Supercharging Manufacturing Design: Reverse Engineering Becomes Mainstream
The reverse engineering process has historically required the deep pockets of larger manufacturing enterprises, those who could afford the machines and devices required to conduct the processes required to create CAD models from legacy physical parts (e.g., from blueprints) for modern production methods such as CNC or 3D printing.
The Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence division (Hexagon MI) believes the next iteration of reverse engineering processes will become a disruptive force in the manufacturing industry, including metal cutting manufacturers, where shops of all sizes can implement today’s tools to conduct processes formerly out of reach.
Thanks to products such as handheld scanners and entry-level software subscriptions, metal cutting manufacturers of all sizes can realize the benefits of the reverse engineering process. To that end, earlier this year, Hexagon MI completed the acquisition of the Geomagic software business from 3D Systems Corp. With the purchase, Hexagon fills a gap in its portable metrology software portfolio, adding market-leading technology that improves productivity regarding reverse engineering 3D measurement data for use throughout the product lifecycle and into CAD.
The main product is Geomagic Design X (DX), with the entry-level product Design X Go, AKA DX Go, as well. Add-ons include Control-X, an inspection software, alongside existing tools such as Hexagon’s Spatial Analyzer. The software suite comprises tools for measurement and quality control, mesh and surface model creation, and parametric scan-to-CAD workflows for reverse engineering. A major benefit is that the Geomagic suite works with any 3D scanner or portable CMM. The software supports reverse engineering and metrology workflows with 3D scanning devices from optical, laser and LiDAR scanning devices from any vendor.
Democratization, Reverse Monitoring and New Frontiers
According to Hexagon MI, there are three forces converging regarding the wide spread use of reverse engineering by all sizes of manufacturing firms: democratization, reverse mentoring and new frontiers.
Thanks to lower hardware costs, for example handheld scanners such as the Hexagon ATLASSCAN Pro, and subscription-based software, shops of all sizes can easily make use of the reverse engineering process to speed time to market, among other benefits and advantages. Applications include creating replacement parts for obsolete products; in the medical sector, the industry can turn CT scans into CAD models for medical devices and implants (using Geomagic Freeform); and the capability where manufacturers can scan the layouts of their facilities and simulate digital twins of the plants for retrofits, or safety or insurance purposes.
For Hexagon MI, today’s reverse engineering software, such as the Geomagic suite, also opens up the reverse mentoring environment: “that transition from the print environment, from the traditional design environment, manufacturing environment, to the current environment, where digital is standard,” said David Mihal, the global commercial director of software for Hexagon MI. Older generations of manufacturing workers, used to working from prints, collaborate with younger generations implementing the latest technologies and software models to create new approaches to reverse engineering, Mihal noted.
Mihal also pointed out that the hardware and software used in the reverse engineering processes not only benefits additional industries it creates new opportunities, for example regarding medical applications. For example, converting CT scans into CAD models is something that hasn’t happened in the past when it comes reverse engineering applications. “There is a Geomagic product called Freeform, which is used heavily in the medical [sector] for bone implants and other types of processes,” Mihal said.
He added: “Anything where you have something physical that you want to quickly turn into a CAD model. Hexagon has a variety of equipment that can be used for that. Scan it and turn it into a CAD model.”
Speed and Efficiency
Mihal said as the reverse engineering process becomes more mainstream throughout the manufacturing sector, companies will benefit from efficiencies, reduce their waste streams and increase their speed to market with components and products. He mentioned the benefits of reverse engineering in the motorsports sector. Race teams, when making modifications to their cars determine how changes will optimize their products and performance. By scanning and reverse engineering a modification, the teams have a physical, digital twin to work with and can readily make decisions.
In another sector, for a specialist in digital automation and energy management, the use of 3D scanning and Geomagic Design X has accelerated the manufacturer’s tool repair time frames in its maintenance department. The move resulted in a leap forward for Schneider Electric regarding the ability to model replacement parts and ensure rapid tool repairs. “3D scanning allows us to do things we couldn’t do before because of the complexity of parts,” said Fabien Brunet, tool design technician for Schneider Electric. “With Geomagic Design X we can create models of parts that were previously difficult to model. Once we got the training, we could model much faster than before.”
The ability to model faster and more efficiently, with affordable tools, will drive the future of reverse engineering processes in manufacturing. What’s on the horizon when it comes to reverse engineering? Hexagon MI has initiatives underway regarding AI and manufacturing software developments. However, “as far as AI and approaches like that, we’re looking at ways to just optimize,” Mihal said. For example, if a designer working on a contoured surface can incorporate AI to create “X” number of features on the surface, it saves the designer time. However, the human element is vital to the process because they need to make decisions about factors such as nominal values, and what a part should look like before it is machined or printed.
“It’s difficult to remove the human element from manufacturing and reverse engineering,” Mihal said. “You have to sit down and think about the design intent and what you need to end up with so it fits in properly with everything else that it matches into.”
For further exploration of the advantages of today’s reverse engineering capabilities, tune into RE Lab: Reverse Engineer Anything, a free online workshop held each Wednesday. This reverse engineering workshop provides examples in Geomagic DesignX, and is hosted by Gregory George, an applications engineering manager for Hexagon MI.
Whether it’s automotive, heavy machinery, construction, industrial tooling or aerospace, time equals money. The longer you spend rebuilding digital models, the less time you have for the important functions — using them. George uses examples spanning across a variety of industries regarding how to reverse engineer (almost) anything.
