3D Scanning for Engineering CNC Applications

Creating 2D manufacturing drawings for CNC-machined parts isn’t as easy as you might think. It becomes even more difficult if you have to reverse-engineer an existing part. You could easily spend days or weeks going through a manual reverse-engineering process, making the drawings, and then finalizing everything. 

Instead, you could streamline the whole process with 3D scanning. Our 3D Scanning for engineering CNC applications will save you time and take all the headaches out of reverse engineering. Instead of measuring, drawing, using CAD, and hoping for the best, allow our team to utilize our high-tech 3D scanners to do the full process without ever touching a tape measure or calipers.

3D scanners utilize light, lasers, or sound waves to bounce off of surfaces and record the reflection. Each reflection generates a tiny dot in 3-dimensional space. With enough of these dots, you can create a “point cloud” which shows the outside surface of the 3D-scanned part.

Our engineers take that point cloud and convert it into a functional 3D CAD model. The whole process can be done in a matter of hours or days for really large projects. Comparatively, you could spend weeks reverse engineering the same part.

The best part? We can use Design for Manufacturing (DFM) best practices to optimize each 3D-scanned part for CNC machining. The result is a set of 2D manufacturing drawings that are ready to be programmed in a CNC milling machine or lathe.

This simple difference can save you a lot of time and money in the machine shop. Our 3D scanning for engineering CNC application service is just one of many that are designed to help your engineering department. By outsourcing this work to CAD/CAM Services, you can save a ton of time and money.

You might find some cheap outsourced 3D scanning companies that offer incredible turnarounds at unbelievable prices. When it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Those companies will use underpowered 3D scanners and untrained staff to try to struggle through the reverse engineering project. In the end, you’re left with unreliable 3D CAD files from a company that is looking to exploit you for money.

Alternatively, you can trust our experts at CAD/CAM Services. We’ve been doing this for over 35 years, and we have a staff of over 100 highly-trained engineers and drafters. We have specified 3D scanning experts who will help you through the full process.

In addition, we have over $2 million worth of 3D scanners from all of the best companies on the market.

When you combine these factors, you’ll find that CAD/CAM Services quickly becomes the best option for your 3D scanning needs.

Our 3D scanning for engineering CNC services depend on the scope of your project. Some companies just want a simple scan of a single part, and that’s perfectly okay. Others want us to 3D scan an entire aircraft and every subassembly under the hood — we’re happy with projects like this, too.

Since we’re so flexible, all of our projects start with a quick consultation. During this conversation, you’ll explain what you’re looking for and we’ll explain how we can help. With more transparency upfront, you’ll know exactly how CAD/CAM Services can help, and you’ll know what to expect.

Our engineers will get to work by 3D scanning your parts, generating point clouds, and converting those into manufacturable 3D CAD models. We can also generate 2D CAD drawings and optimize every part for CNC machining. Each drawing also goes through a series of peer reviews and quality checks to make sure everything is perfect before we send them to you.

Every file will be sent to you digitally, and you own the full rights to every design.

If you spot a problem, just let us know. We’ll make adjustments and send back drawings in as little as 24 hours.

When it comes to manufacturing parts using CNC applications, it’s important to have the right 2D and 3D CAD drawings. With CAD/CAM Services, we can expedite your reverse-engineering workflow and generate these drawings in a fraction of the time. With our help, you can start optimizing every part on your floor. Get a free quote today to get started, and schedule your consultation to see how CAD/CAM Services can help.