Rapid Product Development from an Existing Product Using Reverse Engineering Method

Reverse engineering is a progression of the process which creates a 3D CAD model of an existing part without any engineering drawing. This technology can be utilized when an object having complex shape needs to be copied to produce a prototype. Reverse engineering starts with the collection of point cloud data of object by scanning and digitizing to develop a 3D CAD model. This 3D CAD model is used to produce the object/parts using various rapid prototyping (RP) techniques like fused depositionmodelling (FDM). There are several application areas of reverse engineering. It can be utilized to duplicate a product, when unique original drawing or documentation is not accessible. In different cases, it can be used in re-designing an existing part, examination and alterations for enhancement of a product. The aim of this paper is to discuss the reverse engineering process and the different stages involved in reverse engineering and development of a prototype of step cylinder and gear from the existing product.