Project 07

Reverse Engineering & Product Redesign

Adonis Pimienta-Penalver
3270-5895
Fall 2009
University at Buffalo
MAE 377
Contents
1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Phase I ................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Products ........................................................................................................................................ 3
2.1.1 Cast Metal Airplane............................................................................................................... 3
2.1.2 Deodorant Stick..................................................................................................................... 3
2.1.3 Step meter / Watch............................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Result ............................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2.1 Flaw Identification................................................................................................................. 4
2.3 Phase I Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 8
3 Phase II .................................................................................................................................................. 9
3.1 Deodorant ..................................................................................................................................... 9
3.1.1 Differences between old and new design............................................................................. 9
3.1.2 Deodorant Parts .................................................................................................................. 10
3.1.3 Deodorant assembly. .......................................................................................................... 12
3.1.4 Deodorant rendering. ......................................................................................................... 14
3.1.5 Deodorant Drawings ........................................................................................................... 18
3.2 Step-Meter .................................................................................................................................. 20
3.2.1 Differences between old and new products ....................................................................... 20
3.2.2 Step-Meter parts ................................................................................................................. 20
3.2.3 Step-Meter Assembly.......................................................................................................... 23
3.2.4 Step-Meter Renderings ....................................................................................................... 24
3.2.5 Step-Meter Drawings .......................................................................................................... 28
4 Conclusion (Challenges/Outcomes) .................................................................................................... 30
5 References .......................................................................................................................................... 30

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1 Introduction
In project 07, it is my goal to reverse engineer and redesign a common product in order to provide
with a solution to its shortcomings and an alternative to its design. I have chosen three preliminary
products as candidates for this project, these are listed below.

The products are required to meet a set of criteria in order to become viable for the design process.
The criteria are: at least 12 parts, available on the market, moderate in size, easy to measure and
interesting to me. The objects have to have a design flaw that hinders its performance or its aesthetic
appeal, which is to be corrected by me.

After choosing a product or two products to work on, my objective consists of creating a solid
model of the part/parts, assemble them, and illustrate the reasons why my redesigned model is better
than the original one.

The project is divided in two phases. Phase 1 is preliminary and phase 2 consists of the bulk of the
redesigning/reverse engineering part of the project. I hope you enjoy this presentation.

2 Phase I
2.1 Products
The three products I have chosen are: Cast metal airplane model of a soviet Tupolev 144, a men’s
deodorant stick by Degree ®and a step meter/watch by Wic ®. The flaws that were identified with the
products were:

2.1.1 Cast Metal Airplane

The support of the airplane is quite weak, and makes the whole model turn over to the slightest
touch. The connections between the shaft and the base of the support are not strong enough to
successfully keep the structure from toppling over. My proposal is to redesign the support structure, and
unify as many components as possible in order to reduce the loose fits and create a sturdy base without
removing any aesthetical qualities.

2.1.2 Deodorant Stick

Once the deodorant is used it cannot be recharged and used again; this is harmful for the
environment, costly for the customer and unpractical. My proposal is to design a system that would
allow the deodorant to be recharged with another stick; each time after the old one is used.

2.1.3 Step meter / Watch

The reason why the design of this application is flawed is because the lock system to close the lid is
quite stubborn and is very hard to open. Also, the display screen cannot be seen unless this lid is
opened, this means that if the user is exercising and decides to check on the time or the number of
steps, he or she must open the lid, which is already difficult enough to open, and check the display; in
order to do this, the user would probably have to stop walking / running, which could be a bothering

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task, it would be much more practical to eliminate the lid and create a transparent, permanent cover;
this way, the user would not have to stop his / her routine to check the display screen.

2.2 Result
In the tables below, the flaws of each individual product are listed, as well as their redesign idea.

2.2.1 Flaw Identification

Product Pictures of the Product Flaw Picture Flaw Description
Description

1 A die cast metal The support

airplane (scale structure has many
1:350) of the soviet pieces, which are
aircraft: Tupolev Tu loosely fitted and
144. The product is contribute to the
supported by three general instability
pieces. of the product.

2 A common Once the user has

deodorant stick utilized the stick
used to eliminate completely; he or
odors from the she has no more
body. It uses a alternative but to
rotating axle to lift toss the entire
or lower the stick deodorant to the
at the user’s garbage. This can
pleasure. be harmful for the
environment and
costly to the user.

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3 A common step The lid is opaque
meter/ watch and difficult to
application for open; the display
people who walk or screen can only be
run to exercise. seen by opening
the lid, and this
thwarts the user
from enjoying a
smooth exercising
session, since
he/she will
probably have to
stop moving in
order to open the
lid.

Figure 1: The table describes the flaws of each individual product, with corresponding pictures.

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 Original Design Redesign Redesign
Description

1 Unified
support
structure; the
model airplane
is now
supported one
piece, which
makes it
sturdier, more
enjoyable and
more durable.
This improves
the aesthetics
of the model,
and its product
life.

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2 A stick
recharge
system, in
which the user
can go to the
local store and
buy a stick for
a much lower
price than
having to buy
another
deodorant
altogether.
This improves
the market
appeal of this
product,
elongates its
durability and
is more
economic for
the customer.

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3 The lid is
removed and
replaced by a
hermetically-
sealed
transparent
screen that
still protects
the display
screen and
permits the
user to check
his/her
performance
or the time
without having
to stop
moving. This
improves the
product’s
functionality,
its ergonomics
and aesthetics.

Figure 2: The table highlights the redesign proposal for the product. The sketches were done by hand.

