Acquiring replacement parts for ageing equipment and mechanisms has become increasingly difficult due to the lack of original engineering drawings, the variability between the machines themselves, and the low to nonexistent availability of replacements. Additionally, older machine parts tended to be single-made, versus mass produced, which further complicates finding an appropriate replacement. This is a distinct problem when dealing with ageing machines that are still in use, but cannot be easily fixed. This paper presents an example of how reverse engineering, modeling, and prototyping using a Maker Space may be employed to generate a part for an ageing steam locomotive. To further student learning of reverse engineering and modeling, this project was additionally used to fulfill and Honor’s Contract in an introductory 3D constraint-based modeling course.1
Chip Ferguson is the Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology and Professor of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University.
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