An Approach For Reverse Engineering and Redesign o
An Approach For Reverse Engineering and Redesign o
https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2024.73
Marija Rešetar 1, Filip Valjak 1,2, , Marina Grabar Branilović 3, Mario Šercer 3 and
Nenad Bojčetić 1
1 University of Zagreb Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Croatia,
2 University of Zagreb Faculty of Architecture, School of Design, Croatia, 3 Metal Centre Čakovec, Croatia
[email protected]
Abstract
The spare parts play a vital role in sustaining the operation and longevity of products and systems, but their
unavailability can lead to prolonged downtime or expensive replacements. The integration of 3D scanning
and Additive Manufacturing (AM) presents a promising path for spare part production. However, to utilise
the full potential of AM, sometimes, redesign of the original part is needed. This paper investigates and
proposes a new approach that integrates reverse engineering and redesign of an original part based on
functional analysis to support the manufacturing of AM spare parts.
1. Introduction
Spare or replacement parts play a vital role in maintaining the proper operation of a product or a system
and can be used to extend their lifespan (Turrini and Meissner, 2019). Spare parts provide a cost-
effective and efficient solution to address wear and damage of malfunctioning components, ensuring
sustained functionality and performance of a product or a system over an extended period (Hu et al.,
2018). However, spare parts are not always easy to obtain, and their unavailability can lead to prolonged
downtimes or even require costly replacement of the entire product or a system. The reasons for the
unavailability of spare parts can be many, and some common ones are the lack of original parts on the
market, supply disruptions that prolong the lead time for their procurement, or the loss of technical
documentation needed for manufacturing spare parts. In such cases, one can use reverse engineering
(RE) to design and manufacture the spare parts. The advent of 3D scanning technology in recent years
has facilitated the RE processes, enabling easy and precise scanning of parts and obtaining their digital
CAD models. Simultaneously, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a versatile manufacturing
process to produce physical parts directly from digital files without additional tooling and complex
process planning. Hence, AM is becoming the go-to technology for manufacturing spare parts (Heinen
and Hoberg, 2019; Knofius et al., 2019). The synergy between 3D scanning and AM is becoming
important in manufacturing spare parts as it enables fast and cost-effective design and manufacturing of
various spare parts (Yao, 2005). Furthermore, it enables on-demand and on-the-site distributed
manufacturing, which enables the production of a spare part only when needed, close to where it is
needed, removing the need for extensive inventories and complex supply chains (Khajavi et al., 2014).
For example, Montero et al. (2018) used 3D scanning and AM to manufacture the spare valve cover of
an electric diesel generator, while Kudrna et al. (2022) restored and upgraded the braking pedal of a
2. Background
Reverse engineering (RE) is a process of creating a new product from an existing one and is a common
industry practice. The RE can be used in many different contexts and for different purposes, from
understanding design and decisions behind it, evaluation of competitors' solutions, to replication of
existing designs or for analysis and archival purposes. Michaeli et al. (2017) divided the RE processes
into two categories: processes for creating compatible components with a scanned object and processes
for replicating parts. The later RE process incorporates scanning of the object and replication of that
object by using an appropriate manufacturing technology and is often used for manufacturing spare
parts. According to Buonamici et al. (2018), who conducted a review of RE methods and tools, the
general RE framework is made of five steps: data capture and pre-processing; segmentation of the cloud
point or mesh; classification of segments; surface modelling; and final CAD reconstruction. However,
this framework only considers the RE of the product's or part's geometry, and the RE process based only
on a geometric approach has a frozen design that does not provide design modifications (Durupt et al.,
2008). Hence, a knowledge-based approach that considers aspects of product functionality, form,
physical principles, manufacturability, and assimilability (Otto and Wood, 1998) is needed to extract
the original design intent to facilitate the redesign process. Urbanic (2015) stated that for redesign
purposes, reconstruction of some type of functional model must be conducted to enable subsequent
design changes during the redesign process. Such RE process can be seen in a RE canvas, a visual tool
for supporting RE activities developed by Akerdad et al. (2021), where function structure is a key
element of the RE process when one is trying to improve the existing design. Furthermore, Maier and
Fadel (2009) emphasize that function structures are often used in RE and redesign scenarios when an
existing product is analysed to understand how it works and how it could be improved.
