VPERC Program
The VPERC Program (Virtual Parts Engineering Research Center) has been funded by the Army Research Office (ARO) since 2001 to develop innovative processes for replacing legacy weapons system parts to support the warfighter in the field. It is a collaborative effort between Hampton University, Arizona State University, and the University of Utah.
The focus of VPERC is on building frameworks, tools, and technologies for making legacy systems sustainable and maintainable in the 21st century. System parts and assemblies, which may have no technical data support, are re-developed in a virtual environment for procurement and manufacturing using the most contemporary digital processes and equipment. This environment is intended to transform the engineering process, supporting extremely fast turnaround times for urgent part supply needs and assuring that replacement parts for the numerous legacy systems that are still in service are readily available to the troops.
The VPERC Team successfully utilizes reverse engineering, reengineering or re-design of critical legacy and contemporary parts to reproduce quality system components in those cases where the original equipment manufacturer no longer produces the part, drawings are unavailable or carry errors, OEM replacement parts are not available or where
- Technical data for the part is not available: dimensions, tolerances, materials, heat treatment, manufacturing processes, quality control;
- The part calls for reengineering by failing frequently in service due to environmental factors such as temperature, corrosion, dust and other elements;
- Added functionality is desired.
Hampton University utilizes professors and faculty from its School of Engineering to perform comprehensive research and development. This severely minimizes the expense associated with the manufacturing process charged by other manufacturers.