B
- Bar feeder
- A device that pushes long bars of material into a lathe automatically, so parts can be produced continuously from the bar.
- Burr
- A small raised edge or sliver of metal left by machining. Removing it is called deburring.
C
- Cam automat
- A mechanical automatic lathe whose movements are controlled by cams. Very fast for long runs of simple to moderately complex parts once set up.
- Chamfer
- A small angled cut on an edge, usually 45°, to remove sharpness and help assembly.
- CMRT
- Conflict Minerals Reporting Template: a standard form used to report the smelters of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold in a supply chain.
- CNC turning centre
- A computer-controlled lathe that rotates the bar while cutting tools shape it. Many also have live tools for drilling and milling off-centre features.
- Cross-drilling
- Drilling a hole at an angle (usually 90°) to the main axis of a turned part.
- Cycle time
- The time a machine takes to produce one part. A major driver of part cost.
D
- Dezincification
- Corrosion in which zinc is lost from brass, leaving weak, porous copper. DZR brass is formulated to resist it.
- DZR brass
- Dezincification-resistant brass, such as CW602N, used for fittings in contact with water.
F
- First-off inspection
- Full inspection of the first part(s) produced after a set-up, approved before the production run continues.
- Free-cutting brass
- Brass with a small lead addition that makes chips break short, allowing fast machining. CW614N and C36000 are examples.
G
- General tolerance
- A tolerance that applies to every dimension without its own tolerance, usually stated by a standard such as ISO 2768-m.
- Go / no-go gauge
- A fixed gauge with one end that must fit (go) and one that must not (no-go). Used to check threads, holes and diameters quickly.
I
- Incoterms
- International Chamber of Commerce rules defining who pays for and bears the risk of transport at each stage, for example EXW, FOB, CIF and DAP.
K
- Knurling
- Rolling a straight, diagonal or diamond pattern onto a surface to give grip or to help a part hold in plastic.
M
- Mill certificate
- A certificate from the bar producer stating the chemical composition (and sometimes mechanical properties) of a batch of material.
- MOQ
- Minimum order quantity: the smallest batch a supplier will produce for a given part.
P
- Passivation
- A chemical treatment for stainless steel that removes free iron from the surface and restores its corrosion-resistant oxide layer.
- Patrol inspection
- Checks made on parts at fixed intervals during a production run, to catch drift before it produces rejects.
- PPAP
- Production Part Approval Process: a formal set of documents and samples used, mainly in automotive, to approve a part before series production.
- Profile projector
- An optical instrument that projects a magnified silhouette of a part onto a screen to measure profiles, angles, radii and thread forms.
R
- Ra (surface roughness)
- The average roughness of a surface, in micrometres (µm). Lower is smoother; Ra 0.8 µm is a typical finish for a sealing face.
- RoHS
- EU directive restricting hazardous substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium in electrical and electronic equipment.
S
- Sliding-head lathe
- Also called Swiss-type. The bar moves through a guide bush while the tools stay close to it, which suits long, slender, precise parts.
T
- Thread class
- The tolerance grade of a thread, for example 6g / 6H for metric or 2A / 2B for unified threads.
- Thread rolling
- Forming a thread by pressing hardened dies into the part instead of cutting it. Rolled threads are strong and smooth.
V
- VMC
- Vertical machining centre: a CNC milling machine with a vertical spindle, used for flats, pockets and holes.
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