A project by Print3DD.com

3D printing has revolutionized the manufacturing world and with it we have seen the rise of the more accessible 3D scanner. Pieces that once required custom molding could sometimes take weeks between the initial design, the creation of the mold, and transportation. 3D printing or additive manufacturing have cut that time down into a fraction of what it once was. Printing a piece that required weeks to assemble can now take as little as a few hours depending on the size and material. The bulk of the manufacturing process is now spent on the design, the creation of the CAD file for the desired piece. 3D scanning is to the design process, what 3D printing is to manufacturing; a revolutionary way to save time and money by streamlining the entire process. This makes EinScan Pro 2X the perfect tool for reverse engineering.

Print3DD.com out of Thailand are no strangers to the manufacturing process. They host a great channel on YouTube featuring videos of their projects in the metrology industry. They cover everything from small scale 3d printers to full scale metrology and dental solutions. Most recently they completed a reverse engineering project using SHINING 3D’s EinScan Pro 2X, multifunctional 3D scanner. The EinScan Pro 2X is unique in that it is multifunctional 3D scanner, meaning that it can operate as a handheld scanner or mounted on a tripod. This is ideal as the scanner is capable of scanning a wide range of objects using either method. The other thing that sets the EinScan Pro 2X apart is that each scanner comes with a license for Solid Edge SHINING 3D Edition, by SIEMENS PLM. This software is the perfect design tool, allowing you to reverse engineer scans taken by the EinScan Pro 2X.

For this particular project Print3DD needed to reverse engineer a small turbine they did not have a CAD file for. The turbine was a smaller part with symmetrical blades which can prove difficult to scan without the use of markers or targets for reference.  Luckily, the EinScan Pro 2X’s automated turntable has built-in reference markers, allowing for the capture of small pieces without the use of targets. The turbine was placed on the automated turntable and the scanner was mounted on the tripod. Using the EinScan Pro 2X’s “Fixed Scan” mode they were able to automate the scanning process. Within minutes they had a complete and high-precision scan of the part they wanted to reverse engineer and modify. The file was then saved and exported directly into the design software.

Using Solid Edge SHINING 3D edition, they import the scan data into the software and align it. From there the reverse engineering process begins. While this part of the process takes a longer amount of time than the scanning, it is still much quicker than designing and modifying a part from scratch. Print3DD’s engineers use the software’s tools to define the features they need to extract, the cylinder, base, and blades. Solid Edge allows them to correct imperfections in the scanned piece so that the final CAD file meets their requirements.

Create Reference Plane

Create Sketch

Reverse engineering of the base

Once they have identified the surfaces and corrected the scan they begin customizing the part using the parameters from the scan data. Since the turbine blades are symmetrical in shape, only one blade needs to be reverse engineered and then duplicated using features in the software.  When finished, Solid Edge gives them a comparison of the final piece vs the scan data. The completed file can then be used for additional customizations, simulations, and 3D prints.

Extract the blade surface

Reverse engineering of a single blade

Combine and refine

For more on this project please check out the full video here and be sure to check out Print3DD’s channel for other exciting projects with the EinScan Pro 2X multi-functional 3D scanner.