2.3 Phase I Conclusion

The goals of the first phase of this project is to get the student familiarized with the candidates for
redesign, and present the ideas that will ultimately be applied for the reverse engineering and redesign
of one of the three products. The airplane model, stick deodorant and step meter are all valid
candidates for the redesign. It is my task, as engineer, to create the most efficient, ergonomic and
aesthetically pleasing design possible that balances cost with benefits.

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3 Phase II
In phase 2 my objective was to redesign the deodorant to include a better system that permits the
user to recharge the stick and not have to spend money on purchasing another entire deodorant stick. I
was also assigned to redesign the step meter to eliminate the cumbersome mechanism of reading it has;
allowing the user to actually perform exercising tasks while checking the amount of steps or the time in
the device through a transparent screen.

3.1 Deodorant
Below are pictures of the redesigned deodorant product. The parts were created using
Pro/Engineer. A deodorant is an essential tool for both men and women to stay fresh and socialize
without the fear of rejection. These products are so ubiquitous in our day-to-day basis that sometimes
we forget how much they cost and what damage to the environment they do when they are thrown
away.

3.1.1 Differences between old and new design

As it can be seen below and also in the animation posted in the website; it can be seen that the
user no longer has to go buy another deodorant stick, thanks to a simple change in the mechanisms, the
user may simply finish with a stick and proceed to go buy another one without having to replace the
whole device. This system is good for the environment and for the overall community, less trash means
more efficiency, both for the user and for the country. The pictures exemplifying my thesis are below.

In specific I redesigned the system where the screw meets the stick holder, and made the joint
fixed. I also made the bottom cap reach higher to stop the screw-holder mechanism from losing height
to the weight of the deodorant stick.

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3.1.2 Deodorant Parts

(A) (B)

(C) (D)

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 (E) (F)

(G)
Table 1: A: The base, B: the bottom cap, C: the cap, D: the main body, E: the screw, F: the stick, and G: the stick holder. All
these pieces make up the new deodorant design.

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3.1.3 Deodorant assembly.

(A) (B)

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 (C) (D)
Table 2: Various view of the exploded and unexploded assembly of the deodorant.

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3.1.4 Deodorant rendering.
Below are rendered images of the deodorant using Pro/Engineer’s powerful ARX tool. All
components are made out of plastic.

(A)

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(B)

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(C)

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 (D)
Table 3: Rendered pictures of the deodorant assembly for the new redesigned device in (A) and the original productin (B).
Also, in (C), a picture of the redesigned internal mechanism and snapshot of the animation in (D).

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3.1.5 Deodorant Drawings

Table 4: BOM Drawing of the Deodorant

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Table 5: Dimensions of the deodorant device

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3.2 Step-Meter
The step meter is a device utilized by exercisers to count their steps during a workout session, or
to simply produce an estimate of how much they have walked. These devices are useful for the elderly
also, as they can depend on a reliable method to keep track of how much exercise they have done for
the day.

3.2.1 Differences between old and new products

If the display of the device is blocked by another object, then this means the user will have to stop
exercising in order to see the small screen. The clip is in the way of the view; therefore there is no other
way of seeing the screen but that of opening the lid, which is quite difficult to open in itself.

I removed the clipping system from the front of the device and placed it in the back of it, to allow
and clear and quick look at the screen. I made the resultant front cover transparent to achieve the same
end.

My design ensures that there will be no need to stop running or exercising, simply by creating a
transparent cover for the display screen, the user can get what he/she wants without having to halt
their routine.

3.2.2 Step-Meter parts

Front Cover Battery

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 Circuit Board Back-Cover Clip

Display Board Back Cover

Back Cover Spring Hammer

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 Keyboard Pin

Screen
Table 6: Parts of the final pedometer assembly.

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3.2.3 Step-Meter Assembly

(A) (B)

(C) (D)
Table 7: Assembly of the redesigned pedometer, both in exploded and normal manner.

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3.2.4 Step-Meter Renderings

(A)

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(B)

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(C)

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 (D)
Table 8: Rendered Images of the new redesigned pedometer in (A), the original device in (B), the new mechanism in (C), and
a snapshot of the animation in (D)

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3.2.5 Step-Meter Drawings

Table 9: BOM Drawing of the step meter

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Table 10: Dimensions of the pedometer

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4 Conclusion (Challenges/Outcomes)
The process of creating the parts and assemblies for these two different products was at times
challenging, as the parts required performing blends or sweeps quite a few times. The greatest
challenge was creating the 2D dimensional drawings, as these can be quite cumbersome at the time of
creating the balloons and numbering each part correctly. Also, during the creation of the rendered
models and animations, the machine can be slow and one must be able to plan ahead and deal with this
problem.

Despite the challenges listed previously; I was nevertheless able to apply my knowledge of
Pro/Engineer in a very extensive way in this project, almost every skill I have learned until now had to be
applied in this project. This project helped me to work faster and plan out ahead of time to be able to
use my time wisely. Just as this project is dedicated to creating a more efficient design, I was able to
learn how to be more efficient through it.

5 References
ARX Workshop Tutorial, PTC. http://www.ptc.com/go/wildfire/learn/tutorial_443/printable_page.htm

Basic of Advanced Rendering Extension, PTC. http://www.ptc.com/go/wildfire/learn/tutorial_2161/index.htm

Create BOM Table in Pro/E, http://www.proengineertips.com/drawing/tutorial-create-bom-table-in-pro-e-

detailing.html.

Pro/E animation design tutorial, Leng Feng Lee. 2008. Based on tutorial by Mr. Vincent Kostovich.

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