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Glossary of manufacturing and subcontracting

Processes, materials, treatments, quality, purchasing: the language of the workshop and the design office, defined simply, with what to specify in a quote request.

64 terms

Terms starting with 0–9

  • 5-axis machining

    Also: 5-axis, five-axis machining, 5-axis CNC machining, usinage 5 axes

    5-axis machining uses a machine with three linear axes and two rotary axes, so the part can be approached from almost any orientation, either indexed (3+2) or continuously.

Terms starting with A

  • Additive manufacturing

    Also: 3D printing, AM, rapid prototyping, fabrication additive

    Additive manufacturing builds a part layer by layer from a 3D model, adding material instead of removing it; 3D printing is the common name for it.

  • Aluminium alloy

    Also: aluminium, alu, EN AW, 6082, 6061, 5083, 7075

    Aluminium with added magnesium, silicon, copper or zinc to gain strength: light and easy to machine, it is designated by a four-digit code.

  • Anodising

    Also: anodising aluminium, anodic oxidation, hard anodising

    Electrochemical treatment that turns the surface of aluminium into a hard oxide layer, integral with the metal, which protects against corrosion and can be coloured.

Terms starting with B

  • Bar turning

    Also: Swiss-type turning, automatic lathe machining, screw machining, décolletage

    Bar turning is the machining of small round parts in high volumes, from bar or wire, on automatic lathes that deliver the finished, parted-off part.

  • Blasting

    Also: sandblasting, bead blasting, shot blasting, abrasive blasting, soft blasting

    High-speed projection of abrasive onto a surface to clean it, strip it, give it a uniform matt appearance or prepare it for painting or treatment.

  • Boring

    Also: bore finishing, reaming, alésage

    Boring is the finishing machining of a hole to obtain a precise diameter, good roundness and a good surface finish; the French word alésage also means the hole itself.

  • Buyer (client company)

    Also: client, principal, purchaser, customer, ordering party

    Company or person who orders a manufacturing job, defines the need and supplies the drawings to a workshop, known as the subcontractor or supplier.

Terms starting with C

  • CAD

    Also: computer-aided design, CAO, 3D modelling

    Computer-aided design (CAD) refers to the software used to draw a part in 2D or 3D and to produce dimensioned drawings, solid models and files for manufacturing.

  • CAM

    Also: computer-aided manufacturing, FAO, CNC programming

    Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is the software that turns a 3D model into tool paths, then into a CNC program the machine can run.

  • Capacity subcontracting

    Also: build-to-print subcontracting, overflow subcontracting, industrial subcontracting, contract manufacturing

    The buyer gives a workshop a job it could do itself but lacks the capacity for: the workshop works to its drawings, with comparable equipment.

  • Case hardening

    Also: carburising, gas carburising, low-pressure carburising, carbonitriding, case-hardening steel

    Thermochemical treatment that enriches the surface of a low-carbon steel with carbon before quenching, giving a very hard skin around a core that stays tough.

  • Chamfer

    Also: chamfering, broken edge, bevel, chanfrein

    A chamfer is an oblique surface, most often at 45°, that replaces a sharp edge between two faces to make it safe, guide assembly or prepare for welding.

  • CMM (coordinate measuring machine)

    Also: CMM, coordinate measuring machine, MMT, measuring machine, 3D measuring machine

    Machine that records the coordinates of points on a part with a probe or optical sensor, to check dimensions, forms and positions against the drawing.

  • Computer numerical control (CNC)

    Also: CNC, NC, CNC machine, MOCN

    Computer numerical control (CNC) is the system that drives a machine tool from a program: movements, speeds, tools. It ensures repeatability from one part to the next.

Terms starting with D

  • Deburring

    Also: burr removal, edge breaking, ébavurage

    Deburring removes burrs, excess material and sharp edges left on a part after machining, cutting, punching or moulding, to make it safe and allow it to be assembled.

  • Deep drawing

    Also: pressing, sheet metal drawing, stamping, emboutissage

    Deep drawing forms a flat sheet into a hollow or relief part without removing material: a punch pushes it into a die. It pays off in high volumes.

  • Definition drawing

    Also: part drawing, dimensioned drawing, 2D drawing, engineering drawing, technical drawing

    Dimensioned technical drawing that fully defines a part: views, dimensions, tolerances, material, surface finishes and treatments. It is the reference document for manufacture and inspection.

  • Drilling

    Also: hole drilling, twist drilling, perçage

    Drilling produces a cylindrical hole with a drill bit, a rotating pointed tool that sinks into the material; it is often the step before tapping or boring.

Terms starting with E

  • Electrical discharge machining (EDM)

    Also: EDM, wire EDM, spark erosion, die-sinking EDM

    EDM removes conductive material through a succession of electrical sparks in an insulating liquid, with no cutting force: it cuts with a wire or sinks cavities with an electrode.

  • EN 9100 (aerospace quality)

    Also: AS9100, EN9100, EN 9100:2018, aerospace quality standard, IAQG

    Quality management standard for aerospace, space and defence: it takes ISO 9001 and adds its own requirements. European equivalent of AS9100.

