On Barriers to Reverse Engineering Mechanical Components

Abstract

Reverse engineering is a common design strategy in industry. It is a term that has come to encompass a large array of engineering and design activities in the literature; however, in its basic form, reverse engineering is simply the process of extracting information about a product from the product itself. Depending on its use, it may or may not be advantageous to utilize a reverse engineering strategy. As with any rational decision, reverse engineering is only favorable when the benefits from its use outweigh the investment. Therefore, a general understanding of the principles that increase the difficulty or investment required to reverse engineer mechanical products would be helpful for everyone affected by reverse engineering activities. In this paper, we articulate and explore these fundamental principles by reviewing several examples from the literature and from our own experience. We then use the principles as a basis for the development of a methodology to build barriers to reverse engineering into new products, and provide a simple example to illustrate its use.

Preparation of Rotor Geometry for Setting up Numerical Model of Flow in Refining Ladle

“…Given the significant geometric complexity of the rotary impellers with multiple operating cycles, as shown in Figure 1a, it was necessary to develop a process for the input of triangular mesh in order to allow for the conversion to a 3D CAD model. Obtaining a 3D CAD model with the help of conventional methods of reverse engineering [21] was very complicated and time consuming. Maintaining the given level of detail, together with repeatability and speed were the conditions of the conversion process.…”