Internship Report on Digital Factory and Reverse

Engineering

Internship report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of B.Tech.
Submitted by

Rishikesh M Nandakumar
(MDM16B030)
Carried out at

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

Department of Mechanical Engineering

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY-DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING,
KANCHEEPURAM
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Certificate

I, Rishikesh M Nandakumar, with Roll No: MDM16B030 hereby declare that the material presented

in the Internship Report titled Digital Factory and Reverse Engineering represents original work

carried out by me in the Department of PTME, GME at Ford Motor Company during the year 2019.

With my signature, I certify that:

 I have not manipulated any of the data or results.

 I have not committed any plagiarism of intellectual property. I have clearly indicated and

referenced the contributions of others.

 I have explicitly acknowledged all collaborative research and discussions.

 I have understood that any false claim will result in severe disciplinary action.

 I have understood that the work may be screened for any form of academic misconduct.

Date: Student Signature

In my capacity as supervisor of the above-mentioned work, I certify that the work presented in this

Report is carried out under my supervision, and is worthy of consideration for the requirements of

internship work during the period 13th May to 13th August.

Advisor's Name: Advisor's Signature

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Abstract

3D models are the fundamental backbone for all product development. And the scope of it

keeps widening as new new sectors emerges such as VR, Digital Factory, Digital Twin etc.

One of the fields that make use of this is reverse engineering where the product is question is

deconstructed to identify its design, working and the current flaws it has. Digital factory uses

reverse engineering to create a virtual layout of the entire facility or plant to simulate the

material flow, ergo analysis, virtual assembly, virtual machining, CAE, etc. The application

goes beyond this. Reverse engineering can be used on medical field to simulate an extremely

difficult operation, to design artificial bones and organs and to see how it performs in the human

body rather than testing it on humans. Reverse engineering is also used in IT industry here they

take and old algorithm, break it down to pieces and redesign the algorithm to meet customer

needs and satisfaction.

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker that has its main headquarters in

Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16,

1903 and is one of the oldest automobile manufactures in the world. The company sells automobiles

and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and most luxury cars under the Lincolnbrand.

Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an

industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving

assembly lines; by 1914, these methods were known around the world as Fordism.
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Acknowledgement

The internship opportunity that I had with Ford Motors as a great chance for me to expand

my knowledge on 3D modelling and the domain of reverse engineering and to have a chance

to work with such an automobile giant was surely a boon to my experience. I would like to

express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Selvin and Mr. Ashok of ford for giving me this golden

opportunity to pursue my internship in ford motors as a part of the digital factory team. I would

like to thank Mr. Vijay (Lead engineer, Digital Factory, PTME, GME) for selecting us to be

a part of his team and to work under his guidance throughout the duration of the internship and

also for giving us an opportunity to visit the plant and for arranging sessions with other teams

that work inside GTBC.

I would also like to thank Mr. Mohan and Mr. Sreeram for training us in reverse

engineering as well as for spending quality time with us, guiding us throughout this internship,

enriching our knowledge and expanding our skills on tools such as Inventor and AutoCAD

MEP.

I am grateful to my college, Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and

Manufacturing, Kancheepuram for giving me the opportunity to do an internship at Ford

Motors GTBC, Sholinganallur, Chennai.

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Contents

Certificate................................................................................................................................................ 2

Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 3

Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................................. 4

List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... 7

Abbreviation ........................................................................................................................................... 8

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 9

1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 9

1.2 Motivation ................................................................................................................................. 10

1.3 Objective of the work................................................................................................................ 11

Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 12

2.1 Digital Factory .......................................................................................................................... 12

2.2 Point Cloud and 3D Scanning ................................................................................................... 13

2.3 Skill Teams in Digital Factory .................................................................................................. 14

2.3.1 Virtual Assembly and Ergo Analysis ................................................................................. 14

2.3.2 Virtual Machining .............................................................................................................. 16

2.3.3 CAE.................................................................................................................................... 17

2.3.4 VR and XR ......................................................................................................................... 18

2.3.5 Throughput ......................................................................................................................... 19

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Work Done ............................................................................................................................................ 20

3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 20

3.2 Reverse engineering .................................................................................................................. 22

3.3 MEP .......................................................................................................................................... 23

3.3.1 Modeling in AutoCAD MEP ............................................................................................... 24

3.3.2 QUALITY CHECK ........................................................................................................... 26

Results and Discussions ........................................................................................................................ 27

Conclusion and Extensions ................................................................................................................... 29

