REVERSE ENGINEERING

DR. AHMED BAHGAT

 WHAT IS REVERSE ENGINEERING?
• Engineering is the process of designing, manufacturing, assembling, and maintaining products
and systems. There are two types of engineering, forward engineering and reverse engineering.

Forward engineering is the traditional
process of moving from high-level
abstractions and logical designs to the
physical implementation of a system.
In some situations, there may be a physical part/product
without any technical details, such as drawings, bills-of-
material, or without engineering data. The process of
duplicating an existing part, subassembly, or product,
without drawings, documentation, or a computer model is
known as reverse engineering.

Reverse engineering is also defined as the process of obtaining

a geometric CAD model from 3-D points acquired by
scanning/digitizing existing parts/products.
 HISTORY

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine The Tupolev Tu-4 was a piston-engined Soviet strategic
propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing, bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late
which was flown primarily by the United States during 1940s to mid-1960s. It was reverse-engineered from the
World War II and the Korean War. It was one of the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
largest aircraft operational during World War II and Top speed: 558 km/h
featured state-of-the-art technology. Wikipedia Introduced: 1949
Top speed: 570 km/h Weight: 36,850 kg
Wingspan: 43 m Engine type: Shvetsov ASh-73
Range: 9,000 km Number built: 847
Engine type: Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone First flight: May 19, 1947 Wikipedia
Introduction: 8 May 1944
 SOM REASONS FOR REVERSE ENGINEERING
A PART OR PRODUCT:
• The original manufacturer of a product no longer produces a product
• There is inadequate documentation of the original design
• The original manufacturer no longer exists, but a customer needs the product
• The original design documentation has been lost or never existed
• Some bad features of a product need to be designed out. For example, excessive wear might indicate where a product should be
improved
• To strengthen the good features of a product based on long-term usage of the product
• To analyze the good and bad features of competitors' product
• To explore new avenues to improve product performance and features
• To gain competitive benchmarking methods to understand competitor's products and develop better products
• The original CAD model is not sufficient to support modifications or current manufacturing methods
• The original supplier is unable or unwilling to provide additional parts
• The original equipment manufacturers are either unwilling or unable to supply replacement parts, or demand inflated costs for sole-
source parts
• To update obsolete materials or antiquated manufacturing processes with more current, less-expensive technologies
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE STEPS OF THE
REVERSE ENGINEERING PROCESS: A. Prediction
B. Observation
C. Disassemble
D. Analyze
A. Prediction E. Test
F. Documentation
• What is the purpose of this product?
• How does it work?
• What market was it designed to appeal to?
• List some of the design objectives for the product.
• List some of the constraints that may have influenced
the design.
 STEPS OF THE REVERSE ENGINEERING PROCESS A. Prediction
B. Observation
C. Disassemble
B. Observation D. Analyze
E. Test
• How do you think it works? F. Documentation

• How does it meet design objectives (overall)?

• Why is it designed the way it is?
STEPS OF THE REVERSE ENGINEERING PROCESS A. Prediction
B. Observation
C. Disassemble C. Disassemble
D. Analyze
• How does it work? E. Test
F. Documentation
• How is it made?
• How many parts?
• How many moving parts?
• Any surprises?
 STEPS OF THE REVERSE ENGINEERING PROCESS
A. Prediction
B. Observation
D. Analyze C. Disassemble
D. Analyze
• Carefully examine and analyze subsystems (i.e. Structural, E. Test
mechanical, and electrical) and develop annotated sketches that F. Documentation

include measurements and notes on components, system design,

safety, and controls.
E. Test
• Carefully reassemble the product.
• Operate the device and record observations about its performance
in terms of functionality (operational and ergonomic) and projected
durability.
STEPS OF THE REVERSE ENGINEERING PROCESS
A. Prediction
B. Observation
F. Documentation C. Disassemble
D. Analyze
• Inferred design goals E. Test
F. Documentation
• Inferred constraints
• Design (functionality, form (geometry), and materials)
• Schematic diagrams
• Lists (materials, components, critical components, flaws, successes, etc.)
• Identify any refinements that might enhance the product’s usefulness.
• Upgrades and changes
Sample Product Disassembly Display
 INITIAL PRODUCT SELECTION

• An item to disassemble is selected.

