Scan-Model-Make

06/07/2026

One of the more unusual places I've worked recently...

Over the last couple of days, I had the opportunity to carry out a detailed 3D survey inside the firebox of a heritage steam locomotive.

With the boiler cold, the brick arch removed and access available before the boiler inspection, it was the ideal opportunity to create a permanent digital benchmark of the firebox geometry.

The images show the firebox itself alongside the digital model created from the survey.

For me, the interesting part isn't simply creating a 3D model. It's capturing accurate engineering information at a point in time that can be measured, revisited and referred back to long after the boiler has been reassembled.

It's another example of how modern measurement technology can be used alongside traditional engineering skills to help preserve and understand these remarkable machines.

I have to admit... it's certainly one of the more unusual offices I've had!

15/06/2026

The first set was made by hand.

The second set needs engineering data.

What do you do when you need to manufacture more of a hand-made part?

Many custom motorcycles, race bikes and specialist engineering projects rely on components that were never mass produced.

Sometimes there are no drawings.

Sometimes there is no CAD.

Sometimes the only information available is the physical part itself.

These Triton engine mounting plates are a good example. Originally developed as a bespoke solution to bring together components from different machines, they existed only as physical parts.

By capturing the geometry and creating accurate CAD models, the design can be preserved, modified if required, and used to manufacture further sets in the future.

Whether it's a one-off motorcycle build, an obsolete component, or a specialist engineering project, the challenge is often the same:

How do you turn a physical part back into usable engineering information?

That's where reverse engineering becomes valuable.

11/06/2026

At first glance these look like relatively simple brass components.

In reality, they form part of a steam ejector assembly used within a locomotive vacuum braking system, making them safety-critical components whose performance depends on a series of internal passages, diameters and taper angles that cannot easily be measured from the outside.

With no usable CAD models or manufacturing drawings available, the challenge was to capture and quantify the geometry contained within the original components.

The 2nd image shows the captured scan geometry.

The 3rd image shows the resulting reverse engineered CAD model.

By combining physical measurement with 3D scanning, the internal geometry can be accurately quantified and converted into CAD models and engineering drawings. This preserves valuable engineering information, supports future manufacture and provides a basis for comparison, analysis and potential performance improvement.

Projects like this demonstrate that the value of 3D scanning is not simply capturing a shape. It is turning complex geometry into usable engineering data.

27/05/2026

A lot of engineering problems begin with missing or unreliable information.

Worn components.
Obsolete parts.
Unknown geometry.
Assemblies that have changed over years of repair and modification.

This is where 3D scanning and reverse engineering become more than just digital tools.

The real value is often:

understanding what physically exists
recovering usable geometry
validating fitment and relationships
and reducing uncertainty before manufacturing or repair work begins

At Scan.Model.Make the focus is increasingly on solving awkward engineering problems where the original information no longer tells the full story.

From motorcycle engineering and restoration work through to heritage rail and industrial projects, the common thread is usually the same:

turning missing information into usable engineering understanding.

https://scan-model-make.co.uk/

Reverse engineering, 3D scanning, CAD modelling and legacy drawing support for rail, heritage and specialist engineering projects where reliable engineering information is missing or incomplete.

20/05/2026

A lot of older or specialist bikes are now running into the same problem:

Parts becoming obsolete, damaged components with no replacement available, or modifications where accurate geometry really matters.

I’ve recently added a dedicated Motorcycle Engineering section to the Scan Model Make website covering:

reverse engineering

scan-to-CAD

replacement part development

fitment and clearance work

legacy and obsolete motorcycle components

The focus is less about “3D scanning” itself and more about solving awkward engineering problems where reliable information no longer exists.

Examples include:

chain guides

sprocket covers

tank development

crankcase geometry

restoration and modification support

Motorcycle Engineering page: [Motorcycle Engineering Applications](https://scan-model-make.co.uk/application-motorcycle-engineering/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Would be great to connect with others working on restoration, race, custom, or obsolete-part projects.

18/05/2026

Working on older or specialist motorcycle parts often starts with the same problem:

The part is damaged, discontinued, modified, or simply no longer available.

Over the last few years I’ve been using:

* 3D scanning
* reverse engineering
* CAD modelling
* and prototype development

to help support restoration, repair, replacement part development, and custom motorcycle projects.

That can include:

* fairing parts
* brackets
* chain guides
* tanks
* covers
* mounting points
* and hard-to-source components.

I’ve recently updated the Scan.Model.Make website with more motorcycle-related examples and project work:

https://scan-model-make.co.uk/portfolio-specialist/

Feel free to take a look — and if anyone has an interesting project, damaged part, or something unusual they’re trying to solve, I’m always happy to have a conversation.

25/03/2026

I have known for years that our website needed updating, but the whole job always felt too daunting to start.

Today I finally bit the bullet and used ChatGPT to help me work through it.

Not to do it all for me, but to help me decide what to change, improve the wording, and make steady progress without getting overwhelmed.

By the end of the day, I had updated the homepage, services, about and contact pages.

Still plenty to do, but it already feels much more like a real reflection of what we do at Scan Model Make.

The biggest takeaway for me is that AI does not have to do something dramatic to be useful. Sometimes it just helps you get started on something you have been putting off for far too long.