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List of Figures

1. Figure 2.1 - 3D laser scanner

2. Figure 2.2 - Virtual Assembly

3. Figure 2.3 - Ergo Analysis

4. Figure 2.4 - Virtual machining

5. Figure 2.5 - CAE analysis on a car body

6. Figure 2.6 - Virtual Reality

7. Figure 2.7 - Throughput simulation

8. Figure 3.1 - Point Cloud of a factory

9. Figure 3.2 - Reverse Engineering Cycle

10. Figure 3.3 - MEP inside a plant

11. Figure 3.4 - MEP designed on AutoCAD MEP

12. Figure 3.5 - A sample of collision done in NavisWorks

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Abbreviation

1. GME - Global Manufacturing Engineering

2. PTME - Power Train Manufacturing Engineering

3. VO - Vehicle Operation

4. HVAC - Heat Ventilation

5. MEP - Mechanical Electrical Plumping

6. CAD - Computer Aided Design

7. GTBC - Global Technology and Business Centre

8. AI - Artificial Intelligence

9. VR - Virtual Reality

10. XR - Extended Reality

11. CAE - Computer Aided Design

12. CNC - Computer Numerical Control

13. FTT - First Time Through Yield

14. IOT - Internet of Things

15. AR - Augmented Reality

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Chapter 1

Introduction

In the world striving for new technology and methods to make life and work easier, the

concept of 3D modeling plays a vital role. 40-50 years back we relied on 2- dimensional

drawing as a basis for the product development. With the sectors like Data Analytics, Big Data,

AI all booming at a high pace, the spectrum for 3D modeling widens up. The stage we are right

now the models are just blocks not capable of doing anything on its own but with the

implementation of the above mentioned areas on these will change the way we approach

product development.

Being given a chance to be a part of the Ford Motor Company was a great opportunity.

To work with an automobile giant at this early age was such an accomplishment. 3D modelling

and sketching have always been my passion and able to get an internship in the same field did

motivate me. I worked in the Digital Factory and the experience that I gained was irreplaceable.

1.1 Background

Global Manufacturing Engineering (GME) deals with automobile manufacturing across

the globe. It has two branches, Vehicle Operation (VO) and Power Train Manufacturing
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Engineering (PTME). Vehicle Operations include the design and manufacturing of the chassis,

body and other exterior components of a vehicle.

In a motor vehicle, the powertrain or power plant comprises the main components that generate

power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission,

drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive (drive wheels, continuous track as in military

tanks or caterpillar tractors, propeller, etc.). These together with the machineries and teams that

support the manufacturing of the powertrain comes under PTME.

Digital Factory is a part of PTME which is a cluster of many teams such as Virtual Assembly

and Ergo Analysis, Virtual Machining, Reverse Engineering, Throughput, VR and XR, CAE

etc. Digital factory deals with Factory planning and layout where each team optimize the data

that is provided to them and convert it into useful outputs that can be used for creating a virtual

environment of the factory and analyze the plant from within.

1.2 Motivation

To have an opportunity to work in digital factory for Ford Motor Company was itself a great

motivation. My passion is 3D modelling and sketching and able to pursue internship in the

same field was a great opportunity. Working in such a huge corporate, to get a feel of the

atmosphere, how people interact inside an office, being given a chance to interact with various

skilled engineers and lead engineers and to get trained in various tools was a great experience.

The knowledge that I acquired during these three months are irreplaceable. We got a chance to

visit the Manufacturing Plant in Chennai, where we witnessed how an Ecosport car is made
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from the scratch and got to interact with the plant engineers. The talks and sessions that we had

during the internship was truly helpful and added to my knowledge.

1.3 Objective of the work

The project given to us was to reverse engineer an entire plant and publish it and convert it to

certain format that becomes the input for other teams. We being a part of Digital Factory were

given a new task I.e. MEP where we had to route the piping, electrical and HVAC for the entire

factory. We also were given the task to model the assembly and machining lines with the help

of point cloud and Scene Webshare. While modeling a certain set of steps had to be followed

and the final output is converted in to JT and the designed models were stored in the asset

Library. The finished station ere later published and stored in the library for and given to the

suppliers for future uses

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Chapter 2

Methodology

2.1 Digital Factory

Digital factory is a combination of a lot of teams working together to achieve the same

goal. There is reverse engineering, virtual assembly, ergo analysis, through put, virtual

machining, extended reality, data analytics, CAE, etc. The process starts with reverse

engineering where the point cloud data is converted in 3d models. A 3D laser scanner which

can rotate in two axes is used to scan the entire plant. The scanner is placed in designated

positions that is preplanned so that the entire factory can be scanned. The allowed tolerance of

these models is two mm. The entire factory is divided in to machining and assembly lines and

within that into sub assembly lines. The models are later published and stored in the library

which are used by the suppliers for reference and also to develop the machineries according to

the plants need. Layout planning is also done where the entire 2D of the plant is made using

the 3D. The models that we create becomes the input for the rest of the teams.
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2.2 Point Cloud and 3D Scanning

