Reverse engineering · FabraForma

Reverse engineering: from a physical part to editable CAD

FabraForma reverse-engineers parts in its studio in Powai, Mumbai: we measure the object, rebuild it as editable CAD and make it again.

Broken clips, discontinued spares, a prototype with no drawings, a part you want to improve. Bring the sample and we'll give you back a file you own and a part that fits.

What we rebuild

Replacement spares

Discontinued or slow-to-import plastic parts: knobs, clips, housings, brackets, gears, covers and fixtures, rebuilt so the machine runs again.

Legacy parts with no drawings

Parts that exist only as the object. We produce a clean, dimensioned model you keep for future batches or tooling.

Improved versions

Once the part is in CAD, we can thicken the wall that cracked, add a rib, change the material or merge two pieces into one.

Mating and fit parts

Adapters, mounts and enclosures modelled around an existing product, so the new part fits the old one.

Heritage and display pieces

Scale or restoration copies of objects that can't be sent away or remade by hand.

Tooling masters

An accurate printed or machined master for silicone moulding and PU casting when you need a short run.

What it can look like

From a worn original to a better part

Rebuilt parts next to the originals they were measured from.

Rebuilt black carbon-fibre nylon bracket with two added ribs bolted to an aluminium frame at a factory workstation, the cracked grey original lying below — **Improved, not just copied**Once the bracket is in CAD, the corner that cracked can be ribbed and printed in stiffer carbon-fibre nylon.

An original tarnished brass lotus-bud finial and a printed replacement painted to match, side by side on a carved rosewood cabinet in an old bungalow — **A missing finial, copied from its twin**A heritage piece that cannot be remade by hand, modelled from the surviving original and printed and painted to match.

How a reverse-engineering job runs

The goal is a model that is right where it matters: the holes, the mating faces and the features that have to line up with something else.

1. Sample and intent.
You bring or courier the part and tell us what it has to fit, carry or survive. Photos with a ruler in shot are enough for a first estimate.
2. Measurement.
Critical features are measured directly with calipers and gauges. Organic shapes are captured from reference photos and profiles. Where a job needs a 3D scan, we say so in the quote.
3. Editable CAD.
We model the part as a proper solid, not a mesh, so it stays editable. You receive STEP (and STL on request).
4. Fit-check print.
A quick FDM print goes back on the real assembly. We correct anything that binds or rattles before committing to the final material.
5. Final part or batch.
Printed in the right material (PETG, ASA, nylon, carbon-fibre blends or SLA resin), machined, or moulded and cast for a short run.

Questions buyers ask

Do I get to keep the CAD file?

Yes. When the job is to reverse-engineer a part, the model is part of the delivery and you receive STEP, plus STL on request.

Can you reverse-engineer a part that is broken into pieces?

Usually. Bring every piece. If a feature is missing we reconstruct it from the mating part or from how the part is used, and confirm it with a fit-check print.

Is reverse engineering legal?

Rebuilding your own spare or an unprotected part for your own use is common practice. We won't copy a part to pass off someone else's product or brand, and we may ask about patents or design registrations on commercial jobs.

How accurate is it?

Measured features are modelled to the drawing values we take from the part. Printed parts then follow our normal print tolerance, which is on the buyer's guide. Tight fits are proved with a fit-check print first.

Send us the part

A photo with a ruler in shot, or the part itself. We reply to every enquiry within 24 hours.

Start a reverse-engineering job