3D Scanning Services in Maine
Kemperle Industries provides 3D scanning services in Maine — reverse engineering, CNC machining, and custom fabrication handled from its Brooklyn, NYC studio. Maine’s working waterfront, deep wooden boat restoration tradition, and concentration of historic coastal architecture make it one of the most naturally suited markets for the precision, one-off work we specialize in. From WoodenBoat Magazine’s home in Brooklin to Hinckley’s yard in Southwest Harbor to the boatyards lining Penobscot Bay, Maine generates exactly the kind of fabrication problems we exist to solve: boat parts Maine builders and owners can’t source anywhere else, hardware that hasn’t been in production for decades, and components with no surviving drawings.
We’re not a production shop. We don’t run thousands of parts. We’re the team you call when the part needs to exist and nothing off the shelf will do.
Wooden Boat Restoration & 3D Scanning Services in Maine
Maine is the center of wooden boat culture in the United States. WoodenBoat Magazine, the WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, Rockport Marine, Lyman-Morse in Thomaston, and dozens of independent yards keep an extraordinary number of classic wooden vessels in active use. Wooden boat restoration at this level constantly runs into the same challenge: original hardware is worn, broken, or missing, and the original manufacturer is long gone.
3D scanning solves this directly. We capture the precise geometry of surviving original pieces — cleats, gudgeons, pintles, chainplates, custom deck hardware, cabin hardware, stem fittings — and convert that geometry into digital data that becomes the foundation for reproduction. Wooden boat parts that exist nowhere in the supply chain can be scanned, modeled, and fabricated to exact original dimensions. For Maine boat owners and yards doing serious wooden boat restoration work, this capability changes what’s possible.
For larger on-site work — scanning installed hardware, documenting hull geometry for a refit, capturing the lines of a frame before disassembly — we deploy scanning equipment on-site at Maine boatyards. For smaller fittings and components, overnight courier from Portland, Rockport, or Brooklin delivers to our Brooklyn studio the next morning.
Reverse Engineering Discontinued Marine Hardware
The reverse engineering workflow for marine work is straightforward: bring us the original piece, or a surviving reference, and we scan it at engineering-grade accuracy. From that scan we produce a fully dimensioned CAD model — the complete engineering foundation for reproduction. Wooden boat hardware that exists nowhere in a catalog can be brought back from a single surviving example.
From the CAD model we can execute the full scope of boat part fabrication in-house. Our CNC machining capability produces finished components in bronze, silicon bronze, stainless steel, aluminum, and brass — the materials classic wooden boat hardware demands. For more complex forms, our molding and casting services produce casting patterns for foundry work or cast urethane parts for patterns and mock-ups. The entire workflow — scan, model, fabricate, verify — happens under one roof with one team and one point of accountability.
Reverse engineering is also the answer when wooden boat hardware needs to be adapted rather than replicated — when a fitting needs to be modified for a different application, scaled to a different vessel, or redesigned for a more durable material while preserving the original profile and character.
Heritage and Historic Preservation in Coastal Maine
Maine’s coastal towns — Portland, Kennebunkport, Bath, Castine, Eastport — contain some of the finest surviving Victorian and Federal-period architecture on the East Coast. Historic lighthouses, sea captains’ mansions, commercial blocks, and public buildings all present the same preservation challenge: ornamental details that were hand-crafted, that have no surviving drawings, and that require both precise documentation and skilled fabrication to restore or replace.
Our scan-to-fabrication workflow applies directly to this work. We scan surviving original elements — carved stone, cast iron, ornamental woodwork, decorative metalwork — produce accurate CAD models, and fabricate replacements using the method best suited to the original material and historical context. For preservation architects, building owners, and historic district commissions working along the Maine coast, this provides a technically rigorous path when original sources no longer exist. See our heritage and restoration page for more on how we approach this work.
Sculpture and Public Art in Maine
Maine has one of the strongest art colony traditions in the country — Rockport, Camden, Monhegan Island, and the broader Midcoast region have attracted serious artists for over a century. The Rockport Art Association, Maine College of Art and Design in Portland, and a thriving community of independent sculptors and fabricators make Maine a natural market for the precision fabrication work that complex artistic projects require.
We work with sculptors and artists on maquette digitization, scale enlargement, custom armature fabrication, and the finishing and casting work that bridges studio practice and monumental output. When an artist’s hand-built form needs to be reproduced, enlarged, or translated into a material that survives outdoor installation, our scan-to-fabrication workflow provides the technical bridge. More on our sculpture and public art page.
Legacy Equipment and Component Reproduction
Maine’s working waterfront — commercial fishing, lobstering, marine services — runs on equipment that is often decades old, increasingly unsupported, and impossible to source through normal channels. When a critical component fails and no supplier carries a replacement, reverse engineering and one-off fabrication is the answer.
