Using Metrology Software to Capture Data for Reverse Engineering

1. Using Metrology Software
To Capture Data for
Reverse Engineering

2. Before We Start
q This webinar will be available afterwards at
www.designworldonline.com & email
q Q&A at the end of the presentation
q Hashtag for this webinar: #DWwebinar

3. Moderator Presenter
Leslie Langnau
Design World
Les Baker
FARO

4. Reverse
Engineering with
Inspection
Software
Going “Back to the Future”

5. Agenda
• Acknowledgements
• What is Reverse Engineering?
• A Reverse Engineering Example
• Brief Demonstration
• Summary

6. Acknowledgments
• Thanks to Rickie Swain, an Engineer with Pulp Engineered
Services at Andritz Iggesund Tools for supplying some of the
images for today’s presentation.

7. Audience Poll:
Were/Are you intimated by the myriad choices you are
faced with when considering implementation of Reverse
Engineering Capabilities?

8. What is Reverse Engineering?
• ?gnireenignE esreveR si tahW
• It is described in Wikipedia as:
… the process of extracting knowledge or design information from
anything man-made. The process often involves disassembling
something (a mechanical device, electronic component, computer
program, or biological, chemical, or organic matter) and analyzing its
components and workings in detail.

9. What is Reverse Engineering?
In Measurement terms, we are really just interested in
the actual dimensional aspects of the part in question

10. What is Reverse Engineering?
Sometimes we may not want to carry out an
Engineering function using the data we gathered –
We just want to understand what we ended up with
after the manufacturing process, because the part
doesn’t meet print, yet it functions anyway.
Without modifying the manufacturing process, we can
just use those dimensions as the nominal data to
inspect future parts against, so we can be sure they’ll
function, instead of modifying the part to meet the
print and finding that it doesn’t work anyway.

11. What is Reverse Engineering?
Reverse Engineering is considered by some to be a
comparatively new thing, perhaps spurred by the
recent move towards rapid manufacturing.
In reality it has been with us as long as people have
needed to design, manufacture or copy things, but
Computers have certainly changed it over the years
and led to major developments in what can be
achieved.

12. What is Reverse Engineering?
Even the newest designs incorporate some legacy
components that may pre-date the CAD that is so
prevalent these days
We document the As-Made condition of those parts
or mating assemblies, so we can be sure it will actually
integrate as intended - rather than just designing to
the ideal dimensions in a print that the part may
deviate from anyway, causing costly redesign and
rework.

13. What is Reverse Engineering?
There are situations where damaged, worn or even
new parts need to be repaired or optimized, in order
to function as efficiently as desired.
Those modifications need to be applied and
incorporated into an update design so that future
parts work right out of the gate.

14. What is Reverse Engineering?
Sometimes this as-made data isn’t needed so the part
can be actually manufactured, but may be used to
establish an accurate CAD model for the actual part
so that virtual testing, such as Finite Element Analysis
can be conducted.

15. What is Reverse Engineering?
We can see that Reverse Engineering is just another
way of applying Measurement Data to
manufacturing.
It makes sense then that we should be able to use our
metrology tools and inspection software to acquire
the data and our Design software to incorporate that
data.

16. Audience Poll:
Does your company currently Reverse Engineer?

17. A Reverse Engineering Example
Reverse Engineering in it’s simplest form could just
involve traditional 2D Metrology Tools used to acquire
dimensions to modify drawings.
Let’s see how it’s been updated to the 21st Century …

18. A Reverse Engineering Example
Let’s take a look at how Andritz Iggesund use the 3D
Data from the Inspection software on their Portable
CMM to record as built information from internal and
OEM machines, in order to Reverse Engineer superior
repairs and replacement parts

19. A Reverse Engineering Example
This part looks very complicated, but in reality it’s just a
collection of geometrical elements:
Planes, circles, cones, cylinders etc, plus a few
freeform surfaces that are all easily captured with the
CMM

20. A Reverse Engineering Example

21. A Reverse Engineering Example
Here are some similar geometrical elements captured
on the chipper disc from the earlier slide, already
imported in to CAD

22. A Reverse Engineering Example
the actual data acquired by the Arm is used as a
template for the CAD Geometry

23. A Reverse Engineering Example
… and the final CAD model is produced

24. A Reverse Engineering Example
The initial samples can then be checked against the
new CAD model using the Portable CMM and
Inspection Software, completely closing the loop.

25. A Reverse Engineering Example
Both the correctness of the geometry and the
freeform surfaces

26. A Reverse Engineering Example
Andritz Iggesund used their portable CMM as an
Inspection tool for product verification
Separately, they used CAD to Design their Products
Their Reverse Engineering Capability was a happy
marriage of two technologies in which they were
already competent

27. Audience Poll:
Would you consider using a “Service Bureau” to keep any
productivity gap manageable as you get up to speed with
aspects of the implementation?

28. A Reverse Engineering Example
There are so many CAD plug-ins
and standalone software
packages and they may or may
not have relevance to what you
are trying to do.
Understanding your requirements
using the simplest possible workflow
will help you more clearly realize
the ebb and flow of advantages and disadvantages
that adding extra modules could bring
Justification of additional modules to aid efficiency in
future, will be easier when based on real experience

29. Brief Demonstration
I’ll finish up today by showing you a brief
demonstration of just how quickly and easily you can
acquire and export the measurement features in a
format that can be handled by CAD.
You’ll also see how the pointcloud from a laser
scanner can easily turn those freeform surfaces into a
format that your CAD can handle very economically
and integrates nicely with existing CAD techniques.

30. Brief Demonstration

31. Audience Poll:
Has any of the information presented given you any new
perspectives on implementing Reverse Engineering?

32. Summary
• RE has been around a long time, in many forms and is
here to stay
• RE has many goals and as many techniques and is
constantly evolving
• The possibilities of RE are limited only by your imagination and the
amount of money you want to save –but saving money usually
involves spending some too
• And finally, understand intimately what you do currently, so you can
investigate thoroughly how the technology you are exploring can
best complement that

33. THANK YOU!
For More Information
Visit www.faro.com
or
Call 1-­‐‑800-­‐‑736-­‐‑0234

34. Questions?
Leslie Langnau
Design World
llangnau@wtwhmedia.com
Phone: 216-860-5270
Twitter: @DW_3DPrinting
Les Baker
FARO
Les.Baker@Faro.com
Phone: 1-800-736-0234

35. Thank You
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