Highly Accurate Wenzel CMM with High-Speed Laser Probe Facilitates Reverse Engineering of Out-of-Production Jet Ski Part

The Challenge

An individual wanted to scan a jet ski engine component to create a CAD model of the part.  One of the side mounts was broken and needed to be recreated in the digital model.  Oftentimes, old parts are no longer manufactured or have no CAD data available, so when they wear out or break, they are difficult to replace.  Sometimes the manufacturer is out of business, so even legacy data is unavailable.   

The jet ski component was sent to GKS Inspection Services in Minneapolis, MN to perform the 3D laser scan and reverse engineer the solid CAD model. 

The Solution

“Laser scanning is well suited to creating CAD models and tooling for replacement parts no longer available,” said the metrologist in charge of scanning the component. “Also, if the part is not to spec, the scan data editing and modeling process can recreate the original geometry which may have been lost in the physical part due to warping during the manufacturing process or other usage errors.”

At GKS, the jet ski component (approximately 7”x 9”x 4.5” on the outside with a detailed cavity inside) was quickly scanned on Laser Design’s Surveyor WS-3040 (work envelope of 31.5” x 39” x 27.5”). This automated 3D laser scanning system utilizes Laser Design’s SLP-400 laser line scanning probe integrated with Wenzel’s CMM technology and includes both a Renishaw PH-10 indexing head along with a rotary 4^th axis stage. The scanner is highly automated and can scan the part completely into a common coordinate system from multiple views that are automatically combined into a single scan file. The combination of the rotary stage with the PH-10 allows automated scanning of the most difficult shaped parts with little operator interaction. Laser Design is one of the only scanning technology companies able to combine these 4, 5 and 6 axis scanning capabilities into an easy to set up system. The Surveyor WS-3040 is accurate to +/- 0.0005” – the most accurate, most automated scanning system in the industry.   

Typically, laser scanning is ten times faster than the most advanced touch probes’ speed because lasers are able to collect over 75,000 3D coordinates per second.  Laser scanning is ideal for creating solid CAD models because the whole surface of an object is scanned, not just landmark dimensions, so free-form surfaces and irregular shapes and cavities are easily captured.  The original design intent of the prismatic shapes can easily be modeled even if the as-built part is warped or broken.  As a solid, the “history” of the model is available to designers, so any version may be referred back to at any time in the re-modeling process.

The Surveyor WS-3040 native software, Surveyor Scan Control, takes only a few minutes to set up and runs automatically unattended. The scan data can be predetermined by the operator to any desired density. Usually millions of coordinates are kept to adequately define the part being scanned for either reverse engineering or inspection. A typical scan density for this type of part is 50,000 to 100,000 points per square inch, but almost any density can be preset by the operator. Scan times for a part like this run from 20 minutes to 40 minutes depending upon the number of orientations needed to scan the part completely.

Geomagic Studio and Solidworks were used to create a solid model of the scan data.  Geomagic Qualify Inspection software was used to compare the scan of the part to the CAD model showing discrepancies in a 3D color error map.

The Results

The solid (parametric) model created from the point cloud data enabled designers to change and adapt some features of the part, for example, to make the bracket which was broken stronger and “beefier” to stand up to the stresses put upon it when in use.

The ultra-precise Wenzel CMM measuring capability (to ± 3m) combined with the high-speed laser scanning technology make the scanning process fast, automated, user-friendly, and ultimately less expensive than using other measurement methods because of the complexity of the jet ski component.

Laser Design’s integration of the SLP laser scanning probe technology with the high mechanical accuracy of the Wenzel CMM brings the best of both worlds to one measuring system.  Existing Wenzel CMM users will be amazed at the time and cost savings and the superb accuracies of using non-contact 3D laser measurement with Wenzel’s laser scanning partner, Laser Design, Inc.

About Laser Design, Inc.

Laser Design, Inc. has been the leading supplier of ultra-precise, 3D laser scanning systems and services for over 20 years.  Used for capturing the 3D shape of objects with complex geometries and free-form surfaces, Laser Design’s Surveyor line of automated and portable scanning systems are ideal for 3D scanning applications involving inspection and reverse engineering of complex shaped plastic and metal parts.  The company’s patented laser line-probe technology dramatically reduces scanning time by collecting data substantially faster and more accurately than conventional metrology technologies.  Laser Design integrates Geomagic software with its laser scanners to provide complete solutions for reverse engineering and inspection applications.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company also has Regional Technical Services and Support Centers in Seattle and Detroit, and distributors throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.  Laser Design also operates GKS Inspection Services, an in-house service bureau division offering complete 3D scanning, reverse engineering, and dimensional inspection services.

For further information, contact Rick Passek, by phone (952-252-3412), fax (952-884-9653), via email to sales@laserdesign.com or visit Laser Design’s web site at http://www.laserdesign.com.