Jon,
RevEng is not the only way to easily get your flute reverse engineered.
Imageware has been involved in this process for many years (although not
with flutes). We have several packages that would be of interest to you.
I would be happy to discuss this in much more detail if you give me a call
at the number listed below.
Christopher Meyer cmeyer@iware.com
Imageware www.iware.com
121 West Washington
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(313) 994-7300
----------
> From: Jonathon A. Landell <LANDELL@ix.netcom.com>
> To: Rapid Prototyping Mail List <rp-ml@bart.lpt.fi>
> Subject: Design Automation Software
> Date: Friday, February 28, 1997 9:39 AM
>
> Hello,
>
> I recently subscribed to rp-ml, but as yet there have been no messages.
> Is anyone out there? I suppose there's just too much work to do and
> everyone's typing away madly.
>
> Anyway, here's my request for some input. I have an on-going research
> project here, trying to build an all-titanium flute. I've been making
> precious metal flutes for 25 years, and recently I decided to try
> titanium because of the incredible hardness and lightness. I built the
> first prototype last summer and the results were very encouraging! Many
> people have played this flute and really loved its tone and response.
>
> At the moment, I'm trying to build the keywork in titanium, which
> involves reverse engineering the present design in a CAD program, to
> drive a Sanders Model Maker to make accurate waxes of these parts to be
> cast in titanium. I still haven't proven the casting end of the
> process, but I think it could be possilbe to make the keys in this way,
> rather than making them up from a lot of little pieces as we do at the
> moment.
>
> I've been looking at the various options for reverse engineering my
> parts, either laser scanning or designing directly in a solid modeling
> program from dimensions off the parts themselves. I know all the
> dimensions, of course, except that there are some parts that are
> non-geometric, free form shapes.
>
> Recently I came across the "RevEng" design package from Design
> Automation in Raleigh, NC, and it would be possible to retrofit my
> Browne & Sharpe MicroVal with this package for about $8,500. Using my
> CMM I understand I can design directly inside their CADKey program with
> their I/O board plugged into my Pentium computer. Until this moment I
> didn't think this would be possible, and now it looks like the ideal
> sort of approach.
>
> QUESTION: Has anyone had any first hand experience with this
> equipment? Is this the only offering of its kind on the RP market
> today? Can I expect to design my parts within this program as easily at
> it seems? -both geometric as well as free-form?
>
> I think that I'll need to build the flute ultimately within a solid
> modeling CAD program, but CADKey is not parametric, so I'll have to
> transfer the part drawings into somethinkg like SolidWorks or SolidEdge
> (can't afford Pro-E!!), because there are a number of different "scales"
> for the placement of the tone holes on the flute. I'll need to move the
> placement of the tone holes depending on the pitch that the flute will
> be designed to play (A=440, A=442, etc.), so all the keywork will have
> to adjust accordingly. It would have been better to have this product
> actually working within a parametric program rather than having to use
> two CAD programs to accomplish this task.
>
> Well, sorry about the long letter, y'all, but I did notice that there
> wasn't much conversation going on at the moment! I'll look forward to
> hearing from anyone who might have some insights into my project, and
> first-hand experience with "RevEng" itself.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jon Landell
> --
> Jonathon A. Landell - LANDELL FLUTES
> RD 2, Box 277-B, Richmond, VT 05477 USA
> Phone/FAX (802) 434-4317
> Visit our Web Site at: http://windworld.com/landell/
>
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