Case Study: Apex CNC achieves 50% cycle-time reduction and faster reverse engineering with 3D Systems

Reverse Engineering with GibbsCAM Paves the Way

Apex CNC, a machine shop in Morgan City, Louisiana, acquired Swedish parts supplier Flathead Power to bring U.S. production in‑house, only to discover more than 50 legacy parts had no engineering prints—just old G‑code and Swedish comments—so the company faced a large reverse‑engineering challenge to reproduce and modernize critical Knucklehead and Flathead motorcycle components.

Apex implemented an in‑house RevWorks digitizing system integrated with SolidWorks and GibbsCAM, allowing scanned parts to be converted to solid models, verified, edited, and converted to optimized toolpaths at the machine. The workflow improved fixturing and tooling options, enabled accurate simulation and estimating, supported moving some work to five‑axis machining, and delivered about a 50% cycle‑time reduction while speeding delivery and supporting business growth.

Apex CNC

Scott Tudury

Co-Owner