Reverse engineering and 3D scanning
We capture parts that have no drawings, or drawings that no longer match, and rebuild them as clean, editable CAD.
- You send
- The part, or access to it on site, plus any old drawings, photos or measurements
- You get back
- Parametric Inventor, SolidWorks or STEP models, 2D drawings with tolerances and materials, and a model-to-scan deviation report
Rebuilt as an engineered part
We rebuild the design intent behind the scan. Holes are modelled as holes and flat faces as flat faces, and every feature is dimensioned, so the model updates cleanly when you change it.
Where a part is worn or damaged, we rebuild the missing geometry from engineering logic and comparable reference data, and the deviation report shows exactly where the part and the model differ.
How we capture it
We work from 3D scans, CMM data, site measurements, photographs and legacy drawings, choosing the method to suit the part’s size, its surface and the accuracy you need.
Copied or improved
A captured part can be made stronger, easier to manufacture or lighter in material as well as copied, with finite element analysis to check the change before anything is made.
What we capture
- Mechanical and structural components
- Legacy and discontinued parts with no supplier left
- Tooling, jigs and fabrication assemblies
- Prototypes and custom-machined items
- Equipment where the drawings no longer match what was built
Questions we are often asked
How accurate will the model be?
That depends on the scanning method and the surface. With high-resolution 3D scanning or CMM data we routinely work within ±0.05 mm, confirmed by a model-to-scan deviation report.
The part is worn or broken. Can you still rebuild it?
Yes. Our engineers rebuild missing or worn geometry and recreate functional features from engineering logic and comparable reference data.
Which file formats will we receive?
Native Inventor or SolidWorks files, or STEP, with 2D manufacturing drawings and PDFs for review and approval.
Can we use the model for analysis or a redesign?
Yes. The model is built for direct use in design changes, FEA and manufacturing, and we can run the analysis or the redesign for you.
Reverse engineering in our work
- Oil and gas
Offshore wellhead decommissioning
More than 15 critical interface and legacy-data uncertainties resolved before the removal tooling was made
Reverse engineering, 3D CAD, tooling design - Transport
Electric bus conversion
A diesel city bus chassis scanned and modelled, with pipe and cable routes designed for the new electric drive
Reverse engineering, 3D scanning, 3D CAD
Design to manufacture by F-CAD®
Part keeps failing, or due a redesign?
It can go through SixGate™ as a product already in production, starting from the model we capture.
Related services
Send us the part
Tell us what the part is, roughly how big it is and what you need back, and we’ll tell you how we would capture it.
- Freephone
- 0800 246 1012
- enquiries@f-cad.co.uk
- Office
- 220 St Vincent Street
Glasgow G2 5SG
Your designs are treated in confidence, with an NDA in place before any files are shared, and the design and CAD we produce are yours once the work is paid for. Confidentiality and ownership