With the emergence of laser technology, now we are able to perceive 3D scanning with

ease. Laser scanners are able to scan the facility with high accuracy and less time. The

quality of the point cloud data obtained varies according to the scanning time, the longer it

takes to scan, better the quality of the point cloud.er is able to scan in entire 360 degree. It

can rotate in two axes, one rotating horizontally and the other in vertical axis.

Scanning a big facility requires a lot of understanding of the environment. The scanners

has to be placed in multiple location to get a proper coverage of the facility. To mark the

location, range and quality of the scanning, white orbs are placed around the scanners

which act as markers or coordinates for the later when the data is combined. The point of

keeping the scanner at different location is to cover the blind spot that you have from one

location. Once the entire scanning is done the data is collected and stitched together with

the help of the white orbs which as mentioned help in finding the coordinates in space.
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Figure 2.1 - 3D laser scanner

2.3 Skill Teams in Digital Factory

Digital factory is comprised of a lot of skilled teams who all work in different fields to

attain the same goal. Each group are depend on one another for inputs and outputs. Now a days

it is not necessary for one team to wait for the other team to finish their work, they can work

parallel and save a lot of time with the current technologies and proper work plan. The

following are some of the teams that collectively makes Digital Factory.

2.3.1 Virtual Assembly and Ergo Analysis

Anthropometric ratio of humans' changes according to the region and there are certain

aspects have to be met for the workers to work in the factory. It is important to understand how
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human interact in their work place and how they do their work. Workers are only allowed to

carry weights up to certain kilos and have to maintain the reachability factor. There are certain

ergonomic standards that have to be met. Using the models that have been created, a virtual

factory is created where these ergo analysis is done, the lighting of the factory and the airflow

is also validated.

In the past a few car models have to be scrapped for doing clash detection in test lines to

see if there are any obstruction along the path. Now with the help of the models these tests are

done virtually and a lot of time and resources can be saved. Process Validation is also done

where the parts are inspected with their counterparts and necessary changes are made.

Figure 2.2 – Virtual Assembly

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Figure 2.3 - Ergo Analysis

2.3.2 Virtual Machining

It takes a lot of time to go and inspect each and every machineries inside a plant, by using

the CAD models in the future we will be able to analyze the working without having to go to

the factory. That is where digital twin is going to play a role. Digital twin is basically real time

monitoring of the robots virtually, to see and understand its working and also to inspect and

control them remotely. The inputs like the type of bolts and nuts used, the type of machines,

holders required etc. can be simulated within. All the data require for the machines to operate

are given in this section. Robotic simulations are also carried out here to dee the degree of

freedom and constraints that the robot has.

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Figure 2.4 - Virtual machining

2.3.3 CAE

All sorts of CAE analysis are done on the models to see how the machines handle after

millions of cycles, to see which parts are vulnerable to failure. Also to see how different parts

react to different loading condition. Thermal analysis is also done other machines to understand

their behavior during their peak working hours. The ventilation and airflow analysis inside the

plant is also taken care.

Figure 2.5 - CAE analysis on a car body

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2.3.4 VR and XR

Assisted reality, augmented reality, virtual reality and finally extended reality. These plays

a vital role in the future that is yet to come. Assisted reality and augmented reality are already

used widely in many applications. Many companies have started implementing virtual reality

for various purpose. Extended reality is the future which is a combination of all the other three

with much more complexity. As of now the models that we created are used to create a virtual

factory where one can go explore each and every corner of the factory without actually going

there. Instead of on-hand training virtual reality can be used to train the people. For example,

in paint shop, instead of wasting paints for the new trainees, they can be trained virtually and

get the experience. Similar for rest of the training. By doing this a lot of time and material can

be saved. By using augmented reality, we will be able to view the models and see how they fit

in the real-world using devices like mobile and tabs. Instead of placing the actual machine and

testing the space constraints, it can be done virtually. Things such as plant visit can also be

done virtually now. It’s going to be VR and XR in the future for which the main inputs are 3D

models.
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Figure 2.6 - Virtual Reality

2.3.5 Throughput

Each station has their own cycle time and it is required to understand the cycle time of

these station and see how it effects the production. Each station provides to the cycle time of a

car manufactured inside the plant. Sometimes bottlenecks may be created which may slow

down the process of production. The job of throughput team is to find where the bottle neck is

happening and to do necessary optimization. Material flow through the plant is also analyzed

to understand the phase at which the materials are being used and to make sure every material

is on stock hen required.

