Reverse engineering using 3D printing seeing growth across a huge range of applications

Galway based 3D Technology Ltd., Ireland’s leading provider of 3D printers and consumables, was recently given a unique 3D printing challenge – to reverse engineer part of a retro music player to allow it’s continued use by its owner.

As with many things in life, products and equipment endure inevitable wear and tear, but what happens when it’s no longer possible to get replacement parts for something that may no longer be in production? In times gone by, the piece of equipment would have likely been consigned to the scrap heap. But no more – advances in 3D scanning and printing are allowing reverse engineering of parts allowing owners to save their favourite possessions.

In this particular case, 3D Technology Ltd. were contacted by a customer experiencing an issue with a particular part of their music player. By providing the offending part to 3D Technology’s engineering team a solution was quickly identified and delivered.

First and foremost, the part was reverse engineered in CAD followed by its printing on a Projet 2500+ printer from 3D Systems. In order to replicate the appearance of the part as closely as possible, meanwhile, a rigid clear material know as M2R-CL was used in the printing process.

According to 3D Technology Ltd Technical Sales Executive Martin Downey, the procedure was relatively seamless and has resulted in a very happy customer. “The process of reverse engineering is something we do across a variety of applications. It’s allowing our customers solve a range of problems in a very cost effective and time efficient manner.”

To learn more about the 3D printing and solutions available from 3D Technology Ltd. visit www.3dtechnology.ie