Glossary Terms

Form of milling that produces a finished surface generally in a plane parallel to the rotating axis of a cutter having teeth or inserts on the periphery of the cutter body. See milling.

Heat generated by machining action that causes changes in the workpiece’s surface layers. This can result in softer- or harder-than-desired workpiece surfaces, as well as undesirable changes in cutting tools.

Variation on chemical machining that uses a chemically resistant mask that is sensitive to light. Light activates the mask only in the areas to be protected. The remaining mask is washed away. The process is typically used to produce parts such as circuit boards and other delicate items.

Tool-coating process performed at low temperature (500° C), compared to chemical vapor deposition (1,000° C). Employs electric field to generate necessary heat for depositing coating on a tool’s surface. See CVD, chemical vapor deposition.

Simple robot or piece of hard automation that is capable of the simple actions of picking an object from a fixed point and placing the object at another fixed point.

1. On a saw blade, the number of teeth per inch. 2. In threading, the number of threads per inch.

Localized corrosion of a metal surface, confined to a point or small area, that takes the form of cavities.

Machining operation that creates flat surfaces. The workpiece is reciprocated in a linear motion against one or more single-point tools. Also used to create contours or irregular configurations.

Cutting tool similar in appearance to a turning tool but with a longer shank.

Machines flat surfaces. Planers take a variety of forms: double-housing, open-side, convertible and adjustable open-side, double-cut and milling. Large multihead (milling, boring, drilling, etc.) planers and planer-type milling machines handle most planing work.

Permanent (inelastic) distortion of metals under applied stresses that strain the material beyond its elastic limit.

Process that uses a combination of lasers and photosensitive, liquid plastics to generate models. The desired workpiece is electronically “sliced” into thin sections. The laser beam scans over a bath of uncured polymer and only turns on where material should exist, duplicating the sliced section. The polymer partially hardens in these areas.