The Obsolescence Problem
Industrial plants operating equipment installed in the 1980s and 1990s increasingly face a common challenge: the OEM no longer supports the equipment, lead times for genuine parts have extended to 6–18 months, or minimum order quantities make single-part purchases economically unviable. When that equipment is critical to plant operation, reverse engineering and local manufacture becomes a practical necessity.
What Can Be Reverse Engineered?
Almost any metallic component can be reverse engineered if the original part is available for measurement. Common candidates include:
- Valve trim components: seats, discs, cages, stems, plugs
- Actuator internal components: pistons, cylinders, spring plates
- Pump and compressor wear parts: impellers, wear rings, shaft sleeves
- Gearbox components: gear sets, shafts, housings
- Flanges, adaptor plates, and custom fittings
The Reverse Engineering Process
Dimensional Capture
For parts that can be removed from service, we use a combination of precision metrology tools — micrometers, CMM (coordinate measuring machines), optical comparators, and 3D scanning — to capture full dimensional data.
Material Identification
Material specification is critical. We use portable XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analysers for in-field material identification, supported by laboratory OES (optical emission spectrometry) for precise alloy composition where needed.
Manufacturing
Our CNC machining facility in Sfax operates 3- and 4-axis turning and milling centres capable of working in carbon steel, stainless steel, Inconel, Duplex, and various non-ferrous alloys.
Economic Case
For a critical valve trim set with a 12-month OEM lead time, local reverse engineering and manufacture can often deliver equivalent parts in 4–6 weeks at significantly lower cost, without minimum order quantity constraints. When calculated against the cost of extended plant downtime, the economics are compelling.