Glossary Terms

Process that removes material by focusing a concentrated laser beam onto the workpiece. The material is melted and vaporized. In the cavity process, the beam is carefully controlled to prevent burning through the workpiece.

Grouping processes, equipment and people together to manufacture a specific family of parts. Highly automated and able to changeover quickly to produce a different part within the family of parts. See family of parts.

Typical powder-metallurgical products. They are sintered compounds of cobalt (or another binder metal) and carbides of refractory metals suitable for use as a cutting tool material. The majority of metalcutting indexable inserts are multicarbide compounds of tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide and/or niobium carbide with cobalt as a binder metal.

Compound of iron and carbon known as iron carbide and having the approximate chemical formula Fe3C. It is characterized by an orthorhombic crystal structure. Cementite contains 6.67 percent carbon. When it occurs as a phase in steel, the chemical composition is altered by the presence of manganese and other carbide-forming elements.

Drill used to make mounting holes for workpiece to be held between centers. Also used to predrill holes for subsequent drilling operations. See centers.

Drilling tapered holes for mounting workpiece between centers. Center-drilled holes also serve as starter holes for drilling larger holes in the same location. See centers; drilling.

Support provided at the center of the working area of a cylindrical grinder to prevent part deflection during grinding.

1. Process of locating the center of a workpiece to be mounted on centers. 2. Process of mounting the workpiece concentric to the machine spindle. See centers.

Grinding operation in which the workpiece rests on a knife-edge support, rotates through contact with a regulating or feed wheel and is ground by a grinding wheel. This method allows grinding long, thin parts without steady rests; also lessens taper problems. Opposite of cylindrical grinding. See cylindrical grinding; grinding.

Cone-shaped pins that support a workpiece by one or two ends during machining. The centers fit into holes drilled in the workpiece ends. Centers that turn with the workpiece are called “live” centers; those that do not are called “dead” centers.

Utilizes centrifugal force to continuously orient and deliver parts, at a specified feed rate, to an assembly machine.

Filtering device that uses a spinning bowl and the differences in specific gravities of materials to separate one from another. A centrifuge can be used to separate loosely emulsified and free oils from water-diluted metalworking fluid mixes and to remove metalworking fluids from chips.