Many programs already have CAD and still need scanning. The model is as-designed. The casting, the weldment, or the ten-year-old tool is as-built. Assembly problems, spare-part fit, and digital-twin work all live in that gap.
Three reasons to update the model
- The CAD was never right — tribal knowledge, missing fillets, supplier-made changes.
- The process drifted — wear, shrink, fixture shift.
- You need the real shape for analysis — FEA/CFD on the part you have, not the part in the PDM vault.
The deliverable might be a deviation map (keep the CAD, show the error) or a new/adjusted model (change the CAD). That is an explicit choice on the quote. Mapping is inspection. Rewriting CAD is reverse engineering. We do both; they are not the same SKU.
Practical next step
Send the current CAD, photos of the hardware, and whether you need a report or a new file. Reverse engineering and metrology can run on the same scan. Start that conversation with Bolton Works in South Windsor, CT.
— Bolton Works