Hampton, VA - - Hampton University is one of three universities nationwide that is helping the U.S. military save valuable time and money by reverse-engineering parts from decades-old systems.
The HU Data Conversion & Management Laboratory's Virtual Parts and Engineering Research Center (VPERC) has established a virtual engineering pilot production environment critical to the development of parts that must be reverse engineered or redesigned when original technical data is incomplete or no longer available.
The U.S. military owns complex electromechanical systems originally designed decades ago. But in many cases, the manufacturers of original spare parts are no longer in business or the original plans for the part have been lost. As a result, maintenance and repair of these systems can be difficult and expensive.
The HU VPERC is one of several organizations assisting the military with the remanufacturing of these valuable parts. HU is part of a collaboration that includes Arizona State University, the University of Utah, the Army Research Office and several parts manufacturers.
The center plans to continue to participate in a spare parts initiative to assist spare parts acquisitions for Iraq and Afghanistan. It also plans to develop and promote faculty and student exchange programs among VPERC participating institutions. Finally, it hopes to secure additional research and funding opportunities for advanced engineering technologies.
