School of Mechanical
something Engineering
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
OTHER
Reverse Engineering
Lecture 12 – MECH3775
Robert Kay
Professor of Advanced Manufacturing
R.W.Kay@leeds.ac.uk
Coursework 1 feedback
•
Class average 67% with 77 of the cohort scoring an A average and 23 students
scoring 80%+.
•
Highest marks were 92%.
•
Class average very similar to last year.
•
Full marking rubrics was supplied to students so they could use this as detailed
feedback so they could learn and also be better prepared for the final exam.
•
Marking regrade for any points that were missed was allowed.
• Should only be used for something that is genuinely missed and not to argue
marks through inference.
• Law content only a few failures in the class. I will get back to you once disability
services have got back to me regarding resit.
Guided learning
•
Guided learning is important to any good engineer. You don’t stop learning when
you graduate. Having the ability to do your own research to become informed
about a subject and understand what the state-of-the-art is very important.
Coursework 2
• Aim – to reverse engineer an existing
product / device to alter / improve its
functionality.
• Team based assignment
• CW2 is worth 20% of the overall 20
credit module.
• Assessment last year was via a team
poster session
• Mitigate the issue with team based lab
work.
• 3D printing services available
Artec 3D Space Spider
Previous examples
•
One handed gaming controller
•
Cyclist safety device with built in
GPS
•
Combining a RC car with a
webcam for remote vehicle
operation
•
Turning walkie talkies into spy
watches
•
Personalised electric toothbrush
adapted for rheumatoid arthritis
suffer
•
Burner phone with retro pin ball
game built into rear of device
Team selection
• Use the signup sheet on the Teams channel. Will be posted
tomorrow.
• If you do not pick a team you will be randomly allocated.
• I encourage you to try and mix across degree programs to
have a team with a mixture of skill sets.
School of something
FACULTY OF OTHER
Reverse Engineering
What is reverse engineering?
• Reproducing a physical object with the aid of drawings,
documentation, computer model data or an original
physical object
• In the context of Additive Manufacturing, Reverse
Engineering is typically used with some form of scanning
technique to acquire the 3D geometry of a part.
• What is biomimicry?
Nature inspired RE
• Biomimetics or biomimicry is the imitation of the models,
systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving
complex human problems.
[Source: Julian F.V Vincent et al., “Biomimetics: its practice and theory”, Journal of the Royal
Society Interface, 22 August 2006. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2006.0127]
• Nature has already solved many of the problems we are
grappling with so let us take inspiration to create similar
products by artificial mechanisms which mimic natural ones.
Butterfly wing closeup
Mirasol by Qualcomm
Namib desert beetle
How can geckos walk upwalls
[Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst]
Geckos feet
[Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst]
Shark skin = better ship hulls
[Photographers: Edward Kinsman/Photo Researchers; Nick Wilson/Getty Images]
Sharkskin = swimsuit
Termite den = office building
Burr = Velcro
Whale fin = turbine
[Source: Envira-North Systems LTD]
Kingfisher = Shinkansen Bullet
Train
[Photographers: Hiromi Okano/Corbis; West Japan Railway Co. Via Bloomberg]
Bioinspired Breathable Architecture
for Water Harvesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=umdESK-JYu8
von Spreckelsen, R., Harris, M.,
Wigzell, J. et al. Bioinspired
Breathable Architecture for Water
Harvesting. Sci Rep 5, 16798 (2015).
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep16798
Reverse Engineering the Brain
History of Reverse
Engineering
• Before automation….
• All parts were made by hand
• Often parts were copied using simple tools and “by eye”
• No mass production – just manual duplication
• When something was beyond repair it was reproduced
through copying
What is RE?
Reverse Engineering:
Replicate/Duplicate
an Existing Thing!
No
Drawings
No Technical
Details
No
Documentation
No BoM
No CAD
Data
RE in War
• In December 2011
a top-secret RQ-170
Sentinel drone was
shot (or computerjacked) down over
Iran.
• By September 2012
Iran was unveiling
it’s ‘indigenous’
drone with a
claimed 2000 km
range
28/1/2022
Areas of RE
Software
Areas of RE
Mechanical Devices
Areas of RE
• Electronics
Areas of RE
Nature/Biology
Areas of RE
Chemicals
Areas of RE
Materials
Military - War
What are common drivers for using Reverse
Engineering?
Why use RE?
OEM doesn’t exist or data is gone (legacy products)
Why use RE?
• OEM doesn’t want to produce it
Why use RE?
Analysing competitors products (benchmarking)
Why use RE?
Reproduction of unique items
British Museum releases
scans of artefacts to let
individuals 3D print their
own museum at home.
Why use RE?
Obtaining data too difficult to model
Why use RE?
Determining Failure
Reasons for RE
1. Products for which there is no CAD data
2. Hand crafted products / art
3. Products modified in production without anyone recording the
changes
4. Reuse of existing products where you do not have the data.
5. Natural products such as the human body
6. RE for inspection
It’s Complicated
Reverse Engineering is as diverse as Forward Engineering!
One of the most abundant forms of RE in AM is the
reproduction of Geometry and Aesthetics
Richard III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQRI-QWVoKc
Loughborough University’s 3D printing technology
breathes new life into Richard III
•
In 1485 Richard the III, King of England, was defeated at the battle of
Bosworth.
•
His body, stripped and despoiled, was brought to Leicester where he
was buried in the church of the Franciscan Friary, known as the Grey
Friars.
•
Over time the exact whereabouts of the Grey Friars became lost.
•
Following extensive research by the University of Leicester, in
partnership with Leicester City Council and the Richard III Society,
archaeologists were able to locate the former Grey Friars site and
unearth the slain King’s remains.
•
Experts from Loughborough’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing
Engineering were invited to make a replica of the king’s skeleton, using
the latest 3D printing techniques.
•
Scans of the actual remains taken by the Leicester Royal Infirmary
were sent to Loughborough, where they were transformed into a 3D
computer model.
•
Selective Laser Sintering was then used to create a physical replica of
the skeleton.
Prof. Russell Harris holding the
3D printed replica skull
AM steps for CAD to Part
Setup
Build
CAD
STL
Post Process
Manufactur
e
Component
RE via AM
Original
Component
Data
Processed
Data
Captured
Setup
Build
STL
Manufacture
Component
CAD/Required
Data
Post
Process
Generic RE Process for
Geometry
Data
Capture
• Measuring and Drawing
• Scanning (contact/non-contact)
• Manual Modelling via CAD
• Point Cloud Processing
Data
Processing • Recombination of Layer Data
Output
• Surface Model
• 3D CAD Model
Questions
• Is it illegal to Reverse Engineer a product?
• How can you stop a competitor reverse engineering your
product?
Legalities of Reverse
Engineering
• In the US and Europe it is illegal to
reverse engineer a product.
• Many well publicised cases of china
reverse engineering products from
computers, mobile phones to cars.
• Many manufactures put redundant code to help
spot RE of products
• Understanding how something works is
not illegal though
• Chipworks provides reverse engineering and
patent infringement analysis to the world’s
largest semiconductor and microelectronics
companies
How to Stop RE?
• Knowledge
• Secrets
• Redundant Artefacts
• Complexity
• Quality
• IP
Only slows it down!
Upcoming Lectures
FACE TO FACE TUTORIAL.
•
Sulzer pumps lecture – Metal AM for industrial systems
•
Final ASTM process lecture – Sheet Lamination
•
Scanning techniques
•
Costing and Business models for AM
•
AM research
•
Rapid Tooling
•
RE for Medical engineering
•
Scan to CAD
•
Online tutorials