**3. Research method**

194 Reverse Engineering – Recent Advances and Applications

Identify and recognize the company's marketing position and its operations; and identify the product to be considered as a reference.

Get an initial survey of the market not only of the reference product, but also for any information that can contribute to a thorough understanding of the product class that is being analyzed. Collect and digest all information that can contribute to the application of Reverse Engineering (RE) and its integration with the principles of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA).

The developing multidisciplinary team needs to have elements that can unite theoretical knowledge with practical and pragmatic details and characteristics of the product manufactured by the company. Everyone on the team ought to be cross-trained in such knowledge, so that no opportunity passes unnoticed.

Systematically analyze the technology and functions of each component and subsystem of the subject product(s) in order to extract information that will be examined in more detail in the next phase. Of cardinal concern is the interaction between the components, with a highly focused view toward all technical details (tolerances, attachments, settings etc.).

Actions taken at this stage are related to measurement and testing of the reference product components, attempting to answer questions related to the product technologies and the processes employed to create the unit and its components.

Documenting the technical information gathered in the previous phase and specifying new information that has been left at this stage by people more directly linked to the details of components and the production process. At this stage the principles of DFMA are used to improve aspects of manufacture and assembly of the product.

Using the prototypes (rapid), within the environment of reverse engineering, to aid as a source of information input in the analysis of DFMA.

Conduct a managerial review on all previous phases and how the process is moving forward in relation to time and costs. This phase is conducted by the researchers and project coordinator and should be regarded as the informational hub. After analysis of the prototype, DFMA principles are once again used to optimize the solution for the product redesign.

Table 1. Stages of the model proposed for the development of products with DFMA in the

Table 1 provides a brief breakdown of each phase of this model.

Identify the

opportunity - acquistion

Collecting and preparing the initial information

Team building multifunctional

information

Disassembled - product

Measure and test components information

Specify and document

Prototyping

Review Results

Source: adapted from Souza (2007)

Reverse Engineering process

**Stage Meaning**
