Frequently Asked Questions.
How much will my project cost?
Every project is different and will reflect a different cost. For both 3D scanning and CAD design work we charge competitive fixed day or half day rates and will provide you with an estimate for your approval before the project starts. For larger projects requiring a larger number of days to complete, lower rates can be negotiated. We can provide everything you need to allow you to have the necessary information (such as 3D models and 2D drawings) to be able to get your design manufactured.
Alternatively, we can also provide a design and manufacture service where we can provide you with a finished product. The manufacturing costs will depend on the quantity of parts made and their complexity.
If I provided you with old 2-D drawings, can you make parts from them?
Yes. Provided there are no design copyright issues, we are happy to do 2D to 3D conversions. Our experienced design engineers have alot of experience in using 2D engineering drawings to recreate accurate castings and other parts.
If I provide you with an actual part, can you create a 2D Drawing?
Yes. We would take measurements using either traditional or modern techniques, and use this information to create a 3D model of the part which is used as the basis for generating 2D Engineering drawings. All modern CAD system use this method because once the 3D CAD model is drawn, generating 2D Engineering drawings becomes a very fast and efficient process, which means if you want to make any changes, add or remove views annotations and dimensions, or even create more drawings of the same part, the cost will be significantly lower. Also, because a 3D model has been created, you can benefit from other useful information about your product such as how much it weighs and whether any parts clash with each other.
What if the part is very worn or even broken?
No problem. This is a very common request. It doesn't matter if the part is cracked, fractured, warped or even if parts are completely missing. We will able to infer the design design intent of the part, and reverse engineer its original form. If required, in many cases we can make tweaks to actually improve a part to allow it to better perform.
I would prefer the project to be Confidential, is this a problem?
We are happy to work with our customers Non-Disclosure Agreements and keep customers work completely confidential. Even if a customer does not ask us to sign an NDA, we would always ask direct permission before publicising any information about a project on social media or our website. This is why a lot of the most interesting work we do is not shown anywhere on our website!
What file formats do you work with?
We can work with most file types. We have a number of CAD, Scanning and Reverse Engineering programs that we use each capable of opening a large number of file types. SOLIDWORKS alone provides more than 30 translators to convert incoming CAD data into SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD format or to export SOLIDWORKS data to other CAD products. To name just a few, DXF, DWG, Parasolid, IGES, STEP, IFC, ACIS,VDAFS, Mesh File (*.stl, *.obj, *.off, *.ply, *.ply2)
What level of service can you provide?
We can provide everything from a simply scanning service to a turnkey project and anything in between. If you just want us to turn up onsite and 3D scan your product and just provide the scan data in its raw format, we can do this as part of our 3D Scanning Service. If you would like us to use the raw scan data to reverse engineer the product and produce a 3D CAD model or even Manufacturing drawings, we are happy to do this as part of our Scan and Design Service. And if you want us to take things one stage further and get the items manufactured, we can do this too as part of Design and Manuafcture service
How accurate are your 3D Scans and 3D prints?
3D Printing.
We have access to a range of 3D printers, but the majority of our 3D prints are printed on our FormLabs Form 2 printer. This printer is capable of creating layers at 25, 50, 100 microns (0.001, 0.002, 0.004 inches). General accuracy of SLA prints from this printer is 50 to 200 microns depending on size, resin, model geometry and support generation. In a recent testing on the Form 2, 95% of prints measured within 240 μm or less of the designed dimensions.
3D Scanning.
Here at Redesign Sport we use a Creaform HandyScan 700 for the majority of our scanning work. This scanner has an accuracy of up to 0.030 mm (0.0012 in.)