Besides the role of function structure in the RE process, it is important to consider the impact of AM on
RE. Akerdad et al. (2022) incorporated AM in education on RE to enable the manufacturing of
3. Methodology
To address the research question outlined in the introduction and with previous research in mind, we
propose a new approach for RE and redesign of AM spare parts. The proposed approach builds on the
existing body of knowledge in three main areas: geometrical RE, functional analysis and DfAM.
Hence, the approach incorporates existing methods and tools to carry out specific steps with the
commonly accepted workflow direction from the RE of the original product to the manufacturing of
AM spare parts. The novelty of the proposed approach is the concurrent application of geometrical and
functional analysis. Both are used to distinguish geometry that must be kept so that the part keeps its
core functionality and compatibility with the system it is a part of, while the latter is used to define the
function structure of a part needed for redesign purposes. Furthermore, the approach is focused on
searching for new AM-based solutions to facilitate the adaptive redesign to utilise AM design
possibilities, improve part functionality and performance, and ensure the compatibility of the new
design with AM. The steps of the approach are defined as shown in Figure 1, with the workflow divided
into four stages: RE, modelling and analysis, redesign, and, finally, AM manufacturing and quality
control.
The process starts with selecting the part for which a redesigned spare part will be made. Not all parts
will be suitable for this process. Reasons for it include the requirements for specific materials,
tolerances, or specifications not achievable with AM, or it could be down to the limitations of the
machines used for AM. In selecting the part, one should look for cases in which the use of AM and,
more importantly, efforts put into the redesign for AM will bring some additional value, be it reduced
lead time, improved performance and functionality, reduced costs of AM or some other value (Diegel
et al., 2019). This step requires some experience in assessing the added value. Still, one could facilitate
the selection process with the help of tools such as a model for evaluating AM feasibility (Ahtiluoto et
al., 2019) where one can calculate the feasibility index, which depicts the sensibility of using AM to
produce the given part. Once the part is selected, the redesign process starts with the RE stage,
collecting all requirements regarding overall dimensions or operating conditions. These requirements
4. Case study
The proposed approach was applied to the case study as a form of initial verification (Teegavarapu et
al., 2008). The selected case study was a spur gear on which a proposed approach was applied (Rešetar,
2022). Spur gear is a common machine element found in many products and systems, and due to its
simplicity, it is a good example to depict the proposed approach. The process started with the creation
of a requirement list. There was no original technical documentation for the selected gear (Figure 2);
hence, the requirements were established based on the designer's experience. The initial requirements
were vertical position in the assembly and low rotation speeds. Due to the operational condition of the
gear, an additional requirement was an improvement of passive cooling, while a lightweight design was
added to reduce AM costs. The establishment of the requirements list was followed by 3D scanning of
Figure 3. Functional volumes of the scanned spur gear; Function structure of the gear
By combining suggested AM solutions, multiple concepts of redesigned gear were created (Figure 5).
One concept was selected, and the adaptive redesign was performed. The 3D model of a gear was
redesigned to include new geometry and features. New features added to the gear model were a void
structure to guide mechanical energy and reduce mass, vanes that catch the fluid and deliver it to the
channels, and internal cooling channels. The idea behind cooling is that the gear is emersed into the
liquid up to a quarter of its height, which enables vanes to grab the liquid and bring it to the channels.
The channels have a larger diameter at the entrance and then branch into three smaller channels at the
exit. Due to the rotation, the centrifugal force pushes the liquid through the channels. Internal channels
like this can only be produced by AM, which clearly shows one of the advantages over conventional
technologies. Furthermore, as the channel's exit is located on the teeth of the gear, the liquid that exits
the channels lubricates the gear as additional functionality.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, the integration of reverse engineering, 3D scanning, and Design for Additive
Manufacturing presents a promising approach to address the challenges of additive manufactured spare
parts. The proposed approach outlines the high-level process for analysing and redesigning a part to
ensure its manufacturability with AM, enable the utilisation of AM possibilities, and, through utilising
AM possibilities, increase the functionality and performance of the spare part. The novelty of the
approach is the concurrent application of geometrical and functional analysis needed as input for the
Acknowledgement
This work has been supported by Metal Centre Čakovec under the project KK.01.1.1.02.0023.
