Product

Forward and Reverse Engineering

Forward Engineering

Traditionally, the development of industrial products follows a sequence of rigorous research and development process. From verification of the product features and specifications, Components requirements were developed. Then components were designed and manufactured. The subassemblies of components were verified and the final assembly was inspected and the functional tests were conducted to validate the product. Each component has its own original design drawings. The design drawings are now widely crated as CAD drawings.

Each component requires also work order drawings. Complex shape components can be machined by NC programs generated from the work order CAD drawings byCAMsoftware.     

Each component was inspected by the quality control staff and the data were recorded.  All the recorded data and files belong to company’s intellectual property. They are generally known as the “Know-How”. This type of product development model is called Prescriptive Model. It is also known as the Forward Engineering. 

What Reverse Engineering

Reverse engineering is usually conducted as a project to create an imitation of a part or a product sample. Often there are no original design drawings available for making the intended product. The requested unit provides a sample or model, such as wooden shoe model, golf head, and asks the manufacturer to duplicate the sample or the model.   
The traditional method is to use three-dimensional sculpture copying machine or hydraulic 3-D copying milling machine to produce a one-to-one scale mold, and then do the mass production. This method is known as an analog- type copying. This approach can’t create drawings with dimensions and modify the external geometric shape.  It has been replaced by new digitized reverse engineering system.