Case Study: NASA reduces time-to-CAD by 90% for SIERRA UAV engine cowling redesign with 3D Systems' Geomagic Design X

Speeding the Design Process for NASA’s SIERRA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

3D Systems’ Geomagic partner MACH-T3 Engineering was engaged by NASA to reverse-engineer the off-the-shelf engine on the SIERRA unmanned aerial vehicle so a more aerodynamic cowling could be designed to extend its 9–10 hour flight endurance. The challenge was to produce an accurate parametric CAD model from incomplete 3D optical scan data of a complex engine geometry—and to do it far faster than the estimated 500 hours required by traditional manual measurement methods.

MACH-T3 used 3D laser scanning combined with 3D Systems’ Geomagic Design X software to extract geometric primitives, resolve alignment and hole-pattern issues, and perform deviation analysis on imperfect scan data. The approach cut CAD creation time from 500 to 50 hours (a 90% reduction), delivering an accurate engine model that enabled NASA to design a better-fitting, lower-drag cowling and advance SIERRA’s mission endurance.

NASA