Was brauchen Sie, wenn es weder Zeichnung noch CAD gibt?

Das Bauteil selbst, auch gebrochen, oder Fotos von allen Seiten mit einem Maßstab im Bild. Dazu die Funktionsmaße: Bohrungsdurchmesser, Achsabstände, Passungen, Einbaubreite. Fehlt das Teil vollständig, arbeiten wir mit Maßen aus der Einbausituation.

Bekomme ich die CAD-Daten danach ausgehändigt?

Ja. Sie erhalten das rekonstruierte Modell als STEP, dazu die Fertigungsdatei. Das Modell gehört Ihnen und kann später auch für Spritzguss oder Zerspanung genutzt werden.

Kopieren Sie das Original eins zu eins?

Nur dort, wo die Geometrie funktionsrelevant ist. Schnittstellen, Passungen und Anschlussmaße bleiben identisch. Wandstärken, Rippen, Radien und Entformungsschrägen aus dem Spritzguss passen wir an den FDM-Prozess an, sonst entsteht ein Teil, das zwar aussieht wie das Original, aber an der gleichen Stelle bricht.

Dürfen Sie Teile anderer Hersteller nachbauen?

Wir fertigen nach Ihrer Beauftragung und setzen voraus, dass Sie zur Nachfertigung berechtigt sind. Bei ersichtlich geschützten Bauteilen, Logos oder Markenzeichen lehnen wir ab oder entfernen die geschützten Merkmale.

Wie lange dauert eine Rekonstruktion?

Bei einem überschaubaren Bauteil liegt das CAD-Modell meist in 1 bis 3 Werktagen vor, das erste gedruckte Muster folgt kurz danach. Komplexe Freiformflächen oder Baugruppen dauern länger und werden vorab abgeschätzt.

Reverse engineering and redesign of discontinued parts

No CAD, no drawing, no supplier left: we measure the existing part, rebuild the geometry as a clean CAD model and adapt it so it can be produced reliably and repeatably in FDM.

Send a part for reconstruction Talk to an engineer

CAD model usually in 1 to 3 working days, then a printed sample to check

When reverse engineering makes sense

Reverse engineering pays off wherever a working part exists or existed but the digital basis is missing.

Discontinued OEM parts

The manufacturer dropped the part or no longer exists. From the last remaining sample we create a geometry that stays reorderable at any time.

Parts without CAD history

Old equipment parts from before 3D CAD, documented only on paper or not at all. We move them into a parametric model.

Parts that keep failing

When the same part always breaks in the same place, a redesign beats a copy: more material in the load path, changed orientation, a tougher material.

Moulded parts in small volume

A tool no longer pays at 50 pieces. The part is laid out for printing: draft removed, wall thickness evened out, supports avoided.

Adaptation to a new installation

Brackets, adapters and housings that must suit changed sensors, a new controller or a different machine.

Digital spare parts inventory

Capture and approve critical wear parts once, then produce on call instead of holding shelf stock.

Suitable materials

Material follows the application of the part, not the material of the original. Temperature, sustained load, friction, UV and media contact decide.

Read the materials guide

What we need for a reconstruction

01The part itself or photos from every side with a scale or caliper in frame.
02The functional dimensions that must match: holes, hole spacing, fits, mounting dimensions.
03The installation: what it mounts against, how it is fitted, how much space is available.
04Load and environment: force, temperature, UV, oil, cleaners or fuel.
05For a failed part: where and how it broke. That area gets reinforced in the redesign.
06Quantity now and expected repeat orders, so we set production strategy and price accordingly.

Full DFM checklist

From sample part to released production model

The first step is always measurement. We measure the existing part with calipers and gauges, and with a 3D scan for freeform surfaces. What matters is separating dimensions that must work from dimensions that merely happen to be that way. Hole pattern, fits and mating edges belong in the first group, a grown rib structure from moulding usually in the second.

From those dimensions we build a parametric CAD model, not a patchwork of scan surfaces. That is the difference that counts later: a parametric model can be changed when a wall needs to be thicker, a hole moves or a variant is derived. A raw scan mesh can only be printed.

Then comes the redesign for the process. Moulded parts carry draft angles, thin even walls and sharp internal corners that are either unnecessary in FDM or act as notches. We bring wall thickness to a multiple of the extrusion width, add radii in internal corners, orient the load path across the layer plane and cut back support structures. The DFM knowledge base covers how that works in detail.

Finally a sample goes into the real installation for checking, and only then comes release. Model and parameter set stay on file with us, so the second delivery runs without new clarification. That is exactly what cuts replenishment time from weeks to days.

Manufacturing data at a glance

Location: Schleswig, Germany
Part size: up to approx. 250 x 250 x 250 mm, larger parts split and joined
Quantities: 1 to several thousand, no minimum order quantity
Tolerances: approx. ±0.2 mm for PLA, PETG and carbon grades, ±0.3 mm for ABS, ASA and PC
Layer height: 0.10 to 0.30 mm
Materials: 20 engineering filaments from PLA to PA12-CF and PC FR
File formats: STEP, STL, 3MF, OBJ, IGES up to 200 MB
Lead time: 2 to 4 working days for samples, 4 to 15 working days for series

Machines and capacity Quality assurance Costs and price estimator Frequently asked questions

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Reverse engineering FAQ

What do you need when there is neither a drawing nor CAD?: The part itself, broken is fine, or photos from every side with a scale in frame. Plus the functional dimensions: hole diameters, hole spacing, fits, installed width. If the part is gone entirely we work from measurements taken at the installation.
Do I get the CAD data afterwards?: Yes. You receive the reconstructed model as STEP plus the production file. The model is yours and can later be used for injection moulding or machining as well.
Do you copy the original one to one?: Only where the geometry is functionally relevant. Interfaces, fits and mounting dimensions stay identical. Wall thicknesses, ribs, radii and moulding draft get adapted to the FDM process, otherwise you get a part that looks like the original and fails in the same place.
Are you allowed to rebuild other manufacturers' parts?: We produce on your order and assume you are entitled to have the part remade. Where a part, logo or trademark is clearly protected we decline or remove the protected features.
How long does a reconstruction take?: For a manageable part the CAD model is usually ready in 1 to 3 working days, with the first printed sample shortly after. Complex freeform surfaces or assemblies take longer and are estimated up front.