This work is funded by Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of Republic of Croatia, and Croatian Science
Foundation project IP-2022-10-7775: Data-driven Methods and Tools for Design Innovation (DATA-MATION).
References
Ahtiluoto, M., Ellman, A.U. and Coatanea, E. (2019), “Model for Evaluating Additive Manufacturing Feasibility
in End-Use Production”, Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering
Design, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 799–808, https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dsi.2019.84.
Akerdad, M., Aboutajeddine, A. and Elmajdoubi, M. (2021), “Reverse engineering canvas (REC): a visual tool
for supporting reverse engineering activities”, International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing
(IJIDeM), Vol. 15 No. 2–3, pp. 249–257, https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12008-021-00763-3.
Akerdad, M., Aboutajeddine, A. and Elmajdoubi, M. (2022), “Development of an authentic concept of engineering
activities based on product redesign”, Computer Applications in Engineering Education, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp.
956–972, https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cae.22496.
Ali, F., Chowdary, B. V. and Gonzales, L. (2013), “An integrated design approach for rapid product development”,
Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 178–189,
https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-06-2011-0042.
Buonamici, F., Carfagni, M., Furferi, R., Governi, L., Lapini, A. and Volpe, Y. (2018), “Reverse engineering
modeling methods and tools: a survey”, Computer-Aided Design and Applications, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 443–
464, https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16864360.2017.1397894.
Dalpadulo, E., Petruccioli, A., Gherardini, F. and Leali, F. (2022), “A Review of Automotive Spare-Part
Reconstruction Based on Additive Manufacturing”, Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, Vol.
6 No. 6, p. 133, https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jmmp6060133.
Diegel, O., Nordin, A. and Motte, D. (2019), A Practical Guide to Design for Additive Manufacturing, Springer
Singapore, Singapore, https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8281-9.
Durupt, A., Remy, S., Ducellier, G. and Eynard, B. (2008), “From a 3D point cloud to an engineering CAD model:
a knowledge-product-based approach for reverse engineering”, Virtual and Physical Prototyping, Vol. 3 No.
2, pp. 51–59, https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17452750802047917.
Geng, Z. and Bidanda, B. (2017), “Review of reverse engineering systems – current state of the art”, Virtual and
Physical Prototyping, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 161–172, https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17452759.2017.1302787.
Gibson, I., Rosen, D., Stucker, B. and Khorasani, M. (2021), Additive Manufacturing Technologies, Springer
International Publishing, Cham, https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56127-7.
Heinen, J.J. and Hoberg, K. (2019), “Assessing the potential of additive manufacturing for the provision of spare parts”,
Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 65 No. 8, pp. 810–826, https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/joom.1054.
Hirtz, J., Stone, R.B., McAdams, D.A., Szykman, S. and Wood, K.L. (2002), “A functional basis for engineering
design: Reconciling and evolving previous efforts”, Research in Engineering Design, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 65–
82, https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00163-001-0008-3.
Hu, Q., Boylan, J.E., Chen, H. and Labib, A. (2018), “OR in spare parts management: A review”, European
Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 266 No. 2, pp. 395–414, https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2017.07.058.
Khajavi, S.H., Partanen, J. and Holmström, J. (2014), “Additive manufacturing in the spare parts supply chain”,
Computers in Industry, Vol. 65 No. 1, pp. 50–63, https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2013.07.008.
Knofius, N., van der Heijden, M.C. and Zijm, W.H.M. (2019), “Moving to additive manufacturing for spare parts
supply”, Computers in Industry, Vol. 113, p. 103134, https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2019.103134.
Kudrna, L., Ma, Q.-P., Hajnys, J., Mesicek, J., Halama, R., Fojtik, F. and Hornacek, L. (2022), “Restoration and
Possible Upgrade of a Historical Motorcycle Part Using Powder Bed Fusion”, Materials, Vol. 15 No. 4, p.
1460, https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma15041460.