Industrial equipment
Obsolete pump housing with no OEM drawings
Full mesh archive enabling reverse engineering and remanufacture
±0.04 mm accuracy on critical bore features
Metrology & capture
3D scanning services
Capture real-world parts and assemblies as accurate digital meshes — ready for inspection, archive, reverse engineering, or scan-to-CAD conversion.
Scanning capacity: NormalStandard turnaround: 3–7 business days
Overview
Digitize physical parts with confidence
Whether you need a digital archive of tooling, a baseline for reverse engineering, or a mesh for inspection, FORM3D’s 3D scanning services — including high-detail laser scanning — turn physical geometry into usable digital data.
The challenge
Legacy parts, worn tooling, and undocumented assemblies leave teams without the digital models needed for remanufacture, inspection, or design iteration.
Why it matters
Without accurate 3D data, reverse engineering becomes guesswork — introducing dimensional drift, fit issues, and costly rework downstream.
Our approach
FORM3D captures physical geometry with laser and structured-light scanning, delivering clean meshes aligned to your accuracy requirements — ready for archive, inspection, or CAD conversion.
Technical specifications
Key capabilities and deliverables — hover info icons for plain-language explanations.
- Scan accuracy
- ±0.025 mm to ±0.05 mm
- Capture volume
- Up to 3 m envelope (large assemblies by arrangement)
- Deliverable formats
- STL, OBJ, PLY, XYZ point cloud
- Resolution
- 0.05–0.2 mm point spacing
- Surface requirements
- Matte / spray-coatable surfaces preferred
- Turnaround
- 3–7 business days typical
Equipment & capture methods
Professional-grade scanning hardware matched to your part size and accuracy requirements.
Structured-light scanner
High-resolution optical capture for small to medium parts
Handheld laser scanner
Flexible capture for large envelopes and on-site work
Turntable system
Automated 360° capture for repeatable small-part scanning
Alignment software
Multi-scan registration and global alignment to datum features
Accuracy & tolerances
Typical accuracy ranges by application — confirmed during project scoping.
Accuracy scale
Relative position on typical accuracy range (lower is tighter).
- Small parts (<100 mm)±0.025 mm
- Medium parts (100–500 mm)±0.05 mm
- Large assemblies (>500 mm)±0.1 mm
- Freeform surfaces±0.15 mm
How a scan project works
A straightforward path from first conversation to deliverable.
- Step 1
Scope
We confirm part size, accuracy needs, and intended use of the data.
- Step 2
Capture
Laser or optical scanning captures the physical geometry in detail.
- Step 3
Clean & align
Meshes are processed, aligned, and prepared for delivery.
- Step 4
Deliver or continue
Receive your scan — or continue into scan-to-CAD and reverse engineering.
Applications & proof points
Real-world outcomes from engineering teams who rely on FORM3D.
Automotive
Injection mold cavity wear assessment
Scan-to-inspection report identified 0.3 mm wear zone for rework planning
Delivered in 5 business days
Explore sector-specific use cases in our Industries & applications.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this service — contact us if yours isn't listed.
More on our site
Deep dives live on dedicated pages — we link you there instead of repeating content here.
Related services
Printing, scanning, and design work best as one connected workflow.
No CAD file? Start with a scan.
Tell us about your part and accuracy goals — we’ll recommend the right capture and next steps.
Ready to bring your part to life?
Upload a model for an instant, transparent quote — or talk with an additive manufacturing specialist about your project.