What is "Digitizing a Template?"

Very likely they are going to scan it in a 3-D laser scanner. The actual dimensions and shape of the piece will then be converted into digital data that will be stored in a computer.

Once scanned and stored, the piece can be reproduced accurately in a CNC machine, have its shape or size altered so that it can form the basis of a new piece of equipment for a similar but different function or even analyzed for any potential flaws etc.

I hope this answers your question.

If they are careful with their words, digitizing the template is essentially a trace of the outlines of the part. That is accurate and cheap and works for parts that are either essentially 2D or which are simple enough to be easily represented by several 2D traces. See here. This should cost a few hundred dollars.

If the part is more complicated, and they are careless with words, they mean they will do a 3D scan which recreates (in a computer file) the entire geometry. See here. This should cost a few thousand dollars.

And to take it a step further, after your template has been digitized, you can also employ stereolithography to produce the part in plastic.

• Why choose stereolithography

By template, I meant what I call the actual part which is 32" x 14" and weighs about 52 lbs.

I kept it as a "template" in case I needed to go to an alternate machine shop for reproduction, which is happening now.

Can an actual piece that large be digitized or does it have to be drawn out and measured to scale first?

The days of the tape measure are over. As Lord Vader and TVP45 pointed out, the part can be digitized using laser technology or a CMM hooked to a PC.

This makes reverse engineering a snap.

Coordinate Measuring Machines

Coordinate Measuring Machines are devices that are used for dimensional measuring, that uses a moving measuring probe to obtain the coordinates of points on an object surface. Coordinate Measuring Machines, CMM's, uses an X-Y-Z grid coordinate system to determine its position on a worktable. Type of CMM's include: Gantry (extremely large), Cantilever, Bridge (most common) and Column.

Manufacturers Include: Brown & Sharpe & LK/Metris

Lyn,

You're saying that this "piece" I have shown here ( without the added canard), can be placed under a machine and the machine will make a scan out of it? A scan so well done that the specs can be put on software, plugged into a lathe and it can start cutting out the individual pieces for assembly?

Yes,

But not with a lathe. More like a machining center.

Like this:

Milling & Machining Center

Here is an inexpensive 3d scanner system that is compatible with Solidworks and probably other softwares... it is scalable and accurate.

What is not transmitted is of course, the specs, materials, heat treating, coatings, etc.

Chris

Wow! That's a trick bit of gear. Quite a gallery there.

Yes, BUT...

Regarding a previous question, it is not rare to see a CMM large enough to scan an entire auto body, so this part would fit many scanners, even with other parts attached.

Such scans are commonly used to duplicate rather complex parts that can be machined from a solid block by a CNC Mill or machining center. For this part, as TVP45 indicated, it would be ridiculous to machine from a solid block. It needs to be welded up from plate, after some initial bends, and it would require a person with some knowledge to convert the CMM data into individual pieces, and a bit more to know the exact size of flat plates required to bend and weld together.

I do believe that TVP45 is correct, that a competent draftsman familiar with plate bending and welding could do the job at considerably less expense. (I am NOT familiar with digital processes for bending and welding plate, although they definitely exist).

Thank you.

I am thinking about something else we use that takes a long time to model up and down.

I'll be back in touch later down the line.

thank you all again.

nm

Excuse me for butting in, but that looks like a pretty ordinary weldment. Why pay good money to digitize it or scan it? A decent draftsman should be able to crank out all you need with just a tape measure and calipers.

Good point TV, but the "piece" that makes it adjustable in the water ( the Canard or Paravane) is not in that picture. It attaches to this flat plate and adjusts for how hard or soft I want the Sled to ride on the bottom. Its what makes our gear work and the others have to add floats or weight or fiddle around......I just did not want to show too much here.

Shown here without the canard and we are NOT getting the right contact we want on the outside 'sled'.

How good is this wild guess?

The sled starts as a 27" wide x 48" long 1/4" aluminum plate. The sides are 1.5" flanges bent up 45°. The front 12" is also bent up 45°. About 9" behind that bend is a 2.5" square tube which telescopes into a 3" square tube. The 2.5" tube is braced by (2) 12" x 12" triangular gussets swept back on 45° angle. It looks like there are also two narrow gussets, probably superfluous, as would be the patch aft and port of the "mast."

Very good wild guess.

