Application of Reverse Engineering techniques for surface quality control of automotive components

The aim of this work concern the analysis of the effectiveness of Reverse Engineering methods (scanning and processing data) for the purpose of evaluating and controlling the geometrical characteristics and surface quality of automotive body components. Evaluation of the surface characteristics of the part has been conducted utilizing reverse engineering instead of the traditional point-by-point measurement techniques. In particular, the study of the models focused on the behavior of the curvature, obtained on sections of the surfaces. The scatter present in data obtained from different scannings and other kinds of imprecision arising from the processing techniques employed create many problems in the assessment of surface quality. This study presents an original methodology for a benchmark test between different scanning methods, the benchmark is done by means of some aluminum alloy test plates with known, established surface features. By the acquisition of the test plates we could evaluate the different capability in revealing local curvature and other types of defects.