Today's product designs involve more complex features, therefore demanding higher precision, incredible detail, and faster problem-solving from tool and die makers while designing and building new tooling. Lean on 3D digitization, a faster and more reliable approach to support successful tooling design, tool builds and overall manufacturability of complex parts. Here are the 5 top 3D digitization applications in tooling:
Physical to Digital Model Creation
Reverse engineering bridges the gap between physical and digital designs. The process starts with high-precision 3D scanning of the physical object or tooling to provide accurate, clean, and high-resolution data. The deliverable is a 3D model that can be used for various design and quality applications.
Faster Designs and Iterations
High-resolution 3D data is the foundation for product design in the digital environment. The 3D model can be readily scaled up or down to adjust for overall product size. Key features are added and modified.
Tooling Production from 3D CAD Model
The model created from reverse engineering enables die, and mold production through all types of metal forming processes including casting, forging, and stamping, including 3D metal printing and CNC machining processes.
Tooling Inspection
When 3D data of the 3D-scanned part and the original 3D CAD are aligned, a comprehensive colour map inspection report can be produced to easily visualize deviations and extract critical quality measurements. The report indicates deviation values on specified inspection points and key features such as material thickness, clearance, and gap instances.
Wear Analysis and Repair
As tooling ages, part quality deteriorates and the risk of catastrophic failure increases. From the 3D model and colour deviation map, our experts identify tooling wear and reveal potential problematic areas proactively, including wear points, shrinkage and out of tolerance conditions. Preventive maintenance and repairs can be carried out quickly by knowing where the problems are.
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