Figure 2.7 - Throughput simulation

Throughput is in charge of analyzing the material flow in a plant as well as part flow in the

lines. They also do analysis on the traffic inside the plant to see during which hours the the

traffic is more and which all part it is concentrated.

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Chapter 3

Work Done

3.1 Introduction

Reverse engineering, MEP, Publishing and Layout population were the work allocated to

us. Out of which I worked on reverse engineering and MEP. For both purpose point cloud data

are used to design the models. Point cloud is a raw data that is used in reverse engineering

which is a cluster of the points that makes it looks like a 3D Image and can be used as a

reference for 3D modeling. It is made using a scanner which scans the product or facility and

converts it to points. The scanner is placed on a tripod and is then rotated in two axes thus

scanning the entire facility. The scanned data is then stitched together to make one big Scan

model that is needed.

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Figure 3.1 - Point Cloud of a factory

The softwares that we used are

 AutoCAD MEP

 NavisWork

 Inventor

The Project was to design the entire engine plant. For that the interns were divided in to

two groups, AutoCAD MEP and Reverse engineering.

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3.2 Reverse engineering

Instead of building a product from scratch, a reverse engineer deconstructs the product to

its last to reveal its design and get knowledge about the material as well as its flaws. For reverse

engineering the main input is the point cloud. The models are made using the point cloud as a

base. Reverse engineering is used in various fields like medical, IT, electrical etc. In mechanical

reverse engineering is used for competitor analysis, product remodeling, factory planning etc.

Figure 3.2 - Reverse Engineering Cycle

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We worked on factory planning where the entire plant is modelled using the point cloud

data of an existing plant. A plant basically has three sections, machining, assembly, and market

area. Our work as to design the stations in these lines with maximum detail. A certain set of

steps has to be followed while creating the models such as creating the elevation plane which

act as the ground and also constraining the parts accordingly considering the kinematics of the

parts. The naming of the parts also had a format and the subassemblies that is created with in

the main assembly also had to be constrained and converted into standard.iam. Using Design

Assistant, the nomenclature of the parts are named according to the standards. The models

created are stored in the library which can be used for future uses. The model is then converted

in to JT file format which becomes the input for the other teams.

3.3 MEP

MEP, Mechanical Electrical and plumping is an important part while designing a facility.

MEP engineers is required to know about Heat and fluid dynamics, mechanics, dynamics etc.

It is essential to design a MEP structure for a facility or plant and hence proper planning and

understanding of the facility has to be done before creating the model.

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Figure 3.3 - MEP inside a plant

3.3.1 Modeling in AutoCAD MEP

We were given the point cloud data of the of the plant and asked to design the entire routing

of the pipes and HVAC for the plant. The plant consisted of 3 sections, Assembly line,

machining line and market area. while understanding how the piping's are done, we found out

that for these 3 sections the piping are different. There were fire hydrants, pneumatic pipes,

chilled water pipes, coolant pipes, electrical cable trays, mist collector and HVAC.

Figure 3.4 - MEP designed on AutoCAD MEP

 The fire hydrants ran through the entire plant covering the entire area in case a fire

broke out. For most of the piping there will be a main header and then sub-headers

coming out of it and finally dropouts, in the case of fire hydrants it will be sprinkler

tubes attached with a sprinkler.

 The pneumatic pipes mostly ran on the machining area a few on assembly area and a

few headers running on top of the market area. pneumatic is very essential for
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machineries like CNCs, nut runners, automatic stations etc. The pneumatic pipes are

usually identified in blue color and the dropouts are connected directly to the

machineries. There are high pressure and low-pressure pneumatic pipes. The number

of dropouts reduces drastically in assembly area.

 Chilled water pipes are black in color and usually run is a pair, chilled water in and

chilled water out. The black color is the insulator wrapped around the pipes. Chilled

water is required to cool the CNC machineries that over heat during the process. Chilled

water is only used in machining area and the main headers runs on top of assembly and

market area

 Mist collector is used to remove dust and other impurities from air thus regulating the

quality of air that is sent out from the factory environment as well as maintaining the

quality inside the factory.

