Artec 3D just announced the Point II, a palm sized laser scanner that captures 5.8 million measurement points every second, more than double what its predecessor could do. The announcement, reported by DEVELOP3D on August 5, 2026, matters to anyone who has ever held a discontinued part in their hands and wondered how to get another one made. Here is why: the scanning side of reverse engineering keeps getting faster and cheaper, which means the real question is no longer whether your part can be digitized. It is what happens after the scan.
What Artec actually announced
The Point II is a handheld, target based laser scanner aimed at industrial metrology. The verified numbers from the launch coverage: up to 5.8 million points per second of capture, 54 laser lines in ultra fast mode, 17 parallel lines in a hyperfine mode for fine detail, and a single laser mode for reaching into deep holes and pockets. Accuracy is certified at 0.02 mm and validated through ISO testing. The scanner is IP50 rated for dust, works from minus 10 to 40 degrees Celsius, and can be operated with one hand, though it does require a cable, as there is no wireless mode.
The detail that stood out to us: price. Artec set the Point II at 23,900 euros, the same price as the original Point. "Artec Point set a high bar for accessible, certified metrology. Point II raises it, more data in every pass, greater detail, and faster scans, with the same accuracy professionals have come to rely on," said Artec 3D CEO Art Yukhin in the launch announcement. Doubling capture speed at the same price is the kind of move that keeps pushing certified scanning further into ordinary shops.
I have a discontinued part and no drawings. Can 3D scanning really recreate it?
Yes, in most cases a discontinued part can be 3D scanned, rebuilt as a CAD model, and manufactured again without any original drawings. The workflow is straightforward: a scanner captures the part's geometry as a dense point cloud, that point cloud becomes a mesh, and an engineer rebuilds the mesh as clean, parametric CAD with proper dimensions and design intent. From there the part can be 3D printed, machined, or molded. This is exactly the service we run at our Rockville, Maryland shop, and you can read how the process works on our 3D scanning and reverse engineering page. Vintage automotive brackets, obsolete equipment knobs, broken housings with no part number: if you can put it on a bench, it can usually be brought back.
The scan is no longer the slow part
A decade ago, capturing accurate geometry was the bottleneck. Today a handheld unit captures millions of points per second, and the software side is moving just as fast: DEVELOP3D also reported this month that Backflip AI's updated engine converts a scanned mesh into a feature tree CAD model in seconds. The honest catch is that raw speed does not decide whether your replacement part actually fits. A scan faithfully records everything, including the wear, the warp, and the damage that made you replace the part in the first place. Someone still has to decide which surfaces are critical, which dimensions were originally nominal, and where the tolerances need to land. That judgment is the actual product of reverse engineering. The scanner is just the tape measure.
Do I need a metrology grade scanner to reverse engineer one part?
No, most replacement parts do not need a 24,000 euro metrology scanner, they need a shop that knows which dimensions matter. Certified 0.02 mm accuracy is essential for inspection work and tight press fits. But a printed polymer bracket will move more than that with temperature and moisture anyway. In practice, we scan for overall geometry, then verify the critical interfaces, holes, bores, and mating faces, with direct measurement, and rebuild those features at their intended nominal dimensions in CAD. That combination gets you a part that fits, without paying metrology lab prices for a garden variety bracket. If you want a one off part made and shipped anywhere in the US, our build and ship service handles exactly that, with a $20 minimum order.
What this means if you buy parts for a living
For engineering buyers, the takeaway from the Point II launch is that certified scanning capacity is spreading fast while holding its price. That shifts leverage toward you. Legacy equipment with dead supply chains, tooling with no drawings, fixtures the OEM stopped supporting: these are no longer dead ends that force a redesign. Ask a scanning provider three things: what accuracy the job actually needs, how they verify critical dimensions, and whether you get the CAD files at the end. If the answer to the last one is no, keep looking.
One more note: we regularly test and review 3D printing and scanning products on this blog. If you make hardware, filament, or scanning gear and want it put through real shop use, reach out at info@dcadditivepros.com.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate does a 3D scan need to be for a replacement part?
For most mechanical replacement parts, scan accuracy in the range of 0.1 mm is plenty, because critical fits are verified by direct measurement and rebuilt at nominal dimensions in CAD. Certified 0.02 mm metrology accuracy matters mainly for inspection work and precision press fits.
Can you 3D scan a shiny or black part?
Yes, shiny and black parts can be scanned, though highly reflective or transparent surfaces usually need a light coat of temporary matte scanning spray first. Laser scanners generally handle dark surfaces better than structured light units.
What do I need to send you to reverse engineer a part?
Send the physical part itself, ideally with a note about where it failed and what it mates to. If the part is too large to ship, contact us at info@dcadditivepros.com and we can discuss options, since we are based in Rockville, Maryland.
How long does 3D scanning and reverse engineering take?
Simple parts like brackets and knobs typically take a few business days from scan to shipped print, while complex housings with many mating features take longer. Every job gets a quote with a timeline before any work starts.
Disclosure: DC Additive Pros is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Artec 3D or Backflip AI. Product names are used for identification only. Specifications cited are verified from the linked reporting as of August 11, 2026.