Do you make the metal part?

No. We print polymers only. We deliver the CAD file, and any machine shop, fabricator, or online machining service can quote and make the part from it. If you do not have a shop, we can suggest how to find one.

Why not just send the part to a machine shop?

Many shops will only quote from a drawing or a CAD file, and the ones that measure parts themselves charge shop rates to do it. A clean STEP file lets you get quotes from several shops at once and keep the file for the next order.

Is a 3D scan the same as a CAD file?

No. A scan is a mesh of triangles that copies every dent and worn edge, and machine shops cannot work from it directly. We use the scan and direct measurements to build a true solid model with real holes, flats, and threads, the way the part was designed rather than the way it wore.

What file formats do I get?

A STEP file, the standard every machine shop accepts, and an STL for printing. Other neutral formats on request. The files are yours.

Critical dimensions such as bores, hole patterns, and mating faces are measured directly and agreed with you before modeling. We confirm the tolerance you need in the quote.

Can I check the fit before paying for metal?

Yes, and we recommend it. We print a plastic copy from the same file so you can test the fit on the machine or the car. Fixing a model costs far less than scrapping a machined part.

Yes. Ask before you send anything and we put one in place first.

Reverse Engineering to CAD for Metal Parts

When printing is the wrong answer, the file is still the hard part

Some parts have to be metal. A bracket under real load, a part near exhaust heat, a shaft, a gear that stripped in steel. Printing those in plastic would be the wrong call, and we say so. But the hardest step in getting a metal part made is usually not the machining. It is turning a worn or broken original into an accurate file a shop can quote.

That is the part we do. We scan and measure your original, rebuild it as a clean solid model the way it was designed, and deliver a STEP file. Take it to any machine shop, fabricator, or online machining service. Keep it, and the next one is just a reorder.

What you get

A STEP solid model

True geometry with real holes, flats, and faces that machine shops quote and cut from directly.

Design intent, not a copy of the wear

Worn edges and dents are rebuilt to the original shape. Standard threads and hole sizes are modeled to standard.

A printed fit check

A plastic copy from the same file, so you confirm the fit before anyone cuts metal.

An STL for printing

If some copies can be plastic, you already have the file for them.

Files you own

The model is yours to send to as many shops as you like and to reuse.

Changes while we are in there

Thicken a section, move a hole, or fix the feature that always failed, quoted with the model.

Who uses it

Owners of older machines and equipment whose metal part is no longer made. Car restorers who need a bracket or fitting in steel or aluminum. Machine shops that would rather cut than reverse engineer. Small manufacturers who lost the drawings for a part they still make.

How it works

One. Request a quote and describe the part, the material it needs to be made in, and the features that matter. Two. Mail the part, or in metro Atlanta ask us to pick it up. Three. We scan and measure it and agree the critical dimensions and tolerance with you. Four. We model it, send you the STEP file, and print a fit check copy if you want one. Your original comes back to you.

Common questions

Ready to start?

Send us the part, a photo, or a file. You get the price and the turnaround before any work begins.

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Need It in Metal? We Reverse Engineer It Into a CAD File