Terms starting with F

  • First article inspection (FAI)

    Also: FAI, First Article Inspection, first article, EN 9102, AS9102, PPAP

    Complete, documented check of the first part produced with series production means, to prove it meets all requirements before production is launched.

  • Fit

    Also: ISO fit, H7/g6, clearance and interference, shaft-and-hole fit

    Relationship between two mating parts, such as a shaft in a bore: the difference between their dimensions defines a clearance, an interference or an intermediate case.

  • FMEA (failure modes, effects and criticality analysis)

    Also: FMEA, FMECA, AMDEC, process FMEA, design FMEA, failure mode analysis

    Preventive method that lists the possible failures of a product or process, assesses their severity, frequency and detectability, then prioritises actions.

  • Forging

    Also: forge, drop forging, die forging, forgeage

    Forging deforms heated metal, by impact or pressure, between tools; its grain flow follows the shape of the part, giving great strength: connecting rods, shafts, flanges.

  • Foundry casting

    Also: casting, metal casting, foundry work, moulding, fonderie

    Foundry casting makes parts by pouring liquid metal into a mould: sand, gravity die, pressure die or investment; the rough casting is often machined afterwards.

Terms starting with G

  • Galvanising

    Also: hot-dip galvanising, hot dip galvanizing, zinc coating

    Protection of steel against corrosion by a zinc coating, most often applied by immersion in a bath of molten zinc: this is hot-dip galvanising.

  • GPS dimensioning (geometric tolerancing)

    Also: GPS, geometric tolerancing, ISO 1101, geometrical product specifications, GD&T

    Standardised language of geometrical product specification: it expresses, through symbols and datums, the form, orientation and position tolerances of a part.

  • Grinding

    Also: precision grinding, surface grinding, rectification

    Grinding is an abrasive finishing process: a wheel removes a few hundredths of a millimetre to achieve tight dimensions, flatness and surface finish, notably on hardened parts.

Terms starting with I

  • ISO 9001 (quality management)

    Also: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001 certification, quality management system, QMS, quality certification

    International standard of requirements for a quality management system: a certified company has shown it controls its processes, not that every part is compliant.

Terms starting with L

  • Laser cutting

    Also: laser, fibre laser cutting, sheet metal laser cutting, découpe laser

    Laser cutting cuts sheets and plates with a focused laser beam that melts the material along a programmed contour, while a gas blows out the molten metal.

Terms starting with M

  • Machining

    Also: subtractive machining, metal cutting, CNC machining

    Machining covers the processes that shape a part by removing material, as chips, with a cutting tool: milling, turning, drilling, grinding.

  • Machining blank

    Also: blank, raw material, stock material, workpiece blank

    The machining blank is the piece of material you start from before any machining: bar, plate, block or pre-formed part. The gap with the finished part determines a large share of the cost.

  • Material certificate (EN 10204)

    Also: 3.1 certificate, 2.2 certificate, 3.2 certificate, test report, EN 10204, mill certificate

    Document from the material supplier certifying its nature, composition and properties, of a type defined by EN 10204: 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 or 3.2.

  • Metrology

    Also: dimensional inspection, dimensional metrology, measurement and inspection, calibration

    The science of measurement: in the workshop, the equipment and methods used to check that a part meets the dimensions and tolerances on the drawing.

  • MIG-MAG welding

    Also: MIG, MAG, GMAW, semi-automatic welding, wire welding

    MIG-MAG welding is a semi-automatic gas-shielded arc process with a consumable wire electrode fed continuously: fast and productive, it is widely used on structural steel.

  • Milling

    Also: CNC milling, milling machine work, fraisage

    Milling is a machining process in which a milling cutter, a rotating tool with several cutting edges, removes material from a stationary part to produce faces, pockets, slots and 3D shapes.

Terms starting with N

  • Nitriding

    Also: gas nitriding, ion nitriding, plasma nitriding, nitrocarburising

    Thermochemical treatment that diffuses nitrogen into the surface of a steel to harden it and improve wear and fatigue resistance, with very little distortion.

  • Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

    Also: NDA, non-disclosure agreement, confidentiality clause, confidentiality agreement

    Contract by which one or both parties undertake not to disclose the information exchanged (drawings, files, know-how) and to use it only for the agreed purpose.

Terms starting with P

  • Passivation

    Also: stainless steel passivation, chemical passivation, stainless steel decontamination

    Chemical treatment of stainless steel that removes free iron from the surface and helps its chromium oxide layer re-form, with no coating and no change in dimensions.

  • Plasma cutting

    Also: plasma, plasma arc cutting, plasma torch cutting, découpe plasma

    Plasma cutting cuts conductive metals with an electric arc that ionises a compressed gas at very high temperature; it is economical on medium and thick sections.

  • Plastic injection moulding

    Also: injection moulding, plastic moulding, injection molding, injection plastique

    Plastic injection moulding makes parts by injecting molten thermoplastic under high pressure into a mould; it is the reference process for plastic parts in high volumes.

  • Plate fabrication

    Also: industrial boilermaking, heavy sheet metalwork, plate work, chaudronnerie

    Plate fabrication makes items from plate, tube and section by cutting, forming and welding: tanks, vessels, hoppers, pipework and structures, often one-off or in small runs.

