Glossary Terms

Group of carbon steels designated by American Iron and Steel Institute numerical classification as AISI 1029, 1030, 1034, etc., up to AISI 1053, for a total of 16 grades. They are often selected where higher strength is required. Most commonly used steels for machined components.

Process similar to plastic stereolithography but uses powder metal to build up the part. See stereolithography, plastic.

Volume of metal removed per unit of power in a given period of time (reciprocal of the specific power-consumption factor). Also known as the K-factor. Metal-removal factor depends on the depth of cut and feed rate. Increases in depth of cut and feed rate increases K-factor; decreases in depth of cut and in feed rate decrease K-factor.

Rate at which metal is removed from an unfinished part, measured in cubic inches or cubic centimeters per minute.

Any machining process used to part metal or other material or give a workpiece a new configuration. Conventionally applies to machining operations in which a cutting tool mechanically removes material in the form of chips; applies to any process in which metal or material is removed to create new shapes. See metalforming.

Manufacturing processes in which products are given new shapes either by casting or by some form of mechanical deformation, such as forging, stamping, bending and spinning. Some processes, such as stamping, may use dies or tools with cutting edges to cut as well as form parts.

Any manufacturing process in which metal is processed or machined such that the workpiece is given a new shape. Broadly defined, the term includes processes such as design and layout, heat-treating, material handling and inspection.

Science of measurement; the principles on which precision machining, quality control and inspection are based. See precision machining, measurement.

Hardness of a material as determined by forcing an indenter such as a Vickers or Knoop indenter into the surface of the material under very light load; usually, the indentations are so small that they must be measured with a microscope.

A precision instrument with a spindle moved by a finely threaded screw that is used for measuring thickness and short lengths.

Measure of length that is equal to one-millionth of a meter.

Cutting small or thin parts from a larger base part. Uses a special machine with a thin, tensioned blade that takes a minimum kerf. Process for cutting expensive materials such as silicon, germanium and other computer-chip materials.