This is Manufacturing related question:
I have this part (it is a forged aluminum) I found on my garage and I
want to reproduce it with the same exact detail. I want to know where
I can find more info about this reverse engineering/reproducing and if
there is any company that provide this service?

In order to CNC something, what do I need? Can I scan the part and
import it to a CAD (Computer Assisted Drawing)?

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 22 Oct 2004 08:46 PDT

Dear pricelines-ga;

E-MachineShop is exactly the kind of place you are looking for. They
offer a FREE downloadable software that will allow you to CAD your
?part? and then send the finished product and dimensions to them for
processing. The software even computes the price according to the
complexity of the design, how many items you need, the materials
needed, etc.

E-MACHINESHOP
http://www.emachineshop.com/

No engineering knowledge is necessary; just get all the measurement
and dimensions right and design a rough sketch of the part using the
free software. There will be professional feedback available to you as
you go along to make sure you get the most out of your design.

I?ve not used the service myself and I have no personal interest in it
? but if I needed a service such as this, E-MachineShop is probably
where I?d consider turning first. I don?t think you?ll find an easier,
more convenient solution to recreate an existing part. Please let me
know if this is sufficient to answer your question.

Regards
Tutuzdad-ga

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Clarification of Question by pricelines-ga on 23 Oct 2004 11:22 PDT

Thanks for the reply tutuzdad, but what I am looking for is a place to
reproduce what I already have. It is a place that I can send some part
then they make copies of it.

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 23 Oct 2004 12:26 PDT

This company doesn't do that but you can draft it in their software
and send it on to them as a DESIGN and have them recreate it for you
that way. If not, hopefully someone will know of a better source.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

yes your forged aluminum part can be digitized by laser scan and an
EIA/ISO cnc program posted to a cnc machine. If you want to machine
such a part or make forgeing dies then i can provide such a service.

Hello pricelines-ga!
I would like to make you aware of a few questions, that is approprite
in any mechanical engineering construction.
1 Considering it is a forged detail, is there any
surface/relationships that seem to have strong tolerance bound between
them?
I should advice you to take a look in the phone book yellow pages and
call a workshop specialised in fine mechanics. They will definately
have the tools for accurate measure down to 1/100 mm. The rough
surfaces on the piece, can probably be measured at a more loose basis
+- 0.5 mm or so.
2 Can the detail be made out of a existing piece of pipe/tube or rod.
The workshop can advice I suppose.
3 The number of details you are planning to reproduce. If it is only
one piece, my experiece tells me that casting is expensive. I guess
that putting the metal piece in a milling machine is much less
expensive.
4 Can you consider an alternative design to support nr 2(above). Try
to think in ready products, rods and bars, which will render a much
lower price in the end.
5 Alternative material: Is it necessary to have alluminium?
At the end..I think that any workshop that normally supports the local
industry is capable of solving your problem, even the two person
workshop around the corner.
I am not well aware about scanning. Is there really the accuracy in
it. I know for a fact that it is possible to get at least 1/500 mm on
a 500 mm distance between surfaces, if you measure with a diamond
point on a turn table.
Hope you get it fixed. Regards Thomas

cnclouis-ga,
how can i use your service? Will I get a CAD Drawing file from the scan?

My company can do all that you need.  We can laser scan or touch probe
the part, and derive a solid model CAD file. From this we can machine
a matching piece using our 5 axis machining centers driven from the
CAD model created in step one.  We do this all the time for a variety
of differing applications.  This is a proven process (for us) but
requires a large investment in the neccessary hardware and software to
do it correctly. Typical accuracies of within .0005 inches are very
achievable using this process.  Hope this helps.