Reverse Engineering in Plastics Processing

Reverse engineering (RE) in plastics processing has become an essential method for product reproduction, improvement, and optimization. It involves a thorough understanding of the design, manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance stages.

This process not only helps reproduce existing plastic products and provides opportunities for cost reduction, improved manufacturing technologies, sustainability and enhanced product quality.

This article breaks down the RE process into four major stages: data collection and analysis, material characterization, simulation and design optimization, and prototype validation and refinement. Each stage plays a crucial role in successfully RE plastic components, these are applied taking the Injection Molding Process as an example. Nevertheless, it could be extrapolated to other plastics processing technologies.

1. Data Collection and Analysis

Data collection and analysis is the first and most critical stage in the reverse engineering process. The accuracy of this step directly affects the entire process. It begins with precisely measuring the existing product’s dimensions, material composition, and structural properties. Subsequently, getting information from the process, like temperature and pressures, and testing the product in its intended function (as possible) is important. This close the loop, including the product and material interacting with its environment and the part in operation. Various methods are available for data collection:

• Contact methods involve direct physical measurement of the product’s surface.
• Non-contact methods use advanced tools, such as 3D scanners, such as the Creaform scanner and FaroArm. These tools create a highly accurate digital representation of the product, known as a “cloud of points. “
• Destructive methods require physically breaking down the product to measure its internal structures. More of them are to get the mechanical properties like tensile strength, yield stresses, elongation at break.
• Process and Operation Methods: Historical information of the machine inputs and outputs, machine learning argorithms, IoT, Industry 4.0, Thermohygrometry for external conditions. Fixtures and internal tests are used to check the functional and assembly performance of the part before the actual application.

For example, in a case where a manufacturer needed to replace a mold from a now-defunct supplier, RE became the only option. The mold’s active elements were not documented, so engineers used scanning technologies to capture its precise dimensions. The high accuracy of this data is critical, as it influences every subsequent stage of the reverse engineering process.

You can also read: AI and Injection Molding: Bridging the Gap through Research 

2. Material Characterization

During this stage, product and material engineers adjust the material properties until they match the physical product and customer requirements. This ensures that the recreated product performs like the original. Not only the mechanical properties are important, and rheology, PvT (Pressure, specific Volume and Temperature) and/or curing/crosslinking information are essential to feed the software and get accurate predictions.

The  information gathered in 1. about the real process is helpful to calibrate the material and get optimizations, this will make stronger the mirror between the simulation and the real world.

You can also read: Rheometer: 5 Keys for Optimal Selection

3. Simulation and Design Optimization

Once the data is collected and the material is characterized, the next step is using simulation tools to recreate the manufacturing conditions. In the context of plastics processing, this typically involves modeling conditions such as temperature, pressure, and cooling rates during processes like injection molding.
Moldex3D, Moldflow and CADMold are used to simulate these conditions. This simulation allows engineers to adjust the material properties and fine-tune the product’s design until the digital model matches the real product’s performance.
Simulation is also essential for design optimization, enabling manufacturers to identify areas for improvement. For instance, simulation tools can suggest ways to:

• Reduce material usage without sacrificing structural integrity.
• Minimize defects such as warpage or shrinkage.
• Enhance the product’s strength by redesigning weak areas.

You can also read: Leveraging AI to Speed Product Design Simulations, Maximizing Injection Molding Simulation

4. Prototype Validation and Refinement

The final stage involves creating a prototype after completing the simulation and optimization process. This physical representation of the optimized design is essential for validating the simulation results. Prototyping allows engineers to test the new design’s performance under real-world conditions. This means not only 3D printing but pilot tools are also a milestone because they allow producing parts that learn the product’s real behavior and adjust the possible risks with lower financial impact than applying this to the serial mold.

Prototyping is particularly valuable for legacy products. Companies that can no longer source replacement parts or molds use RE to maintain production. In the case of a missing mold, RE allowed the manufacturer to scan and reproduce the mold, ensuring uninterrupted production.

Future Perspective

Reverse engineering in plastics processing is a powerful tool for product reproduction, innovation, and optimization. Nevertheless, the challenge comes from having to coordinate numerous parameters, all of which are constantly changing. In the future, deepen research and applications are expected to close the gap between theory and praxis, making shorter and more reliable this way of making the engineering from the front to the back.

To read more: Management of the Reverse Engineering Process