 Electricity is the most important input for all the machines. There will be electrical

cable trays running on top of the trusses and drop outs, here conduits are used to supply

power from cable tray to the machines. Control panel are kept on most of the columns

which are again housed by cable trays

 Coolant pipes are used in heavy machineries that produce a lot of heat. Unlike the other

pipes whose source is from outside the factory the mist collector and coolant pipes

source lie within the factory.

With the point cloud given, we were asked to route these pipes as accurately as possible.

The question may arise why are we routing something that is already existing. Especially in a

car manufacturing plant where models change over time it is required to change the

machineries. To do that the pipes connected to them also has to be rerouted. With the help of
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the piping models that we create it will be easier to do the analysis on the factory without

actually visiting the factory.

AutoCAD MEP is a dedicated software used for routing MEP with a lot of inbuilt

functions and commands making it easier and faster to do the work.

NavisWork is a visualization software to look at the point cloud at much ease and also to

compare the work done with the point cloud.

3.3.2 QUALITY CHECK

Using NavisWork the QC for MEP is conducted. Since a factory is vast and a lot of pipes

run through there are chances for the collision among the pipes as well as the tresses. The job

was to thoroughly check for collision of pipes with the rest of the pipes as well as the tresses

and resolve each and every such collision by either changing the elevation or rerouting the

pipes such that it won’t interfere with anything. It must be done very cautiously and with time

because a lot of pipes trays and HVAC runs through the plant and are supported by tresses. At

some point some minor adjustment has to be done to avoid the collision. Also, the position of

the dropouts is to be ensured so that it matches exactly with the valves connecting the machines.

Figure 3.5 - A sample of collision done in NavisWorks

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Chapter 4

Results and Discussions

While working on the same project day over day certain things become clearer, such as why

model the MEP, what are the various fields our output is being used and how are they being

used.

 Got more information on how a digital factory is categorized and what role it plays in

the automobile industry.

 We got to have a meeting with different skilled engineers from various team and the

knowledge acquired from them were valuable.

 We also were able to see how the MEP and machines that we modeled are being used

in the Chennai plant. A quick tour through the Chennai Manufacturing Plant was a

great Experience and got to see how a car is being put together from the scratch.

In MEP we categorized the pipes in to pneumatics, chilled water, electrical, coolant, fire

hydrants, mist collector and HVAC. The concentration of each varies accordingly. Fire hydrant

is equally found is all three areas I.e. machining, assembly and market area.

 Chilled Water and coolant pipes had dropouts in machining area only, which meant all

the heavy machineries that produced heat were in machining area. There were main

headers running in assembly and market areas.

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 Pneumatics had higher concentration of dropouts in machining area and a few in

assembly. The mist collector as placed in only one part of the plant.

 HVAC were distributed evenly to cover all the places inside the plant.

 QC was also done and it was found out that there were a lot of clashes occurs in such a

huge plant and rerouting has to be done accordingly to avoid these clashes.

 The entire MEP was then converted in to NWD format and submitted.

The plant which we worked on far the past two months had an FTT over 95% and was able to

view the work in VR lab. While doing reverse engineering we got to know about the different

types of lines in the plant and its purpose. Got to know about various machines and for what

they are used and also got to know about the different types of stations such as automatic, semi-

automatic and manual stations. The automatic stations are fenced so that people may not enter

and are also called fenced station,

Various skills where picked up during the course of the internship.

 Became proficient in tools like Inventor, AutoCAD MEP, and NevisWork.

 Knowledge on various aspects of Digital Factory.

 Knowledge on reverse engineering and its application.

 Experience gained from working in a corporate.

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Chapter 5

Conclusion and Extensions

 The purpose of reverse engineering and MEP and its application were understood.

 Got a better understanding on how an automotive sector works and how each

department contributes to the production if a car.

 Was given a chance to see how the future is going to be and what role digital factory is

going to play in it.

 Given an opportunity to see where the automotive sector is headed and what lies ahead,

how the current industry is adapting to the emerging technologies and emerging fields.

While the sectors like AI, virtual reality, Data Analytics are booming at a very high pace,

digital factory can be the input and output for these sectors. Using data analytics, a lot of

optimization and real time monitoring can be done.

 Making the computer to process 3D model from point cloud with as much accuracy

possible using machine learning and AI or implementing digital twin are some of the

possibilities.

 Virtual reality can be improved by giving real time feel of the environment such as

touch, temperature etc.

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 With every one now moving into industry 4.0 digitalization and virtual reality is

going to play a major role in the growth of the industry and economy.

 With IOT, everything is going to be interlinked and the gate to explore new fields

and expand knowledge widens. Machines and robots are going to be smarter and

better at doing the task assigned to them. The world is headed for a big change.