Glossary Terms

Device that mounts to the table of a surface grinder or lathe, permitting both straight and tapered grinding of round stock.

Loss of carbon from the surface layer of a carbon-containing alloy due to reaction with one or more chemical substances in a medium that contacts the surface. Frequently occurs in steel exposed to air at high temperatures, resulting in loss of hardness and strength at the surface.

Number of axes along which a robot, and thus the object it is holding, can be manipulated. Most robots are capable of maneuvering along the three basic Cartesian axes (X, Y, Z). More sophisticated models may move in six or more axes. See axis.

Removal of ions from a water-based solution. See semisynthetic cutting fluid; soluble-oil cutting fluid; synthetic cutting fluid.

Distance between the bottom of the cut and the uncut surface of the workpiece, measured in a direction at right angles to the machined surface of the workpiece.

Ratio of the depth of a hole compared to the diameter of the tool used to make the hole.

Cubic crystalline form of carbon produced under extreme pressures at elevated temperatures. The hardest natural substance, it has approximately five times the indentation hardness of carbide. Its extreme hardness, though, makes it susceptible to fracturing. See superabrasive tools.

Machine operation in which a band with diamond points is used to machine carbides, ceramics and other extremely hard materials.

Casting process wherein molten metal is forced under high pressure into the cavity of a metal mold.

1. Spreading of a constituent in a gas, liquid or solid, tending to make the composition of all parts uniform. 2. Spontaneous movement of atoms or molecules to new sites within a material.

Any process whereby a basis metal or alloy is either coated with another metal or alloy and heated to a sufficient temperature in a suitable environment, or exposed to a gaseous or liquid medium containing another metal or alloy, thus causing diffusion of the coating or of the other metal or alloy into the basis metal or alloy with resultant changes in the composition and properties of its surface.

Method of transferring CNC code from the CAD/CAM system to the machine tool.