What should you do when an OEM discontinues a spare part?
Do not jump directly to copying the old part. First decide whether the best route is remaining stock, an equivalent, repair, reverse engineering, redesign, modernization or replacement of the larger asset.
What should be checked first?
How critical the part is, expected downtime, available stock, condition of the failed sample, drawings and manuals, mating components, annual demand and whether the machine still has enough useful life to justify engineering work.
When does reverse engineering make sense?
When the function can be established, a reliable replacement can be verified, repeat demand or downtime exposure justifies the work, and full equipment replacement would solve a much larger problem than necessary.
When is reverse engineering the wrong answer?
When the surrounding asset is already at end of life, the component cannot be validated to the required risk level, or a standard supported replacement exists at lower lifecycle cost.