Blog with 2 Columns2017-12-20T08:55:50-05:00

Benefits of Using 3D Scanning in the Automotive Industry

We recently posted a blog article about reproducing legacy auto parts with 3D scanning; this post is a follow-up to it. Today we are going to list just some of the benefits of using 3D scanning in the Automotive industry. This list is not exhaustive, but hopefully one of the applications or challenges listed here resonates with you. Whether you work for an OEM or a small custom shop, automotive designers, manufacturing engineers, R&D teams, quality inspectors and many other stakeholders can expect to benefit in several ways by bringing 3D scanning into their operations: Lower costs. As we have seen in many of these examples, using 3D scanning can streamline multiple steps in the design cycle, leading to faster design, prototyping, testing and manufacturing of vehicle parts. This means faster time to market and lower production costs. Faster design cycle. Before 3D scanning, modifying an existing automotive part often required extremely slow, low-resolution measurement using manual tools like calipers, gages, rulers or CMMs. Then a model or drawing would need to be created by hand to inform the modelmaker or prototyper before the part could be reproduced. The more complex the part, the more measurements were needed, and the more chances for missing [...]

By |December 27th, 2023|3D Scanning|

The Various Control X Measure Functions

There are many different measurement functions that can be used in Control X Professional. This post will explain what they are and how to use them. We will use the airfoil example above to illustrate the various Control X measure functions available. In the menu below you will find a list of the measurement tools that are available within Control X. These all apply to just the MEAsured data. The Measure Distance function allows you to simply pick two points on the mesh or point cloud and request the distance between them. Measure Angle enables you to select three points off of the mesh or point cloud and Control X will return the angle between them. The Measure Radius function also allows you to select three points, but returns the radius fit between those points. Measure Area is a 3D measuring tool that enables you to measure the surface area in “units squared.” The Measure Volume tool enables you to measure the volume of either a fully enclosed region or a region bound by a surface and a plane. The volume is returned in “cubic units.” If you are a Control X user and haven't tried out these measure functions yet, give them [...]

By |December 21st, 2023|3D Scanning, 3d Scanning & Reverse Engineering, Tech Tips|

Forward AM Filament Materials Deliver on Both Performance and Sustainability

BASF Forward AM is deeply committed to sustainability. They are continuously working to reduce the environmental impact of their materials as well as their use of Earth’s precious resources. To both accelerate and justify their efforts, they recently conducted a detailed SEEbalance assessment for 3D printing technologies. Over the past several months they have evaluated the results and are now incorporating them to make their Ultrafuse® products even more sustainable. Whether it is powder bed fusion, photopolymer, or filaments, they want to provide the best possible materials for your 3D printing projects while also reducing their carbon footprint to protect the environment and our planet for future generations. Let's take a closer look at their filaments and the different measures their material experts took and will continue to take to offer more sustainable options within the Ultrafuse® line. Sustainable Terminology Virgin plastic: Plastic can be made from different natural materials such as crude oil or bio-based materials. When the word virgin plastic is used, it refers to plastic that is newly created without recycled materials. Post-industrial: The word post-industrial means waste that was produced during a manufacturing process but was not used as an end product due to a variety of issues and [...]

By |December 13th, 2023|3D Printing / Additive Mfg|

UltiMaker 3D Printers Offer Increased Productivity

Experience improved model arrangement on the virtual build plate, powerful new engine plugins, and remarkable productivity improvements for UltiMaker S series printers in the newest version of Cura! Ultimaker S series 3D printers can now print at up to twice the speed UltiMaker is always on a mission to refine their printers. This includes not only their latest machines but also those already in the hands of the users. This Cura release contains one of the best examples of their dedication to continuous improvement with up to double the 3D printing productivity for everyone using our S series printers together with UltiMaker materials. While the raw speed of the S series printers has increased, it should be noted that it is the overall productivity of their printers that has been improved. They have been able to realize this speed increase without reducing print quality or increasing failure rates. This is a huge achievement! Whether you’re using an S7 you bought today or an S5 you bought years ago, you can now print parts in up to half the time, without any reduction in reliability or quality. For instance, in the previous Cura 5.4 release, printing a part in PETG on an [...]

By |December 8th, 2023|3D Printing / Additive Mfg, Ultimaker|

Reverse Engineering Hinge Replacement

Have you ever considered reverse engineering a cabinet hinge replacement? Just imagine that you have a kitchen cabinet door with a broken hinge. Your wife wants to replace all of the cabinets since they are decades old, but you are determined to find a solution that doesn’t involve a completely new kitchen cabinet purchase and installation. You remove the 20+ year-old hinge and take it with you to the local hardware store, in search of a replacement and you find hinges that are “oh so close” but just a slight difference makes it unusable. You come to the realization that your 20+ year old hinge probably just isn’t produced anymore so what do you do? Step 1 – Scan the broken hinge We use our laser scanner to capture all of the necessary detail of the hinge. Step 2 – Reverse Engineer from the scan to a mechanical CAD model We import the scan into Design X reverse engineering software and step our way through the modeling of the bracket based upon the scan features captured from the broken bracket. After the initial Extrusion, we continue modeling the bracket, taking advantage of symmetry as we go. Adding the Small Pocket to the Extruded [...]

By |December 5th, 2023|3d Scanning & Reverse Engineering|
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