Car SOS: Cloning Classic Parts
Channel 4 series, Car SOS, completed the interior restoration of a rare Ford Cortina by using an Artec Space Spider scanner. Artec’s ambassador in the UK, Central Scanning was able to quickly image the impossible-to-find center console piece using the scanner (and some helpful evaporating spray to highlight textures on the dark surfaces). A high end 3D printer then churned out a completely accurate, reverse-engineered duplicate to wrap up the automotive preservation project.
Curious about 3D scanning?
Media Commons has the same Artec scanner used in this Get Inspired article – as well as others. If you’re interested in knowing more, drop us a line at mediacommons@psu.edu.
Assignment Idea: “Reverse Engineering with 3D Scanning and Printing”
In this assignment, students will explore how 3D scanning and printing technologies can be used in preservation and restoration projects. Inspired by the Car SOS episode where a rare Ford Cortina part was replicated, students will examine the process of digital reverse engineering and consider its applications, limitations, and ethical dimensions.
Description
Analyze the Car SOS case study. Identify a real-world object that could benefit from reverse engineering. Design a step-by-step plan for digitally scanning, modeling, and recreating the object with 3D tools. Finally, reflect on the cultural, historical and technological implications of cloning physical parts.
Things to think about:
- How does 3D scanning and printing support restoration or preservation?
- What challenges and ethical questions are related to reverse engineering?
Subject Areas
Design, Digital Humanities, Engineering, Policy
Deliverables
- case study analyis: summarize the Car SOS case study in a 3-5 minute video or a 1-2 page paper
- reverse engineering proposal: identify an object in your field and describe why it should be replicated then outline a step-by-step plan in a slide deck that includes technology and process
- reflection: create a short essay or blog post that identifies potential and limitations for digital preservation, the disruptive possibilities for your field presented by these tools and what ethical or legal issues might arise