Multiscale Reverse Engineering

Reverse Engineering is the process of reproducing a 3d object by using a detailed examination of the shape, construction and composition of the part. Most 3d replicators or reverse engineering facilities reproduce the external shape. Clearly copying the shape of a hand does not reproduce the function of a hand.

The Reverse Engineering Laboratory is the home of an exciting project at CDRSP which looks to the future where we will be able to capture all relevant scales of complexity and composition so that we can replicate function and not just form.

The current Reverse Engineering Laboratory contains a high speed shape scanning system using multiple cameras. Later this year it will house a TESCAN Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with an elemental analysis system which will be able to provide metrology information down to the micrometre and 10s of nanometre scale as well as compositional variations.

Current work is focused on bridging the gap between the macroscopic scale and the microscopic scale. The Reverse Engineering Laboratory form part of a larger project at CDRSP – The Universal printer which is developing a framework for describing multimaterial multiscale complex parts which is critical to manufacturing such complexity.

 

360 Laboratory 360 view ( Must log in your Google account for a 360 view )

 

REVERSE ENGINEERING AND METROLOGY

 

VIRTUAL REALITY

Equipment:

   
 
  • Fringe projection system (COMET 5)
  • CMM arm with 5 degree of freedom
  • Haptic device system
  • Thermographic camera
  • Large scale rotate scanning system
  • Laser strip projection system (home-made)
  • Finge projection system (home-made)
  • BioCAD system (home-made)
  • ThermoDiCOM (home-made)
  • CERAMICS MM Toolbox (home-made)
   
  Computer-aided design

  • SolidEdge
  • Solidworks
  • MIMICS
  • Geomagic
  • Unigraphics
  • ProENGINEERING
  • CopyCAD
  • Powershape
   
  Computer-aided engineering

  • ANSYS/LS-DYNA
  • ABAQUS
  • Cosmos Works
  • Inventor
  • Moldflow
  • Moldex 3D
   
  Computer-aided manufacturing

  • PowerMill
  • Solidcam
   
  Other software tools

  • Matlab
  • C++
  • PytonJulia
  • Plotter Roland Soljet Pro III XC-540
   
  White light 3D scanning system ( Steinbichler – COMET 5)

The scanning white light technique structured allows non-contact 3D scanning. Projects with this device are designed in various industrial fields, for example:
   
 
   
 
  • Quality/Inspection Control
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Digitalisation of different areas of models (work of art, protheses, metalic components, glass, etc.)
  • CAD data processing
  • Data aquisition for Rapid Prototyping
   
   Work examples
   
  CMMs (MicroScribeMLX)
   
   
   
  The contact-based methods have the principle of using a contact probe to touch the part that acquires the coordinates of where the probe touched.
   
  Haptic system (Sensable Chameleon)

A force feedback device that enables the user to manipulate / play with the block of material and model it virtually as if to carve a piece / statue. To position the workpiece in 6 degrees of freedom and has force feedback in three of the same.
   
 
   
  Work examples
   
  Thermografic Camera (Flir)

Equipment used to view temperature levels without contact.

It is used to inspect, for example:

  • Temperature injection
  • Loss of heat / cold
  • Facility buildings
   
 
   
  Work examples