MANUFACTURING OF RAPID PROTOTYPES OF MECHANICAL PARTS USING REVERSE ENGINEERING AND 3D PRINTING

This article focuses on the design and manufacture of mechanical parts that have complicated shapes using the technique of reverse design using a scanner or an MMT for data acquisition in the form of a point cloud, using CAD software (CATIA). The digital model created is used for a virtual representation of the final product. Then we get the physical model on a 3D printer (also called additive manufacturing process) for later use in sand moulds. To have the imprint in the sand mould, we go through the fusion of the physical model (part). The use of this technique in the industry, allows us to save a lot of time in terms of model preparation and simple to implement, especially if it is mechanical parts that do not have a definition drawing, or they are worn out, then structural analysis was applied on the model using FE based software and tools to prove the quality of the product. Von Mises equivalent strains and stresses were predicted and decreased with increasing areas and honeycomb thickness. The objective of this article is to give an overview of this relatively modern technology and its various applications.