Reverse engineering of additively manufactured parts: integrating 3D scanning and simulation-driven distortion compensation

Purpose Reverse engineering (RE) can be used to derive a three-dimensional (3D) model of an existing physical part when such a model is not readily available. For parts that will be fabricated with subtractive and formative manufacturing processes, existing RE techniques can be readily applied, but parts produced with additive manufacturing (AM) can present new challenges due to the high level of process-induced distortions and unique part attributes. This paper introduces an integrated 3D scanning and process simulation data-driven framework to compensate for distortions of reverse-engineered additively manufactured components. Design/methodology/approach This framework uses iterative finite element simulations to predict geometric distortions and iteratively estimate the key dimensional characteristics of the part while accounting for process-induced distortion. The effectiveness of this approach is then demonstrated by reverse engineering two Inconel-718 components manufactured using laser powder bed fusion AM. Findings Using the proposed computer-aided design (CAD)-based method, the average absolute percent error between simulation-predicted distorted dimensions and actual measured dimensions of the manufactured parts was 0.087%, with better accuracy than the STL-based method. Originality/value This paper presents a remanufacturing framework combining RE and AM, leveraging geometric feature-based part compensation through process simulation, better capturing the design intent needed for RE. The approach in the present study can generate both compensated STL and parametric CAD models, eliminating laborious experimentation during RE. The authors evaluate the merits of STL-based and CAD-based approaches by quantifying the accumulated errors induced at the different steps of the proposed approach and analyzing the impact of varying part geometries.