Reverse Engineering CAD Services Niche . . . 2

[VX7]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts and/or experiences on whether there is a market need for CAD services within the reverse engineering field. Specificly, this would mean converting scanned data into 3D CAD files suitable for manufacture. Thanks in advance

 

[GregLocock]

Aye there is. At a guess you've got 10000 competitors already.

The real problem is that /if/ your ripoff version is to be a satisfactory substitute then it will still need to be properly designed, so the external form is the least of your worries.

I would expect that you'd need a fairly stable client base of ripoff manufacturers so that you could get familiar with their processes and so design an effective solution.

Oh, and if I sound a bit negative then perhaps I am.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[bvanhiel]

Greg,

RE's role in the US has been to pull data into CAD that is unavailable otherwise. I've used it to scan ID models that were hand sculpted and vehicle frame data that the manufacturer would not supply. Maybe RE has a negative connotation on your side of the pond, but over here it does not.

-b

 

[weeeds]

The issue of RE has concerned me for a while. Are you not walking the thin line of professional ethics?
I understand that if you own a design then there are no isues with using this process for internal purposes, but if you are copying someone else's design this sure smells of unethical business proctice.
Any thoughts?

 

[josephv]

Hi VX7,

As Greg pointed out there are already many companies doing this.

So, you may want to look at industries that are not using RE and that could benefit from it. Or you could try to do something to make you different from the other companies.

Good luck,

Joseph

 

[FACS]

I do reverse design for clients all the time.

It's their design and they want it documented.

It's their design and they want it converted to another CAD system.

It's their design, and it's all on a piece of paper so they want it documented.

It's their design, and they want someone to make it better.

Currently, "it is their design, but they went out of business and now they want to make another one, but they threw away the documentation." I have the machine so I am documenting it and making a few changes.

I have yet to "ripoff" anyone's design, and yet the market is still there for those of us that offer the service.

There are many reasons for RE.... not all of them deserve a negative response.


Charlie

http://www.facsco.com