Reverse Engineering

Military and commercial project managers are feeling the impact of diminishing manufacturing sources and parts obsolescence caused by:

• Manufacturers stopping production or going out of business
• Manufacturers unwilling to produce limited or small quantities
• Unusual component/material requirements, including tight delivery schedules
• Obsolete manufacturing processes or technology
• Missing or inadequate technical production data

If an obsolete mechanical, electrical, or electronic component or assembly is no longer available from your regular or an alternative supplier, one way to obtain it is through the process of "reverse engineering"—an ARINC specialty.

Using proven, state-of-the-art techniques—everything from stereo lithography to finite element analysis—ARINC experts will recreate the item, including its form, fit, function, and interfaces. ARINC maintains on-site metrology and metallurgical laboratories containing modern equipment to tackle even the most challenging measurement or materials needs. Our structured reverse engineering process, which allows us to satisfy even the most stringent military and commercial qualification requirements, consists of:

• Data collection and analysis
• Part/component/assembly analysis and baseline testing
• Item disassembly
• Dimensional measurement
• Material property measurement and assessment
• Preparation of initial prototype drawings
• Tolerance assignment and analysis
• Stress analysis
• Prototype fabrication and qualification
• Final documentation
• Kitproof preparation

ARINC has successfully reverse engineered and fabricated a wide variety of components, parts, and assemblies, including:

• Electronic components and print circuit boards
• Hydraulic and power drives
• Generators and constant speed drives
• Mechanical gears and sprockets
• Fairings, doors, and aircraft secondary structures
• Ground support equipment and test stands