Model update with complex geometry for industrial CAD

September 7, 2023

Not all of the geometry was at simple right angles. There were surface vectors pointing every which way, but Nel PreTech's industrial CAD services produced a perfect CAD model that represents the current iteration of the tool.

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Customer: Certified, Custom Plastic Injection Molder

The manufacturer produces small to mid-size parts. Located in the midwest, they have three modern facilities spanning a total of 340,000 square feet. They employ upwards of 200 employees and serve a variety of industries from automotive and electronics to medical, office machinery, and hardware.

Updated CAD Model

The manufacturer made several tool modifications and needed our reverse engineering capabilities to get an updated CAD model. The previous CAD model no longer represented the part. The challenge with this particular project was the sheer amount of geometry involved. Also, not all of the geometry was at simple right angles. There were surface vectors pointing every which way. All of these surfaces needed to marry up with each other precisely. It was an extensive process.

3D Scanning Solution

With a complex tool design like this, blue light scanning was the perfect solution to capture all the data needed to begin the industrial CAD model update.

How blue light works:

Optical, non-contact technology
Projects high-speed, fringe pattern across the surface of object
Two lenses capture displacement to calculate 3D measurements
Calibrated stickers placed on the object allow user to rotate part as needed to capture all data points
End result is accurate & dense point cloud

Blue light scanning of manufacturing tool with complex geometries — Blue light scan of manufacturing tool.

Scan-to-CAD Comparison

Once we scanned the tool with this structured-light technology, we compared the scan results to the original CAD model. With specialty software, we could determine what changes were made to the tool over the years by using a scan-to-CAD deviation colormap technology. The final step was to modify the original CAD design to match the current iteration of the tool.

Perfect Industrial CAD Model

The result was a perfect CAD model that represents the current iteration of the tool they have. The customer can then have additional components made knowing their design is accurate, updated, and complete.