how do i reverse engineer valve covers?

[drivefast]

I am 4 days into my new job and already over my head. I am being asked to create a model of an engine’s valve covers but we don't have a cmm, only calipers. The gasket groove on today’s modern valve covers are way to intricate to try to guess at. So my question is, is there a way I can model this without telling my boss he has to buy a huge cmm. I thought they made small probes that can be used like a cmm but will that work. Is some sort of laser imaging that can create a data cloud better? I am using solidworks 2007 and am the only engineer where I work. Thank you!

 

[macduff]

Try this agency:

http://www.reversemodeling.com

Talk to:
Ray Reveles

They recently scanned a horizontal stablizer for a B757 for me and did an incredible job at a very low cost. They even provide me a SW model.

Hopes this helps,

Colin

Macduff
Colin Fitzpatrick
Mechanical Design Engineer
Solidworks 2007 SP 5.0
Dell 390 XP Pro SP 2
Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB

 

[JMirisola]

There are scanners out there that could, probably, do it. Have you tried getting a model from the manufacturer or looking in 3D Content Central?

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog

Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

 

[ctopher]

If you are in a hurry, calipers will do the job. I have reversed engineered lots of products using calipers.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 1.1
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog

 

[macduff]

Hey,
I was thinking...Put the flange side down on a piece of paper and trace it with a pencil, then scan it as a jpg. Import the jpg into a SW sketch and trace geometry over it. This will help getting you started, plus you can control the geometry on this critical area in you design. Then you can lop off this flange on you scanned model and import into the flange model.

Just a thought....

Macduff
Colin Fitzpatrick
Mechanical Design Engineer
Solidworks 2007 SP 5.0
Dell 390 XP Pro SP 2
Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB

 

[ctopher]

Can you look up the mfr part number to see if there are dims online?

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 1.1
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
ctopher's blog

 

[dezignstuff]

The gasket area is flat, right? So put it on a flat bed document scanner, bring the image into SW as a sketch picture, scale it from a known dimension, and you can trace it. If the physical part is clean, you should be able to get something that looks good, and very close to reality. The advantage of a flat bed scanner is that it eliminates perspective (parallax) and alignment problems compared to a photograph.

 

[macduff]

dezignstuff,
Beat ya to the punch.

Best,

Macduff
Colin Fitzpatrick
Mechanical Design Engineer
Solidworks 2007 SP 5.0
Dell 390 XP Pro SP 2
Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB

 

[drivefast]

Thanks for the link macduff that’s allot cheaper then paying me to measure with calipers for a week. The valve covers are OEM and I don't think ford will share there dimensions. I have not looked in 3D Content Central. Do you have a link?

 

[JMirisola]

It wouldn't surprise me if you couldn't get a solid model of the valve cover. I know that other manufacturers supply models (Kubota comes to mind).

http://www.3dcontentcentral.com

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog

Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

 

[BARM]

Hey Drivefast,

Can you tell us what they quoted you?

Cost for scan data in stl?
Cost for SW model?

 

[BARM]

Scanning looks cheap but to bring it into a SW model looks a little pricy. Anybody have comments on that?

Drivefast, can you supply use with a picture of the part?

Surely with a few hand measuring tools you could do a good job on your own but it's hard to comment unless there are some very organic shapes. Std geometry would make the decision easier.

 

[TheTick]

Time to forward-engineer your career. Get out of there.

 

[habu2112]

Do you need to manufacture the valve cover or just have something to represent the product as a solid?

If you are not going manufacture based on the solid model, I would just whip it out with the caliper and not look back. No need for perfection if it is just a pretty picture.

Steve

 

[drivefast]

Thanks to every one who replied. I needed to create a solid model so we could manufacture the valve covers. I ended up scanning the covers with a flatbed scanner and importing the image on the lower plane to create the gasket ring. The gasket is a molded rubber ring that fits into the valve cover. I then got the original blueprints of the cylinder heads from ford. (Don’t ask how).

 

[TheTick]

Sounds like these are replacements for classic cars. Yes?

 

[RayJECarburetors]

what blueprints did you get drivefast.. for which fordheads .....


ray