Computer-aided Reverse Engineering for Rapid Replacement of Parts

Indigenous product development using conventional means involves a relatively long leadtime and cost, especially for replacing worn out and broken parts. This paper presentsmethodologies and technologies for computer-aided reverse engineering, illustrated by a reallifecase study of an aluminium alloy separator body of a hydraulic filter assembly for the specialarmy vehicle. It involved reconstruction of part geometry using 3-D scanning, materialidentification using spectrometry, casting process optimisation using simulation software, andfabrication of prototype and tooling using rapid prototyping systems. It was found that thefabrication of wax patterns directly from reverse-engineered CAD data in a suitable rapidprototyping system (such as thermojet), followed by conventional investment casting, gives areliable and economic route for rapid development of one-off intricate parts for the replacementpurpose

A Review of Automotive Spare-Part Reconstruction Based on Additive Manufacturing

In the Industry 4.0 scenario, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies play a fundamental role in the automotive field, even in more traditional sectors such as the restoration of vintage cars. Car manufacturers and restorers benefit from a digital production workflow to reproduce spare parts that are no longer available on the market, starting with original components, even if they are damaged. This review focuses on this market niche that, due to its growing importance in terms of applications and related industries, can be a significant demonstrator of future trends in the automotive supply chain. Through selected case studies and industrial applications, this study analyses the implications of AM from multiple perspectives. Firstly, various types of AM processes are used, although some are predominant due to their cost-effectiveness and, therefore, their better accessibility and wide diffusion. In some applications, AM is used as an intermediate process to develop production equipment (so-called rapid tooling), with further implications in the digitalisation of conventional primary technologies and the entire production process. Secondly, the additive process allows for on-demand, one-off, or small-batch production. Finally, the ever-growing variety of spare parts introduces new problems and challenges, generating constant opportunities to improve the finish and performance of parts, as well as the types of processes and materials, sometimes directly involving AM solution providers

VOLUME DETERMINATION OF LEG ULCER USING REVERSE ENGINEERING METHOD

Reverse Engineering is defined as the process of obtaining a geometric CAD model by digitizing the existing objects. In medical application, it is applied to obtain the CAD model of human skin surface. Chronic leg ulcer refers to the wound which does not heal in the predictable period. Approximately 1% of the world population will develop leg ulcers in their lifespa

Automatic volume inspection for glass blow moulds

In the glass bottle mould making industry, volume control is done by measuring the amount of water needed to fill the mould. This process has several issues. Firstly, it requires a trained operator to properly seal the mould. Secondly, different operators will lead to different volume values. Another issue is related to the time and work necessary for the procedure, which can take up to 20 minutes for a single mould, making it unsuitable to inspect several moulds of the same series. These issues can be solved by automating the procedure. By using reverse engineering systems to obtain the internal cavity surfaces, comparative studies can be done, such as wear study, enabling the optimization of the moulds. The goal of this project is to establish a system to automate the inspection of the moulds which will result in the acquisition of the moulding surfaces. Then, the volume of the moulds and surface deviations in specific areas can be measured. The development of this project focused in two main areas: the development of a script, where the volume is calculated and the surface is inspected, from cloud points, to determine if the mould is in an acceptable state; and the study of technologies capable of acquiring the mould’s surface while simultaneously being automatable. As for this study, several case studies using laser and structured light are performed to understand the abilities and limitations of these technologies. The first study was done using polished cast iron moulds to determine the ability to acquire the surface and obtain the volume. Then, the ability to present proper comparative results is explored by using a set of unpolished cast iron moulds and then these same moulds once polished to verify if the used systems can obtain the deviations between the two situations. Finally, the validation of the technologies was done using a demo bronze mould, where surface deviations were inspected as well as a ring gauge where the inner cylinder was used for inspection. From these cases, the used laser scanner was able to obtain the volumes of the moulds as well as proper comparative results without spray. As for the used structured light system, it proved unable to acquire the surfaces of the moulds and of the ring gauge, requiring spray. Despite this performance, the system is quite automatable and a state-of-the-art structured light system, using blue light, could be used for this purpose. The laser is also a viable solution, but the cost and complexity to automate can be higher than the structured light system

