Reverse engineering is a process in which parts are deconstructed to extract design information so that the part can then be recreated. Often, machines that were manufactured years ago are still in operation even though advancements in technology may have surpassed them. When a part to one of these legacy machines needs replacement, it is possible that the manufacturer of the part is no longer in business, or production of the part itself has been discontinued. Because replacing the whole machine could cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is often more cost effective to have the part reverse engineered and recreated. Reverse engineering may also be utilized for parts improvement, failure analysis, and diagnostics or troubleshooting.