Scan and measure
We 3D-scanned the original and used the scan as a measuring reference. The rim profile was taken from the sections still in good condition.
Case study · Dodge
Rebuilding a damaged Dodge Dart door trim
From a worn, damaged original to a clean, accurate design that can be printed or moulded.
- Vehicle
- Dodge Dart
- Part
- Interior door release surround
- Material
- ASA-CF
- Process
- 3D scan · CAD · 3D print
The part
It’s the plastic surround that frames the interior door release on a Dodge Dart. This one had worn badly, and the raised rim around its top edge was damaged in places. New ones are no longer made, and good used ones are hard to find.
The challenge
A 3D scan records the shape accurately, but it records the damage too. Printing the scan as it stands would only give you a new copy of an old problem. The replacement also had to match the original wherever it meets the car:
- the rim that sits against the door panel;
- the opening for the door release lever;
- the screw boss, locating peg and two locating bars that position it on the door.
Our approach
Rebuild it properly
Rather than patching the scan, we modelled a clean new part in professional CAD, with the good rim profile all the way round and even 2 mm walls.
Check the fit
We laid the new model (grey) over the original scan (blue). Across most of the part they sit within half a millimetre of each other.
The result
A durable replacement printed in tough, UV-resistant ASA-CF that matches the original’s size and fixing points, with the damage designed out. We can print one on demand, make a small batch, or tool it for injection moulding if larger numbers are needed.
Take it with you
The full two-page case study, with more photos and detail.
Obsolete isn’t the end.
Got a part that can’t be replaced?
Send us a few photos of the part and tell us which vehicle it’s from. We’ll tell you what’s possible.