Strictly speaking, the Reverse-Engineering Analyzer is an illegal piece of technology that analyzes and breaks down materials and constructions in order to later fabricate them. This is clear and blatant infringement on various copyrights, but out in the depths of space, there may not be time to acquire a licensed Sokitumi Socket Wrench™ to tighten the bolts keeping the nuclear reactor from exploding and killing everyone.
Reverse-engineering is conducted in two basic phases; one, the Analyzer can compile blueprints of a particular item in order to hopefully make more of that item, and two, the Analyzer can deconstruct an item in order to improve the replicator's understanding of how the materials and technologies behind it function so as to improve the performance of that item. A device that is analyzed but completely misunderstood is difficult to replicate and will likely result in a nonfunctional display model!
https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Research_items https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Circuit_Imprinter https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Guide_to_Research_and_Development https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Destructive_Analyzer https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/E.X.P.E.R.I-MENTOR