Reverse Engineering Artificial Knee Joint using 3D Scanning

The knee joints are regarded as one of the parts of the human body in which the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) is linked. The field of engineering involves the processes needed to design, manufacture, assemble, and maintain products and systems. Traditional forward engineering transforms them into physical products or Reverse Engineering (RE) methods. This section presents the methodology and results from the physical experiment on Artificial Knee Joint (AKJ), which was reverse-engineered using a handheld, non-contact 3D laser scanner. The method used compares AKJ coating using tape and AESUB 3D Scanning Spray. The results of measurements with laser scanners are in the form of point clouds. Furthermore, data processing needs to be carried out as an inspection process. AKJ geometry inspection process with 3D laser scanner tool by comparing femoral scan results using tape and AESUB 3D Scanning Spray. This article reported a case study conducted to investigate the possibilities and challenges of 3D scanning technology for reverse engineering. The case study results are compared with those reported in the literature. The technology generally provides opportunities to conduct RE by scanning the object and transforming it into CAD with different surface reconstruction techniques.