The process of reverse engineering is also referred to as backward engineering. It is the process of deconstructing a product to have an idea of how it works. A company may resort to reverse engineering for a variety of reasons that includes fixing, recreating or decomposing it. If you have an interest in the manufacturing industry then an understanding of reverse engineering would benefit an individual on their career front. Before we proceed ahead there is a need to figure out what is the utility of reverse engineering.
The benefits associated with reverse engineering
Some of the benefits associated with reverse engineering are as follows
- Existing products are explored- the concept of reverse engineering enables you to explore products that are already in existence. Evaluating the existing products that are already available in the market, could lead to discovery and a degree of innovation.
- Existing products are repaired- with this engineering method a company may repair an existing product. It also enables them to outline the common errors that emerge in a product design and there is a need to be aware of how to fix them during future projects.
- Recreation of a product- The main objective of reverse engineering is to recreate a product without using any form of a blueprint. By following the process, a company is able to convert an outdated product into an innovative one. In addition, it enables to development of a less expensive version of the product along with an obsolete machine part with that of the competitor’s product.
- Inspires innovation- Using reverse engineering fosters innovation to a considerable extent. The engineers are able to connect with projects where their early knowledge comes in handy. Hence, they would be able to develop innovative ideas.
- Taps on product vulnerabilities- it is possible at the end of a company to reverse engineer or subject a product to a prototype test. By doing this they would be able to learn about the product in various ways and look out for inconsistencies, errors and design faults in the overall make-up of the product.
- Undertaking competitor analysis- Even if it is possible for an organization to reverse engineer their competitor’s product. This will give them an idea of how the particular product differs from the other ones in the market.
- A failure analysis is conducted- With the aid of reverse engineering you will have an idea of why a product did not work as per your expectations. It is better if you examine a faulty product through reverse engineering could enable you to understand in detail the damaged parts. Then you will be able to take rectification measures to deal with the same.
- Reduction of product development costs- once you have an idea of how a competitor manufactures a particular product it becomes easy for a company to tap into cheap alternative solutions.
The steps related to reverse engineering
If you are planning on how to protect your app from reverse engineering the following steps are to be followed
- Gather information- the first step in the process is to gather as much information that is possible about the product. What it means is that you need to measure the product dimensions, understand the source design and the coding of the device is to be interpreted in detail. For the engineers gathering, as much information is necessary as they are aware of the product before they go on to deconstruct it.
- A model is to be developed- After gathering information about a product, the engineers need to sketch a model out of it. In doing so this helps them understand in detail the product design. Most engineers rely on the use of a CAD model to arrive at a three-dimension model. It is for the simple reason that it enables them to figure out every component of the product by viewing an actual presentation of the same.
- The product is to be disassembled- Once the model of the product is being formulated, and the design is clear the real task of the engineers begins. They go on to disassemble the product and it is something that is being done on a layer-by-layer basis. So as to ensure easy reassembling what is done is that they are known to organize the components in order when they dismantled them. The moment they go on to remove each part, they check and scan the product. This is going to provide them with a better idea when it comes to the functionality or the use of the product
- Product evaluation- After the disassembling of every part of the product is done, a proper evaluation is done at the end of the engineers. At this stage, they go on to test the product and its usage. Their main aim is to enhance the quality of the product or fix any form of errors that tend to emerge at this stage. In addition, the team is going to document the essential findings as part of the evaluation process. In some cases, they are known to scan the product so that they are aware of how to use it in the near future.
- Reassemble- If the aim of this form of engineering is to rebuild a product, the engineers would be able to reassemble the product at this stage. In doing so this would help an engineer to have an idea about the knowledge of the product and if the need arises, they would be able to make certain changes to the same. Though in a few cases it does help them to come up with an innovative or a new version of the product. Seldom it is seen that the process enables an engineer to learn more about the product, than what was the case in the first place. Hence they would be able to recreate the product in a better way.
To conclude these are some of the benefits of reassembling a product and a company should adopt it at any cost.