Emerging tools in casting technology and future of Aalto ENG foundry

Casting is the oldest metal manufacturing process known to humans. While the competence of casting technology has kept it popular since its advent, recent development in additive manufacturing has disrupted the status quo to some extent. Additive manufacturing is both acting as a competition through direct metal printing and also revolutionizing the casting technology through its inclusion at foundries in many different ways. This work starts with a literary study of comparison between casting and metal additive manufacturing. After wards, it discusses the emerging tools of casting technology which are becoming popular, many of which are possible through different additive manufacturing technologies. At the end, recommendations are given as to which of these tools could be implemented at Aalto Engineering foundry lab

Adaptive Manufacturing for Healthcare During the COVID-19 Emergency and Beyond

During the COVID-19 pandemic, global health services have faced unprecedented demands. Many key workers in health and social care have experienced crippling shortages of personal protective equipment, and clinical engineers in hospitals have been severely stretched due to insufficient supplies of medical devices and equipment. Many engineers who normally work in other sectors have been redeployed to address the crisis, and they have rapidly improvised solutions to some of the challenges that emerged, using a combination of low-tech and cutting-edge methods. Much publicity has been given to efforts to design new ventilator systems and the production of 3D-printed face shields, but many other devices and systems have been developed or explored. This paper presents a description of efforts to reverse engineer or redesign critical parts, specifically a manifold for an anaesthesia station, a leak port, plasticware for COVID-19 testing, and a syringe pump lock box. The insights obtained from these projects were used to develop a product lifecycle management system based on Aras Innovator, which could with further work be deployed to facilitate future rapid response manufacturing of bespoke hardware for healthcare. The lessons learned could inform plans to exploit distributed manufacturing to secure back-up supply chains for future emergency situations. If applied generally, the concept of distributed manufacturing could give rise to “21st century cottage industries” or “nanofactories,” where high-tech goods are produced locally in small batches

Reverse engineering of obsolete components for realisation using additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing as it also known, is a technique used for the direct manufacture of parts, one which is becoming more accessible to not just engineers in industry, but also non-technical users with minimal technical knowledge or experience. The aim of the research was the investigation of the possibilities that AM presents for realising the manufacture of obsolete parts from older systems. Consideration of multiple AM techniques and their individual benefits and drawbacks is presented. To reverse engineer (RE) a part for additive manufacture requires the use of 3D modelling software packages as well as access to AM equipment to fully investigate how to best produce replacement parts. The thesis also considers various data creation and scanning technologies, used to digitise the geometry of parts, a key component in the RE process. The digitised component can then be manipulated in modelling software to provide the files required for AM. To replace components from older systems that are no longer in production can incur massive costs with respect to their manufacture using various moulds, machinery and tools. Using AM, it is shown that these costs could be greatly reduced, and material waste kept to an absolute minimum. With the incorporation of 3D modelling and simulation/analysis software, the mechanical performance of a component is also analysed. A component from an obsolete coffee roaster was subjected to the process of RE for replacement. The desktop AM machine used produced a part of sufficient quality to allow its use as a sandcasting pattern. By using AM instead of a traditional pattern, time savings and thus cost savings were achievable in the manufacturing process. A larger version of the component was scanned to create the 3D model from which the sandcasting pattern could be created. This was not successful as the 3D scanners could not produce a scan of satisfactory detail to work with. An investigation into the capabilities of the scanner was then carried out to determine if lower priced scanners are a worthwhile investment. This showed that while they are not ideal for 1:1 scaled replications of geometries, they are useful should a miniature version be required. It is recommended that scanners do not represent the same value for money in terms of quality produced that low end desktop AM machines do

Oligospermines For Non-Viral Sirna Delivery

In this thesis, delivery systems for siRNA delivery are introduced with special attention to non-viral vectors. Many successful vectors used in vivo were reviewed. Our work focused on the effect of different architectures of oligospermine polmers on their suitability for siRNA delivery in lung cancer cells. Different archituctures showed different polyplex structures and variable transfection efficiencies. Moreover, we presented a review on nanoimprint lithography techniques with an outlook on possible biological applications in the field of gene and drug delivery