The R/C community is always making custom items for remote controlled machines, but sometimes you just can’t do it by yourself.
A miniature, working outboard motor was purchased from eBay, but the motor’s power and gearing were insufficient for the intended R/C use. The solution? Put in a bigger motor.
That sounds easy until you realize you’ll need a duplicate housing. Where does that come from?
The answer in this case was by using GKS Services, who accepted the two original housing parts (above) and created highly accurate 3D scans. These were then converted into true CAD models, which is required because scans are not directly printable.
Once safely stored in CAD format (SolidWorks in this case), the two halves of the housing were exported in STL format, suitable for 3D printing. GKS then printed the two halves in ABS plastic and shipped them to the R/C enthusiast, who then installed the required gearing and motors. Mission accomplished!
The moral of the story is this: if you have a very complex object requiring duplication, you’d best consider having a service do the hard work for you unless you happen to have access to high power 3D scanning equipment, CAD software and have a lot of time.