We produce single replacement parts and short runs for clients dealing with legacy equipment across industries. The work is the same whether the component comes from a fishing vessel, a historic mill, or a piece of specialized manufacturing equipment: scan the original, produce the engineering model, fabricate the replacement. Where dimensional accuracy needs to be verified before a part goes into service, our metrology and inspection services confirm the finished part meets spec. No minimum quantities, no production commitments — just the part you need, made correctly the first time.
3D Printing and CNC Machining in Maine
Our 3D printing capabilities in Maine — FDM, SLA, and SLS — give clients fast turnaround on complex geometry, functional prototypes, investment casting patterns, and end-use components in engineering-grade materials. For work requiring tighter tolerances, specific surface finish, or metals, CNC machining Maine work runs through our Brooklyn shop in aluminum, steel, brass, bronze, and engineering plastics. Both capabilities feed directly into the broader scan-to-fabrication workflow — we’re not a standalone print shop or machine shop, we’re a complete integrated facility.
Working with Maine Clients from Brooklyn
Portland is roughly five hours from Brooklyn by road — a straightforward drive for on-site visits when projects require them. Midcoast Maine — Rockport, Camden, Brooklin, Southwest Harbor — is seven to eight hours, which we treat as an overnight trip for larger on-site scanning jobs. For most Maine projects, the workflow is simpler: ship parts to our Brooklyn studio via overnight courier, we execute the full scope of work, and return finished deliverables the same way.
Overnight courier from Portland or Rockport to Brooklyn is reliable next-morning delivery via UPS, FedEx, or DHL. For fragile or oversized parts we’ll advise on the right packaging approach when you reach out.
Reach us at 718-557-9578 or contact us online to talk through your project.
For Maine clients who need engineering and design support alongside fabrication — taking a scan or concept through to production-ready CAD — our design and engineering team handles that work in-house. For projects requiring non-standard approaches or fabrication methods outside the standard service categories, our specialized manufacturing capability fills the gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you help with wooden boat restoration parts?
Yes — wooden boat restoration is one of our strongest marine applications. Classic and traditional vessels regularly have fittings, hardware, and structural components that no longer exist in the supply chain. We scan surviving originals at engineering-grade accuracy, produce fully dimensioned CAD models, and fabricate reproductions in the correct material — bronze, silicon bronze, stainless, or aluminum. Ship the original piece to our Brooklyn studio and we handle everything from there.
Can you reproduce custom boat hardware from a scan?
Yes. Custom boat hardware reproduction is a core part of what we do for marine clients. Depending on the geometry and material required, we machine parts directly, produce casting patterns for foundry work, or combine both methods. We’ll recommend the right approach for your specific part when you reach out — the goal is always a dimensionally faithful reproduction in the correct material with the right surface finish.
Do you do on-site scanning at Maine boatyards?
Yes. For projects where components can’t be removed — installed deck hardware, hull sections, frames, large assemblies — we deploy scanning equipment on-site. We’ve worked at boatyards throughout the Northeast and are familiar with the access and logistics involved. Contact us to discuss scope and we’ll let you know what setup time and access we need.
Can you help with historic preservation work in Portland or coastal Maine?
Yes. Maine’s coastal architecture — Victorian commercial buildings, Federal-period mansions, historic lighthouses — presents exactly the kind of preservation challenges our scan-to-fabrication workflow was built for. We scan surviving original elements and fabricate accurate replacements in the appropriate material and process. See our heritage and restoration page for more detail on how we approach this work.
I have a part with no drawings and no supplier. Can you help?
That’s exactly the kind of work we do. Bring us the physical part — or ship it to Brooklyn — and we’ll scan it, produce a dimensioned CAD model, and fabricate the replacement you need. We handle the entire workflow in-house: one team, no vendor handoffs, one point of accountability for the finished result.
How much do 3D scanning services cost?
What a project costs depends primarily on three things: the scan itself, what you need delivered, and what steps are required afterwards. Most scanning projects start in the hundreds and quickly exceed a thousand dollars depending on part complexity, size, accuracy requirements, and whether we’re traveling on site or working in our studio. Complex multi-part assemblies or large on-site jobs can quickly run into the several thousands. The deliverable matters too — we include full scan cleanup in every project unless a client specifically wants raw data, which is rare. If the work continues into CAD conversion, CNC machining, 3D printing, or custom fabrication, the scope and cost increase accordingly. We quote the full picture upfront so there are no surprises — the fastest way to get a real number is a short call.
To discuss a 3D scanning, reverse engineering, or fabrication project in Maine, call us at 718-557-9578 or visit our contact page.