Reverse engineering
Can’t buy the part? We’ll rebuild it.
We 3D scan the part you have — or its twin from the other side — rebuild it as a clean CAD model, and print a replacement that fits where the old one did.
Plate IOne job, start to finish
A trim piece, rebuilt from its twin
Nick’s car needed a new lower trim piece — the one at the corner ahead of the wheel. That side was broken; its mirror image on the other side was fine. Scroll through how the good one became the pattern for a new part.
- The part
- Lower body trim, ahead of the wheel
- The method
- 3D scan · CAD rebuild · mirrored
- Material
- PETG, black
- The fit
- Flush, on the first try
01The pattern
The good side comes in
One side was broken, but its twin from the other side of the car was whole. That is all we need: a real part in hand, with every curve, tab and screw hole there to measure.
02The scan
Scanned, not guessed
A handheld 3D scanner sweeps over the part and captures its whole surface in 3D — including the curves no ruler could ever measure.
03The model
Rebuilt in CAD, then mirrored
A raw scan is a mesh of triangles, not a part you can print well. So it is rebuilt as a clean solid model — flat faces flat, holes round, the mounting tab where it belongs — and then mirrored, because the new piece goes on the opposite side of the car.
04The print
Printed in black PETG
PETG is tough, slightly flexible and copes with sun and heat far better than standard PLA. It is our default material for any part that has a job to do.
The original (left) and the printed mirror copy (right)
05The check
Side by side with the original
Original on the left, new part on the right: a true mirror image, with the mounting tab and the screw holes where they should be.
06The fit
On the car, first try
Fitted to the car, it sat flush and lined up with the panels around it on the first attempt.
You killed it.
Nick, after fitting it
You get a price before any work starts.
Plate IIHow to start
Got a part that needs replacing?
Tell us what it is and send a few photos. You get a price before anything is scanned, modelled or printed.
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Send photos
A few angles, with a ruler or tape measure in the shot. For a car part, add the make, model and year.
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Get a price
We tell you what the job takes, what it costs and whether we need the part itself — before any work starts.
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We scan and rebuild it
Post us the part — or its twin from the other side — or drop it off in Edison, New Jersey. We scan it, rebuild it in CAD and check it against the original, and the original comes back to you.
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Printed and shipped
Printed on our own machines in New Jersey, in the material the part needs, then shipped to you, tracked.
Questions about reverse engineering
Do you need the original part?
It is the best starting point. If one side of a pair is broken, the intact twin works just as well — we mirror it, exactly like the trim piece above. For simpler shapes, clear photos with a ruler in the shot and a few measurements can be enough. Send what you have and we will tell you honestly.
How do I get the part to you — and back?
Post it to us, or drop it off in person in Edison, New Jersey — we send you the address once we have agreed a price. Pack a posted part well; we scan exactly what arrives.
Either way, your original part comes back to you. If you posted it, we ship it back.
How accurate is the copy?
Accurate enough that Nick’s trim piece sat flush with the panels around it on the first try. If a feature has to mate with something — a clip, a bolt, a bearing — tell us, and we check it against the real dimensions.
Can you make the part for the other side?
Yes. Mirroring a part in CAD is routine — it is how Nick’s trim piece was made.
Can the new part be stronger than the original?
Often, yes. Once the part is a CAD model, a thin wall can be thickened or a snapped clip reinforced before anything is printed. Tell us how the original broke.
What does it cost?
It depends on the part: how complex the shape is, how long the modelling takes and which material it needs. You get a price before any work starts, and nothing is printed until you say yes.
What can it be printed in?
For car parts and anything that lives outdoors: PETG or ASA. ABS suits parts that see heat but stay out of direct sun, such as interior trim. For parts that take load or wear: nylon, polycarbonate or a carbon-fibre blend. All seventeen are on the custom print page.
Can you paint it to match?
We do not paint parts. You choose the colour — any of our stock colours, or one we buy in on request (allow a few extra days). For an exact match to your paint code, a body shop can paint the printed part.
Send us your part
Say what the part is, what it is from and what broke, and attach photos from a few angles — up to 20 files and 2 GB. Already have a scan or a CAD file? Attach that too. Want to chat? WhatsApp or Discord.