Product Development Using A Low-Cost Reverse Engineering System

The project involves the evaluation of the effectiveness of a low-cost reverse engineering system. Recently, the reverse engineering technology has emerged as a valuable tool in making prototypes of parts for which there is no design data available for the reproduction of parts. While most reverse engineering systems are very expensive, this research concentrates on the evaluation of the effectiveness of a low-cost system (NextEngine's Desktop 3D Scanner). The specific objectives of this project are (1) to re-create physical models for which no design data exists, (2) to investigate the accuracy of the physical models and (3) to determine the surface finish of the physical models. Four different types of objects such as TV remote control, a sine plate with roller bars, as well as two diagnostic plastic Christmas trees (used to measure precision) were selected Multiple scans were conducted to input all the sides and viewable characteristics of each object. From these scans, a scaled down model of each object was generated and built by rapid prototyping machines. Both dimensions and surface roughness were measured to determine the margin of error between the original objects and the prototypes. While the reverse engineering system showed some limitations, it was able to recreate a similar (less than a 5% margin of error) prototype which was of similar dimensions to that of the original.