Reverse Engineering
Traditional product design starts with an idea and results in the manufacturing of a final product.
Reverse engineering begins with a product and works in the opposite direction to identify product components and their relationships with one another, uncover materials and methods used in its manufacturing and create a corresponding physical representation of the item.
While reverse engineering is sometimes associated with unearthing trade know-how, a company may choose the reverse engineering process for business reasons to:
- Reproduce an item when an original manufacturer is no longer operating
- Develop interfaces between existing systems and new technology
- Complete or replace of inadequate or missing documentation associated with the original design
- Factor out obsolete processes or materials, especially when existing material is unsafe or no longer manufactured
- Restore or replace damaged or worn parts
- Save money by seeking out less expensive alternatives for replacement parts
- Enhancement of good features or elimination of problem features
- Repurpose a product that may no longer fill its intended purpose but can be made useful for another purpose
- Adapt or improve security and protect proprietary design and information
- Provide an educational tool that can assist future design ideas
Reverse engineering plays a significant role in stimulating innovative and creative minds that produce items across industries. Benefits of the reverse engineering process are numerous. Engineers can discover product vulnerabilities and ensure the safety of the end-user. An integral part of redesigning an existing product is simply understanding the product itself. Reverse engineering provides the visual capacity to apply today’s technology and novel approaches to possibly outdated practices. Modernization of materials or processes that result from the knowledge that reverse engineering provides can lower costs and improve efficiency. This is completed with quality as the ultimate goal of the process.
A tremendous advantage of reverse engineering is faster product development time. In a competitive global economy, shortened lead times to get products to market quickly are necessary. By using reverse engineering, a three-dimensional product or model can quickly be captured in a digital form, remodeled and exported for rapid prototyping and tooling.
Reverse engineering technology provides a good technical base for rapid design and prototyping. It is now a succinct way to transmit information in the manufacturing process. When it comes to custom tool design and prototyping, The Toolroom’s design department offers the expertise you need. We provide professional reverse engineering services and can work with you to recreate technical drawings of products.
The Toolroom is committed to efficiency and performance. Whatever your needs for your custom plastic or rubber part, The Toolroom is with you each step of the process. Choose The Toolroom to be your partner for complete injection molding, machining custom tool design, rapid prototyping and more. Call 573-437-4154 to get your project started.