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This thesis was conducted on behalf of Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE) to identify possible challenges that may arise while 3D-scanning and reverse engineering (RE) large objects from a product development perspective. To identify the challenges a case study was carried out on a legacy fan assembly that had no existing digital model and needed to be digitised so that modifications could be made and tested by using computer-aided design (CAD) software.

The thesis aims to answer the following research questions:

RQ1: What challenges arise by RE and 3D-scanning large objects?

RQ2: To what extent can a fan changeover time be decreased through the RE process?

The case study research approach consisted of empirical and theoretical studies together with a blend of qualitative and quantitative data that was gathered through interviews, literature, company source material as well as observation made during the 3D-scanning and RE.

The identified challenges made under the case study regarding 3D-scanning and RE also come with recommendations in the form of a best practice that can potentially optimise workflow and improve the end result for future studies. Another finding from the conducted case study was the possibility of decreasing the changeover time by generating a concept that would make it easier and faster to adjust the height and levelling of the fan assembly compared to the current method.

In conclusion, the most cumbersome challenges when carrying out RE and 3D-scanning on large objects are the processing time for all the data and using proper techniques to maintain volumetric accuracy. The study found that the volumetric accuracy could be improved by sectioning the fan assembly as well as making sure the scans have geometrical overlaps before being merged.

For the decreased changeover time, the mock-up recorded a time of 7 minutes to adjust and level the three fans which compared to the current time of 80 minutes could theoretically result in a significant time decrease of 73 minutes.