Reverse Engineering
When there are no drawings — recreate the part in CAD, exactly as it exists.
Legacy parts, old tooling, worn components, and physical prototypes often exist only as physical objects — with no surviving CAD model or engineering drawing. Persase captures the complete geometry of the physical part through 3D scanning and delivers an accurate, manufacturable CAD model ready for production, modification, or analysis. Any part, any size, any complexity.
Persase in action — 3D scanning a physical part to recreate an accurate CAD model
What We Deliver
- Scan-to-CAD modeling — the physical part is scanned to capture its complete surface geometry, which is then used to build a clean, fully parametric CAD model suitable for manufacturing, modification, or analysis
- Legacy part recreation — parts with no surviving drawings recreated accurately in CAD from the physical object — preserving the geometry as-manufactured rather than as-designed
- Old tooling & fixture recreation — worn or obsolete tooling, jigs, and fixtures digitized and rebuilt in CAD so they can be reproduced, modified, or replaced without starting from scratch
- Worn component analysis — compare the scanned geometry of a worn part against the recreated nominal CAD model to quantify wear, identify failure patterns, and inform redesign decisions
- Surface & freeform modeling — complex organic shapes, castings, and formed surfaces that can’t be described by simple dimensions are captured and rebuilt as accurate surface or solid models
- Any part, any size — from small precision components to large assemblies, structures, and equipment, Persase has the scanning capability to capture the full range of part sizes
Industries That Use This
| Industry | How they use it |
|---|---|
| Aerospace | Legacy airframe components and ground support equipment recreated in CAD for sustainment and depot-level maintenance |
| Defense | Obsolete weapons system components and support equipment digitized for reproduction or redesign |
| Manufacturing | Old tooling, molds, fixtures, and production equipment rebuilt in CAD for reproduction, modification, or replacement |
| Engineering | Physical prototypes and legacy components digitized to support design iteration, analysis, and modernization |
| Marine | Hull contours and profiles, replacing covers and decking, customizing and reconfiguring components |
the process
How It Works
The process starts with the physical object. Persase selects the appropriate scanner based on the size and complexity of the part and captures its complete external geometry in a single scan session — producing a dense, accurate point cloud of every surface. That scan data is then processed into a clean polygon mesh, which becomes the foundation for CAD reconstruction. Depending on the part type, the CAD model is built using one of two approaches: for prismatic parts with flat faces, holes, and defined features, a fully parametric solid model is constructed with real dimensions and constraints. For complex organic shapes — castings, formed surfaces, ergonomic forms — a surface model is built that accurately follows the geometry of the scanned mesh. The result in either case is a clean, manufacturable CAD file in your preferred format, ready to take directly into your design or manufacturing workflow.
A particularly valuable application is the reverse engineering of old tooling and production fixtures. Tooling is often the most undocumented asset in a manufacturing operation — built decades ago, modified over time, and never formally drawn. When tooling wears out or needs to be reproduced, 3D scanning captures exactly what exists today, and the resulting CAD model becomes the definitive record for reproduction or redesign. This is especially critical for legacy aerospace and defense programs where tooling must be reproduced to maintain production capability for parts that have been in service for decades.