• It could be as simple as a children's toy,
or as complex as a fishing reel.
 GATHERING DATA

• Carefully disassemble the product.

• Measure the parts and record information using the product teardown
chart shown on the next slide.
• Determine material properties.

inquiry discovery
Take measurements and record data…
 VISUALIZATION

• Create thumbnail sketches.

• Develop pictorial sketches which are

extremely important at this stage to show
how the part is assembled, and how the
mechanism works.
• Compare your theory/hypothesis of how the
product functioned to its actual operation.
Create solid models of each part for your presentation
display.
 Analyze the product
• How do the parts interact?

• What are the good and bad features?

• What has caused the product to succeed or fail?

• Are the materials appropriate?

Fully document each part…
Fully document each part…
 Discuss and brainstorm

• Discuss your team’s findings and brainstorm for improvements.

• Determine with your team, if more information is needed.

 Reflect on the disassembly process

• Did the disassembly process help you to understand the product and lead you to ideas
for redesign to enhance its marketability?
 Functional Analysis

After a product has been selected, a non-

destructive Functional Analysis is
performed.
First, the product’s purpose is identified.
Next, observations are made to determine
how the product functions. These
observations are recorded in detail. Lastly,
the system’s inputs and outputs are listed.
 Functional Analysis Example
The purpose of a
toothbrush is to clean
teeth and gums to
prevent tooth and gum
decay. Water and a
cleansing paste are also
used in conjunction with
the brush.
 Functional Analysis Example
The engineer makes an
annotated sketch of the
product and labels all of the
visible components.
This information is used to
write up a detailed analysis
of the object’s sequential
operation, or function.
 Black Box Systems Model
A black box systems model is used to
identify what goes into and out of the
product in order to make it work as a
system.

Inputs Output
Product
Function
 Black Box Systems Model
The “black box” is used to represent the
product’s internal components or processes,
which are deemed unknown at this point.

Inputs Output
Product
Function
 Functional Analysis Example
• Hand motion • Sound
• Toothpaste • Heat
• Water • Waste
• Energy • Clean teeth
and gums

Inputs Output
Product
Function
Product Disassembly
 Product Disassembly
Disassembly or teardown of a product is a major step in the Reverse Engineering
process.

It uncovers the principles behind how a product works.

It is always fun to tear apart a product, but nothing will be accomplished if data is not
collected during the process.

To gather this data we will use a Product Teardown Chart.

Product disassembly will answer the following questions:

• How do the parts interact?

• What are the good and bad features

…of the product’s form?
…of the product’s function?

• What has caused the product to succeed or fail?

• Are the materials appropriate?

• What manufacturing process was used?

• What is the estimated cost of the product?

Why do we perform disassembly?
• To analyze an existing product and determine its
components and interrelationships.

• To determine strengths and weaknesses of

parts.

• To understand how it works.

• To develop electronic documentation.

 Product disassembly
is a major step in the
Reverse Engineering process.
Sample Product Disassembly Display
 Initial Product Selection
• An item to disassemble is selected.
• It could be as simple as a children's toy,
or as complex as a fishing reel.
 Gathering Data
• Carefully disassemble the product.
• Measure the parts and record information using
the Product Teardown Chart shown on the next
slide.
• Determine material properties.

inquiry discovery
Take measurements and record data…
 Visualization

• Create thumbnail sketches.

• Develop pictorial sketches which are extremely

important at this stage to show how the part is
assembled, and how the mechanism works.
• Compare your theory/hypothesis of how the product
functioned to its actual operation.
Create solid models of each part for your
presentation display.
Analyze the product

• How do the parts interact?

• What are the good and bad features?

• What has caused the product to succeed or fail?

• Are the materials appropriate?

Fully document each part…
Fully document each part…
 Discuss and Brainstorm
• Discuss your team’s findings and brainstorm for improvements.

• Determine with your team, if more information is needed.

Reflect on the disassembly process

• Did the disassembly process help you to

understand the product and lead you to
ideas for redesign to enhance its
marketability?