Why Reverse Engineering and Re-manufacturing are great for your business?
What It Is
Reverse engineering and remanufacturing are often mistaken to be repair processes, as they produce crucial information and documentation to repair technicians.
They are not directly repair processes themselves, though they are key factors in the repairs of some assemblies or components– especially if said component is part of a larger machine.
A functioning replica device with the exact same specifications and workload capabilities as the original is created through analysis and research. This device can be used to replace a faulty one, thus acting in a repair capacity.
The replica assembly is created without the use of any documentation, due to the loss, destruction, or unavailability of the originals. The process moves from manufactured component to design and schematic, then back to a newly-manufactured component. Conventional engineering, or “forward” engineering, flows from original design and concept, to schematic and documentation, to manufactured component.
Some industries that commonly turn to remanufacturing and reverse engineering are aviation, military and defense, automotive, electrical, engineering, medical, business, and food service.
Why It’s Done
Faulty, damaged, or worn out assemblies are not the end for a component or machine. Through the reverse engineering process these pieces are created anew. Should they have alternate uses or should their potential to be repurposed be discovered during the reverse engineering process, schematics now exist to manufacture as many as needed. Chronic design flaws can also be remedied. Complicated and drawn out manufacturing processes can be streamlined.
Manufacturers and corporations that originally engineered and manufactured the part may either no longer be in business and/or no longer support the specific assembly. This issue can particularly arise in military and defense industries. Defense industries may also use reverse engineering on hostile technologies to understand the best ways to defend against them. Assemblies may be discontinued, leaving business owners with the costly option of replacing an entire machine or re-evaluating an entire production process. Even if documentation does exist, it’s easy for it to be lost over time. Reverse engineering can recreate these lost (or obsolete) documents. Outdated technology can be updated.
Benefits
Remanufacturing saves material costs, usage and waste, can use less energy or alternative energy to remanufacture. It can extend the life cycle of out of date machinery or technology, and pinpoint design weaknesses or flaws in existing components. It is often used to modernize outdated components and correct issues their obsolescence cause. Reverse engineering creates resources your business can use in the future to ensure all the assemblies you need or may need are able to be created.
Ensil is a world leader in the reverse engineering and remanufacturing of electronic and industrial components. We proudly serve as a defense contractor to US and Canadian military divisions, and support our national electronic, telecom, manufacturing, robotic, aerospace, and medical industries. Visit www.ensil.com/reverse-engineering to learn more.