A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2006

Instead of creating a 3D graphic model with CAD software, reverse engineering (RE) allows a 3D model to be created directly from a physical object, and this model is ready for rapid prototyping (RP) process that constructs a prototype layer by layer. Reverse engineering, rapid proto typing, and their integration have been researched along two contradicting aspects: speed and accuracy. This thesis presents a new approach for RE-RP integration focusing on eliminating time consuming steps (e.g., surface reconstruction in RE and STL conversion in RP). An image processing algorithm has been developed to recommend scanning positions on the object according to its surface's complexity. Consequently, scanning time and the number of the surface data of an object, captured by using scanning or measuring devices, are minimized while accuracy is maintained. The results of each scan are contour data points, which can be directly input into RP fabrication process. Beside the algorithm, a simple hardware was constructed to demonstrate the implementation of the algorithm. The experimental results are also presented and discussed in this thesis