AboutAaron Overbeek Expertise I am a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Champion. My expertise ranges from tacticle (local) implementation to strategic (global) implementation of Lean Six Sigma. Also knowledgable in Best Manufacturing Practices, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, and EH&S. I am not a consultant and do not mind follow up questions.
Experience Bachelors of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Michigan. Lean Champion and Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and ISO audetation.
Director of Operational Excellence and Strategic Sourcing for multi-billion dollar corporation.
Question I am currently planning on reverse engineering some WWII Aircraft parts. Stamped sheet metal aluminum. i would like to scan the part. then flatten it on the computer to get the flattened shape and dimensions. i would also like to form a tooling die from the scanned image. what steps should i take to accomplish this? I was checking out the Z800 3D scanner.
Answer I like the z800 handheld scanner. Most scanning tools of this quality are hardwired to a CMM arm. Good choice. The software that comes with it can do all the calculations for you to flatten the shape out and export into a CAD file to create the dies needed to stamp the parts.
The best way to stamp aluminum is through the extrusion process. Google extruding aluminum (wikipedia is a great source of information on this) and it will walk you through the rest of the reverse engineering process. Good luck. Your project sounds pretty fun.
