Aerospace · project thread
RC Excavator Reverse Engineering
A measured CAD reconstruction of an RC excavator translating an existing mechanical assembly into documented parts and interfaces.
Problem
The existing excavator assembly needed to be understood, measured, and represented accurately enough to reproduce its mechanical relationships in CAD.
Outcome
A reverse-engineered CAD assembly and technical documentation grounded in the geometry and interfaces of the physical system.
01 · Challenge
The engineering problem
The existing excavator assembly needed to be understood, measured, and represented accurately enough to reproduce its mechanical relationships in CAD.
02 · Contribution
My contribution
- Reverse-engineer a commercial RC excavator in a two-person team by disassembling and physically measuring the vehicle.
- Model more than 20 components in CATIA.
- Integrate the components into assemblies and subassemblies and produce a technical drawing package.
03 · Work / process
How the system took shape
- Establish reference geometry from repeatable physical measurements.
- Model individual parts before validating their fit inside the assembly.
- Refine interfaces and drawings as the reconstructed mechanism came together.
04 · Results / evidence
Results and evidence
- Produced a complete digital reconstruction of the excavator in CATIA.
- Applied reverse engineering, technical drafting, and systems-integration methods to a physical mechanism.