I am still intrigued on how to get some of the other peices we use on other gears to become digitized in case we need to send them off (out of state ) for work.

Thanks to all.'

There are systems in place that will work off a photo of the job, remember a digital photo is also a digitized image of a subject. It merely means making a copy or image of something using lots of pixels and no pen or paper and ruler. This digitized copy can be kept for "ever" on a storage disk somewhere and can be handed in to any CNC machine shop for reproduction.

A 2D photo?

Not sure, but see post #18

In this day of "outsourcing everything", this type technology scares the hell out of me. Somebody gets a hold of something that took me years of trial and error to come up with and gets a knock off made in China.

Scary, really scary....................

I don't want to sound negative, but...

The digital photo methods of generating 3D databases are still more of an art than a science. You have to have a very good camera and lens and spend a lot of time creating calibration files for a variety of situations. Lighting, target size and target complexity are a couple of the variables that have to be dealt with.

We've used it at my job place to try to replicate aerodynamic surfaces with mixed results. I prefer to used mechanical scanning arms (kinda like mobile CMM's) that deliver points and shapes directly into my CAD database. The photo methodology also requires an extra step of interpolation that lessens the precision to some degree.

IMO, from the pic of the object, I think a competent designer, with 3D CAD with weldment functionality, could come up with a finished set of prints, welding instructions, and even CNC (for waterjet or torch profiling) data in a couple of hours.

Hooker

I work at a university as a mechanic in the machine shop. I had a chance to check out a scanner system that the surveying instructors were being trained on. It was a series of line scanners working together to scan an old church. The result was a 3-D image they could then work with in the computer. They could pull accurate dimensions from the image just as if they had drawn it from scratch with a CAD program.

Any idea what they called the contraption that could do this?

Sorry, I only got to look at the set up for a short time. They told me the name of the system but I forgot what it was. I have sent an email to the head of the department and asked for more information about it. The faculty are on summer break so he will be the most likely person to check email over vacation.

No response yet but a quick Yahoo search yielded this link.

http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/3D-Scanner-suits-building-construction-applications-572484

I also found this product for creating 3-D images from photos. Check out the Lion Statue Project. The link is about 1/3 of the way down the page.

http://www.photomodeler.com/products/pm-scanner.htm

Thank you for whatever you can find out.

We are a really small family business and with all of the outsourcing going on in this fishing industry , we only stay afloat by staying ahead of big guys.

I just heard back and the equipment they were looking at is from FARO.

http://www.faro.com/content.aspx?ct=us&content=news&item=883

The FARO arm is hardly the best precision available, but there is no need for real precision here so it should do just fine!

In addition to the arm they also have laser scanners. Again the original application I was referring to was for buildings not machine parts. I am merely passing on that scanners are available to accommodate the size of the part in question. But, like you said, it does not appear to need high precision.

Since you hail from Louisiana, I'd drop by either Tulane or Louisiana University (I think at Lafayette, but I'm not sure) and ask about their capabilities.

You know, that is not so far fetched.

Heck, I pay enough taxes each year, I guess some of it goes to their programs.

Thank you.

It doesn't appear that there are any parts on that equipment that would need a critical dimension. Digitizing may not be cost effective, unless off course the company already has a digitizer. Any good draftsperson could measure and draw it in under an hour.

Their ia a part that is missing in the pics.

There are other peices of small equipment ( canards, paravanes, depressors and elevators that I have an interest in having some real drafting specs on.

Thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_scanner

http://www.photomodeler.com/products/scanner/Tutorials/Tutorial%201.html

http://www.menci.com/services/3d-hardware-add-ons-and-stereo-vision.html

http://www.photogrammetry.ethz.ch/general/persons/fabio/DMACH08_acropolis.pdf

I had used "Digitizing process" and produced a part on Hoizontal Machining Center in 1994, for palletizing plant(plastic processing macine). This Digitizing facility is coming with CNC machine (Machining Center) which having "HEIDENHAN" control for programming. It is simpely probing with prgrmmed path,direction and interval. This is digitizing which I had progrmmed on HIEDENHAN system I hope It may be useful for you. (I tink it is possible to scan the surfaces also with this system). More thing is that process is automaticaly produce the programme of same shape symelteniously which we can store and can be use any time, but the programme is only for the cutter diameter same as probe dia., it is the limitation as per my knowledge.