Send us a worn part, a broken component or a rough idea. We scan it, rebuild it as a clean CAD model, prove it with a prototype, then produce the finished part — all from one workshop in St Austell, Cornwall.
Reverse engineering is really a translation job. We take something physical, turn it into something editable, then turn it back into something you can bolt on.
Obsolete, cracked, worn, or a rough idea on paper. Whatever condition it arrives in, it still carries the information we need.
We rebuild the geometry as an editable CAD model — so the part can be corrected, strengthened, adapted and produced again whenever you need it.
Prototyped, checked against the real assembly, then produced in the process and material that suits the job it has to do.
Most enquiries arrive in one of three shapes. All of them start the same way — with a photograph and a conversation.
You haveA machine that still earns its keep, and a component nobody stocks any more.
We doCapture the original — even a worn one — rebuild it as clean CAD, then correct what age and use have taken away.
You getA part you can order again, and a model that means a supplier decision can never strand you twice.
You haveOne cracked, seized or missing component, no drawings, and a job standing still.
We doWork from what survives, from a matching part, or from the assembly it belongs to, and recover the geometry.
You getA replacement that fits — with the option to strengthen whatever failed in the first place.
You haveA sketch, a requirement, or a prototype that is nearly right but not there yet.
We doTurn it into a workable design, prototype it, then iterate with you until it fits, functions and can be made.
You getA product proven in your hand before you commit to tooling or volume.
You can join at any step and stop at any step. Most people begin by sending a photograph and end up with a part in a box.
No drawings, no part number, no file? That is the normal starting point.
Use a single step or hand us the whole problem. Most people arrive with one awkward part and stay for the next one.
We capture the real geometry of an existing object — wear, draft angles, radii and all the details nobody ever wrote down.
Scan data becomes a proper engineering model with features and dimensions you can build on, not a frozen mesh you cannot edit.
From an idea, sketch or requirement to a model that can actually be made — and changed later without starting again.
A physical check before commitment. Fit it, load it, hand it to the person who will use it every day, then refine it.
Production in-house across three processes, so the part is made the way it ought to be made rather than the way one machine allows.
Send a photograph of the part, or a sketch of the idea. We will tell you what is possible, what it would involve, and where we would start.
Three production methods in-house, chosen for the job rather than for the machine we happen to like. We will explain the trade-offs before you commit to anything.
Material laid down layer by layer. The most flexible and cost-effective route, with the widest choice of materials and colours.
Resin cured with light. The route to choose when surface quality and fine detail matter more than anything else.
Powder fused by laser, with no support structures to remove. Well suited to parts that have to work rather than simply look right.
We stock a wide range of filament, including 100% recycled grades from our sustainable partners, Fishy Filaments™, and can source specific compositions and colours on request.
If you have a material in mind, tell us. If you would rather describe what the part has to cope with — flex, impact, detail, heat, chemicals, appearance — tell us that instead and we will advise.
Different sectors, the same underlying problem: a part that is needed and cannot be bought. These are the kinds of request we are asked about most.
Ageing plant is often the most productive plant on site. The problem is rarely the machine — it is the one component that is no longer made.
Where a printed part is not the right answer — because of load, temperature or duty — we will say so, and help you find the route that is.
Trim clips snap, switch housings crack, and the part number was deleted two decades ago. Reverse engineering fills the gap the parts catalogue left behind.
We make no claims about roadworthiness or performance, and we will not supply a printed part for a safety-critical or heavily loaded application where it is not appropriate. If that is what your project needs, we will tell you early.
The parts that keep a workshop moving are rarely the parts you can buy: the fixture that holds it, the gauge that checks it, the guard that makes it safe to run.
If a component is likely to be needed again, we build the model so it can be reordered or revised later without repeating the capture work.
A sketch on the back of an envelope is a perfectly good place to start. What matters is what the thing has to do.
Your ideas, models and files stay confidential, and are not shown to anyone else without your permission.
We have been building 3D printing, scanning and design support into other people’s projects since 2014 — from local businesses to national brands — and have helped hundreds of clients get started and keep going.
West End Motors needed a headlight housing for a Fiat Panda. The part was available, but its price would have pushed the repair past the budget the insurer had approved. We scanned the intact housing on the opposite side of the vehicle, mirrored and rebuilt it as clean CAD, and manufactured the replacement in ASA glass fibre — chosen for UV stability and heat resistance at the front of a working car.
We have also worked with Gravity Mining, and produce anatomical training models for Calweton Veterinary Group on an ongoing basis. Other client projects stay confidential unless we have permission to share them, so ask us whether we have handled something similar to your part and we will tell you what we are able to say.
Plenty of companies will print a file you send them. Far fewer will work out what the part should be in the first place.
The things people ask before sending us a part. If your question is not here, ask it in the form below.
A photograph and a short description is enough to begin. Ideally we would also have the original part — or what is left of it — any measurements or drawings you already hold, and a sentence about what the part has to do.
It helps a great deal. You can post it to us, drop it in, or we can arrange to scan on your premises. If the part cannot leave site at all we can work from photographs, measurements and a mating component, although how closely we can match the original then depends on what we are able to reference.
That is the normal condition of the parts we see. We reconstruct the intended geometry from the features that survive, the symmetry of the part, the components it mates with and the job it does. We will always be clear about which dimensions are measured and which are interpreted.
No. Most enquiries arrive with nothing at all. If you do happen to have drawings, files, a part number or even an old catalogue page, send them over — it saves time.
We can supply the formats normally requested for manufacturing and review, including STEP, IGES, STL, 3MF, OBJ and PDF drawings. Tell us what your suppliers or your own team need and we will work to that.
Yes. Enquiries, parts, drawings, models and files are treated as confidential. Nothing is shown, shared or published without your permission.
A wide range, including recycled and recyclable grades, and custom filaments and colours on request. Rather than starting with a material name, tell us what the part has to cope with — flex, impact, fine detail, heat, chemicals or appearance — and we will suggest options.
FDM, SLA or SLS, chosen to suit the part rather than the machine. We will explain the trade-offs — surface finish, detail, durability and quantity — before you commit to anything.
Both depend on the size and complexity of the part, the condition of the original and the finish you need, so every job is quoted individually. Send us the details and we will come back to you — we answer enquiries within 24 hours.
Almost anything we can measure, but not everything we should. We will not reproduce parts that are protected by someone else’s design rights, and we will tell you if a printed part is not suitable for the load, temperature or safety requirement involved.
Often that is the better outcome. Once the geometry is in CAD we can strengthen a known failure point, reduce weight, change a fixing, adjust a clearance, or adapt the part to a different assembly.
Use the form below, or call us on (+44) 7885 661069. A photograph, a rough description and a note of what the part has to do is plenty for a useful answer.
The more we know, the more useful our first reply will be. A photograph and a couple of sentences is a perfectly good start.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call and ask for Michael — it is often the quickest way to work out whether we can help.
Obsolete, broken, or still only an idea — if it can be measured or described, it can usually be rebuilt. Tell us what you have and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
3D Printing Cornwall · St Austell, Cornwall, PL25 3UJ · Specialists in additive manufacturing since 2014
