Reverse Engineering Physical Models Employing Wrap-Around B-Spline Surfaces and Quadrics

Reverse engineering involves digitizing a three-dimensional model or part, by means of a tactile or non-contact optical sensor, converting the data to a CAD (computer aided design) database description and manufacturing by CNC (computer numerical controlled) machines. This paper demonstrates an effective approach to the reverse engineering of physical models by employing a three-dimensional laser scanning system in conjunction with surface-fitting software developed by the authors. Accurate surface data are collected by the laser scanner and then input to the surface-fitting software. Surface entities such as B-spline and quadric functions are employed to build the CAD model. The CAD model is compatible with popular design and manufacturing software packages. A telephone receiver is used to illustrate the efficiency of the process.