CGI of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has asked me to help them identify beta test
sites for their new RE-1000 System. The system was designed to speed the
reverse engineering of parts with complex internal geometry. The process is
sort of like Cubital's Solider process in reverse. You begin by encasing the
part you want to reverse engineer in a very low viscosity liquid polymer. This
forms a solid block of plastic with your part inside. Using a combination of
milling and digital imaging, the system produces cross section data of the
part, from top to bottom.
The system uses special software that determines the edges of the part and then
converts these edges to x/y/z coordinate data. CGI offers white and black
encasement materials, so one or the other offers adequate contrast. The system
is capable of scanning parts up to 12 x 10 x 8 inches in size and is accurate
to within a +/- 0.001 inch, according to CGI. You can adjust the scanner to
between 100 and 600 dots per inch (dpi) and can mill and scan layers as thin as
0.0005 inch. In practice, most parts are scanned at 300 dpi and at layer
increments of 0.003 inch.
If you are interested in the beta program, please send a private e-mail to me
at: twohlers@cis.compuserve.com. You are also welcome to call or send me a
fax. Thanks!
Happy holidays!
Terry Wohlers
Wohlers Associates
(970) 225-0086
Fax (970) 225-2027
twohlers@cis.compuserve.com
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