The machine still works. The part that broke is 40 years old, the manufacturer is gone, and nobody stocks it. This happens every week in western Pennsylvania, and it is one of the most common reasons people call Crawford Machine. The answer is reverse engineering: we take the old part and make a new one.
Bring us what you have
A broken part, a worn part, or even two halves of a part is enough to start. If you have the mating parts it fits into, bring those too. Old drawings, a part number, or a photo of the nameplate all help, but none of them are required.
We measure everything
Using calipers, micrometers, gauge pins, thread gauges, and a surface plate, we capture every critical dimension: diameters, lengths, hole spacing, thread pitch, keyways, tapers, and surface finishes. Where the original is worn, we figure out what the dimension was when it was new by checking the parts it runs against.
We identify the material
A replacement part made from the wrong steel will fail faster than the original. We look at how the part was used, how it wore, whether it was hardened, and what the industry standard for that application is, then pick a material that will last at least as long. Often we can make it better than the original by choosing a tougher alloy or adding heat treating.
We model it and machine it
The measurements go into Fusion 360, where we build a 3D model and program the toolpaths for our Haas CNC mill and lathe. Then we cut the part, check it against the original and the mating parts, and hand it back.
We keep the file
Once a part is reverse engineered, the drawing and program stay on file. The next time it breaks, you call and we make another one. No re-measuring, no waiting.
Parts we reverse engineer regularly include shafts, gears, bushings, sleeves, couplings, pump components, oil field parts, and obsolete parts for production machinery and farm equipment.