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Author: Subject: how to get parts copied or reverse engineered
locoboy

posted on 30/1/10 at 04:34 PM Reply With Quote
how to get parts copied or reverse engineered

Guys i have a bit of a predicament in that i want to get a tubular item made but it is not a simple straight tube with some brackets a pre determined interval etc,

Its not even a simple bent tube, its a tube with compound bends in it and some brackets along its length.

So as not to give the game away with what i want making lets liken it to for example a front wheel drive car subframe for a peugeot 205.

We all know what a subframe looks like but if i were to say to you i need you to make me a subframe to fit on the car and you dont have the car there to use the time consuming trial an error method where do you start?

It is unlikely that some one will turn up with a 3D engineering drawing of the subframe attachment points on the front of the 205 body shell so where do you start from?

The item i want to make retails for £250 but it is nothing more than a tube bent in the right places at the right angles with some brackets welded to it..............so the only 2 manufacturers are creaming a huge profit off it im sure.

I dont know the relationship of the mounting points in 3D to each other and i dont know the3D relationship of the obsticles it has to bend round to avoid either.

I have the '205 bodyshell' on limited availability to me but i dont know how to go about mapping the area in 3D to provide me with the critical mounting points and obsticles.

Or am i going to have to buy one of these rediculously over priced items and take it to a manufacturer and say 'can you copy this please'!

Even if i were to take it to a manufacturer how would they copy it, is there a device that can 'scan' the item in 3D and create an electronic 3D copy of it for them to then use to input into a machine to make it?

If this is possible then what is that process called so i can try to find someone who can do it and provide me with the electronic format to tout around some potential suppliers for pricing.

Yours Mr. Stumped

[Edited on 30/1/10 by locoboy]





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Locoboy

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prawnabie

posted on 30/1/10 at 04:36 PM Reply With Quote
They would more than likely make a jig and start from there.

See clairetoo's post on making the new mx5 subframe

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locoboy

posted on 30/1/10 at 04:46 PM Reply With Quote
Thats it though i dont want to be paying someone to make jigs etc just for me to get a price.

I need to be able to supply someone with an electronic 'copy' of it really.





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Locoboy

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RAYLEE29

posted on 30/1/10 at 04:56 PM Reply With Quote
Whats wrong with a good old fashioned drawing?
how many pick up points are needed
cant be all that many
body mounts engine mounts suspension mounts
Ray

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MikeR

posted on 30/1/10 at 05:46 PM Reply With Quote
i suppose this comes down to the time vs cost question.

How much do you value your own personal time?

250 quid for what you're describing doesn't sound that overly expensive. How many hours are you going to spend measuring and drawing up the chassis? Then what will it cost to get it fabricated?

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Canada EH!

posted on 30/1/10 at 07:45 PM Reply With Quote
What does a mandrel tubing bender cost?
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minitici

posted on 30/1/10 at 07:47 PM Reply With Quote
You need one of these Linky
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william

posted on 30/1/10 at 07:47 PM Reply With Quote
hi do you have a link to clairetoo's post on the mx5 subframe i could not find it in the search engine thanks
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iank

posted on 30/1/10 at 08:55 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by william
hi do you have a link to clairetoo's post on the mx5 subframe i could not find it in the search engine thanks


Here you go
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=127008





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Anonymous

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wilkingj

posted on 31/1/10 at 12:41 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Canada EH!
What does a mandrel tubing bender cost?


Cheap one has been seen on sale at a Kit car show for about £4500 GBP.
They are not cheap. But it was computer controlled, and the demo was pretty good.






1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

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locoboy

posted on 1/2/10 at 01:49 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by wilkingj
quote:
Originally posted by Canada EH!
What does a mandrel tubing bender cost?


Cheap one has been seen on sale at a Kit car show for about £4500 GBP.
They are not cheap. But it was computer controlled, and the demo was pretty good.



£4500! Even if i had the machine i wouldnt be able to tell it what to make because i dont have any accurate dimensions! as per my original post!





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Locoboy

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MikeRJ

posted on 1/2/10 at 03:15 PM Reply With Quote
If you have access to a (straight!) shell, then you simply need to define a datum, and then measure all other critical dimensions from this point using a combination of straight edges and squares. There are no short cuts to getting this data without access to some quite costly equipment.
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