Teach cad and measuring skills through reverse engineering

By Keith Board kboard@bps.k12.in.us

RE you looking for an innovative way to bring precision measurement and computer-aided design into your technology classes? Try reverse engineering and give your students hands-on, minds-on experience with measuring tools, machine parts, and CAD.

Activity details
I developed this activity to give students an abundance of practical experience with measuring tools. Equally important, it provides a good interface between the virtual world of CAD 3D modeling and the tangible, tactile experience of intelligent tinkering with mechanical devices. Reverse engineering can be complicated and technical, yet extremely enjoyable for students, with the level of complexity depending on the objects selected by the teacher. Students can complete simple parts in a few class periods. Complex parts and assemblies can take several weeks. To help students see the value of reverse engineering, I begin the unit with an article from Mechanical Engineering magazine called Remade from Scratch. It is quite technical and almost certainly expands the students vocabulary. Wikipedia also offers some good information Keith Board teaches engineering and technology at Bremen (IN) High School.

on reverse engineering at http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_ engineering. After the reading portion of the activity is completed, I give the students a two-part writing assignment. First they define terms using online resources, then write a detailed, onepage handwritten summary of what they have learned about reverse engineering. Table 1 provides a list of reverse engineering-related terms that you could use with the Wikipedia entry. I also explain to students that reverse engineering is a process frequently practiced in industry, and it is legal in that context as long as designs are not copied for manufacture. Legacy parts, assemblies, and structures often have no CAD drawings or models to accompany them, and sometimes the original blueprints no longer exist. Three very common applications of reverse engineering include retrofitting, structural testing, and failure analysis. When a building is damaged by an earthquake, reverse engineering of the structure can lead to accurate structural testing. If a bridge collapses, computer modeling of webs and gussets can help determine what went wrong. When an old factory building is upcycled into a shopping outlet, modeling of the existing structural members can aid in the design of custom-made connectors. And if a company decides to

manufacture a retrofit to improve the efficiency of an older device, reverse engineering of the older device is the logical first step. I teach students to use a variety of basic and precision measuring tools including micrometers, Vernier calipers, thread pitch gages, fillet/ radius gages, inside and outside calipers, depth gages, protractor scales, and bench rules graduated to 16ths,

Table 1Terms Analysis Compliance Component documentation Espionage integrated interoperability legacy obsolete Patent infringement Point cloud Proprietary Protocols Topological
32nds, and 64ths. For the reverse-engineering activity, I give each student a small machine part or assembly and instruct them to disassemble it in an organized fashion, take precise measurements of the parts, and then create a set of mechanical drawings or 3D models of the parts. Getting the necessary measurements can be

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Theres no limit to the potential sources of parts for this activity. For example, when I take one of my vehicles in for repairs, I usually ask the shop owner about available old parts. Showing examples of student work makes it much easier to explain to the mechanic what Im doing and seems to help build interest in supporting my efforts. Several years ago, I also sent an email to our teacher lists (both high school and K8) asking for an old lawn mower engine, and a few days later I had several to pick from. I chose one of the smaller ones, and my students took it apart carefully. They cleaned the parts with solvent, washed them with soap and water, then soaked

Model of micrometer barrel and thimble made of 3" PVC

challenging, especially on asymmetrical parts, and this provides many opportunities for problem solving. I teach students to read micrometers using a large model of a barrel and thimble that I fashioned from 3" PVC. My students break numbers into tens, fives, and ones for addition, so if they read 0.575 on the barrel and need to add 0.024 from the thimble, they start with 0.575 and add 0.010 + 0.010 + 0.04 and (hopefully) arrive at 0.599". They should visualize whole numbers in this process, so in reality they should think, 575 + 10 = 585, +10 = 595, + 4 = 599, arriving at the measurement 0.599". Reading the Vernier caliper is similar, and to help students see how to do it I use a P2V document camera and project an image of the caliper onto a large screen. Calipers are manufactured with a digital readout, a dial indicator, or the traditional Vernier scale. I teach the most challenging of the three, the Vernier scale, so that my students will be able to use any type when they leave school. For grading projects, however, I use a digital caliper to save time.

Using a P2V document camera to display the scale on a Vernier caliper

them overnight in tomato juice. (This removed the gasoline smell, but admittedly it gave the parts a different equally unappealing odor. A few more rounds of soap and water did the trick, and we were ready to go.) There is a chance older parts may have lead paint on them, so I stress that hand washing after handling the parts is critical. Ive also invested $40 in a 3M Instant Lead Check Kit that we can use to test parts, but the hand washing is still an important safety

string trimmer motor housing and drawing created through reverse engineering

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Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice

small engine carburetor and reverse engineered exploded view

precaution. For health and safety reasons, I completely avoid using older parts or assemblies that might contain asbestos, including brake and clutch parts. Whenever possible, I stay away from sand castings because of the roughness caused by the sand mold. Die castings are more accurate and lend themselves better to this project. However, without exception Ive found that the best parts are those that received a lot of precision machining in their manufacture. Parts and assemblies that my students have reverse engineered include an engine flywheel; a router base; a doweling jig; an engine housing; a cylinder head and camshaft; a bench vise; a crankshaft, connecting rod, and piston; and a small engine cylinder.

Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice is the rst commercially available training material specically for plasma cutting and gouging. Developed in partnership with welding and cutting instructors from leading institutions, this 10-hour course comes complete with everything educators and trainers need to teach students the fundamentals of handheld plasma operation and applications. 10-hours of lessons and exercises Multimedia PowerPoint presentation slides Comprehensive facilitator guide Plasma torches and consumables for classroom exercises Student handouts and workbooks on CD e-learning program AWS SENSE approved

Benefits
This activity is one of my students favorites, and it gives them a nice variety of experiences with precision measuring tools and computer-aided design. And the opportunities for problem-solving are numerous. Students enjoy the hands-on aspect of this unit, reporting that it gives them a good change of pace from textbook-driven work. I find it equally rewarding to see my students thoroughly engaged in a challenging task. For more examples of the projects my students have done and to view their mechanical drawings and 3D models, visit http://bhsindustrialtechnology.blogspot. com. Look for the reverse engineering link on the right, and please feel free to leave comments.

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