Reverse engineering identifies the materials and processing steps which were used to manufacture a part or component, and can be preformed for a variety of reasons, to include:
- Manufacture of replacement parts or components for which drawings are unavailable or no longer exist.
- Comparison to determine product preformance and quality relative to industry standards for various manufacturers
- Identify potential material, process improvements, or potential cost reductions.
Once the information is determined, duplicate parts can be produced or improvements that were identified can be incorporated into existing designs.