will design a new part to fit your existing manufactured product or device.

Benefits of reverse engineering services include minimizing engineering, design time, and product development costs. Another benefit of reverse engineering services is that you can reproduce the product or device in computer-aided design with accuracy and efficiency. Reverse engineering services allows you to redesign a part without manufacturing defects.

The purpose of the first article inspection is to provide evidence that all engineering design and specification requirements are properly understood, verified, and documented. In other words, first article inspections can be considered a stamp of approval to continue with the manufacturing process of a product. First article inspection is used to improve customer product quality and effectiveness.

The first article inspection applies to all aerospace products. The purpose of this standard is to provide a consistent documentation requirement for aerospace components. Having proper documentation of first article inspections help companies account for all parts of development, verify the processes for production and report the findings for company and government records.

First article inspection using a 3D laser scanner:
3D laser scanners can accurately perform first article inspections by comparing the manufactured product to its computer-aided design (CAD) geometry. This process of the first article inspection will highlight areas that require closer attention.

3D scanning systems are used within various industries including automotive, aerospace, medical and manufacturers. 3D scanning is the process of capturing digital information about the shape of an object with equipment that uses a laser or light to measure the distance between the scanner and the object. 3D scanning can capture very small objects all the way up to full-size airplanes and skyscraper buildings. 3D scanning can be used for reverse engineering and computer-aided inspections (CAI).

3D laser scanners captures tens of thousands of points per second by sensing the reflection of a laser line bounced off the surface of the target object or surface. With 3D laser scanners production parts can be inspected quickly.
Benefits of 3D scanning include:

instant 3D image
time saving
detecting areas of poor product performance
enhancing a product’s design
accurate measurements of an object
offers cost benefits for metal fabricating and sheet-metal forming
provides documentation to evaluate a product for quality inspection and re-design

In conclusion, 3D scanning helps increase manufacturing efficiency, captures data quickly, shortens production cycles and improves product quality.

Computer-Aided Inspections (CAI) can be used for first article inspections, inspecting tools for accuracy or wear and monitoring manufacturing processes. Computer-aided inspection technology includes geometric algorithm software, non-contact 3D scanners, computing power and mass data storage. Computer-aided inspections have been used within the automotive industry at engine-building plants.

How’s Computer-Aided Inspection’s performed?

Your part or product is scanned to produce point cloud data. That data is converted to a clean mesh file that is then placed on top of the original computer-aided design data. A best fit function will be performed to make sure that the data is lined up correctly and spaced efficiently.

Then, the scanned data will be compared to the original computer-aided design data to determine the differences. Color deviation maps will show where the part surface is above or below the design surface. Computer-aided inspections introduces a faster and easier method to compare as-built parts with their 3D computer-aided design.

Overall, computer-aided inspection saves time and on money on first article inspections. You’ll spend less time collecting data and have more time to analyze.

White light scanners can be defined as digital shape sampling sensors that projects light in a pattern of lines on an object and through triangulation measures deviation of the original pattern and it calculates the surface representation data.

White light scanning systems has become a useful tool for automotive design studios. In the past coordinate measuring machines were used but they have been replaced with white light scanner systems. White light scanners can provide digitization of a full size car including the already built-in interior.

White light scanning is also used within the dentistry field. Computer-aided design has helped manufacture dental prostheses, provide educational dental training, plan dental surgery, and construct electronic casts instead of stone casts.