  • Powder coating

    Also: powder paint, powder painting, powder finish, thermolacquering

    Powder paint sprayed electrostatically then cured in an oven, forming a thick, tough, coloured film on steel, galvanised steel or aluminium.

  • Printed circuit board (PCB)

    Also: PCB, printed circuit board, bare circuit board, bare PCB, bare board

    Insulating board carrying etched copper tracks that connect the components of an electronic board; PCB stands for printed circuit board.

  • Punching

    Also: sheet metal punching, turret punching, nibbling, poinçonnage

    Punching cuts sheet metal by shearing: a punch passes through the sheet resting on a die and detaches a hole or shape in one stroke; the CNC turret punch press automates it.

Terms starting with Q

  • Quench hardening

    Also: quenching and tempering, heat treatment, surface hardening, hardening and tempering

    Heat treatment of steel: heating followed by rapid cooling to obtain a very hard structure, then tempering to limit brittleness.

Terms starting with R

  • Request for quotation (RFQ)

    Also: RFQ, request for quote, price request, RFP, supplier consultation

    Written request by which a buyer asks a supplier for a price and terms to manufacture a defined product. The quote is the priced response.

Terms starting with S

  • Sheet metal bending

    Also: press brake bending, folding, sheet bending, pliage

    Bending deforms sheet metal cold along a straight line to create an angle, without removing material; it is done on a CNC press brake.

  • Small batch production

    Also: low volume, small quantity, limited run, short run

    Production of a limited number of identical parts, between the prototype and large-scale production; there is no official threshold, the limit depends on the process and the part.

  • SMT (surface-mount technology)

    Also: SMT, SMD, CMS, surface mount technology, SMD components, surface mounting

    Technology that solders components directly onto the pads on the surface of a printed circuit board, without passing through it; also called SMD or SMT.

  • Specialist subcontracting

    Also: technical subcontracting, process subcontracting, special process

    The buyer calls on a workshop for know-how, technology or equipment it does not have: heat treatment, casting, EDM, surface treatment.

  • Specification

    Also: spec, functional specification, statement of requirements, technical specification

    Document describing the buyer’s need and the requirements to meet: function, material, quantities, tolerances, inspections, lead times. It is the basis for the quote and the order.

  • Stainless steel

    Also: inox, stainless, inox steel, 304L, 316L, 1.4404

    Steel containing at least 10.5% chromium, whose surface protects itself with a thin oxide layer: it resists corrosion well without any coating.

  • STEP file

    Also: STEP, .step file, .stp file, ISO 10303, AP203, AP214, AP242

    Neutral format for exchanging 3D models (extensions .step and .stp), defined by ISO 10303 and readable by most CAD and CAM software.

  • Surface roughness

    Also: surface finish, Ra, Rz, surface texture

    The microscopic irregularities of a surface, expressed in micrometres by parameters such as Ra: they govern friction, sealing and appearance.

Terms starting with T

  • Tapping

    Also: internal threading, thread tapping, taraudage

    Tapping produces an internal thread in a hole with a tap, a tool shaped like a screw that cuts or forms the material to create the thread that will receive a screw.

  • Threading

    Also: external threading, thread cutting, filetage

    Threading creates a helical groove (the thread) on a rod or in a hole so that parts can be screwed together; it is done on a lathe, with a mill, by rolling or with a tap.

  • TIG welding

    Also: TIG, GTAW, process 141, argon arc welding

    TIG welding is an arc process with a non-consumable tungsten electrode under inert gas (argon): slow but precise, it gives clean welds on stainless steel, aluminium and thin parts.

  • Tolerance

    Also: dimensional tolerance, geometric tolerance, tolerance band, IT grade

    Permitted deviation around a dimension or a shape: the range within which the manufactured part must fall to be declared compliant with the drawing.

  • Traceability

    Also: material traceability, batch traceability, serial number, batch file

    Ability to retrieve the history of a product: original material, batch, manufacturing steps, inspections and recipient, thanks to marking and retained documents.

  • Turning

    Also: CNC turning, lathe work, tournage

    Turning is a machining process in which the part, held in a chuck, rotates on its own axis while a fixed tool removes material: cylinders, cones, grooves, threads.

Terms starting with W

  • Waterjet cutting

    Also: water jet, waterjet, abrasive waterjet cutting, découpe jet d’eau

    Waterjet cutting cuts almost any material with a very high-pressure water jet, with abrasive added for hard materials, without heat or thermal distortion.

Terms starting with Z

  • Zinc plating

    Also: electro-galvanising, electrolytic zinc plating, electroplated zinc, zinc-nickel

    Electrolytic deposit of a thin zinc layer on steel, completed by passivation: moderate corrosion protection, with very little effect on dimensions.

Going further

The definitions are complemented by detailed guides and free calculation tools.

GuidesPractical guidesPricing, specifications, choosing a subcontractor, processes: detailed articles. ToolsFree toolsISO 2768 tolerances, part weight, cutting speed, roughness, specifications.

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