Manufacturing Glossary

English-Chinese technical terms for sourcing manufactured products from China. Covers mold making, CNC machining, surface finishing, quality control, certifications, and more.

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• 5-axis machining — Machining using a CNC machine with five axes of motion for c

A

• activated carbon — A porous carbon material used for filtration and purificatio
• anodizing — An electrochemical process that creates a protective oxide l
• annealing — A heat treatment process that softens metal by heating and s
• aging — A heat treatment that allows precipitation of phases to incr
• AS 9100 — A quality management standard for the aerospace industry.
• ANSI — American National Standards Institute standard for various i
• ASTM — American Society for Testing and Materials standards for mat

B

• blow molding — A manufacturing process for forming hollow plastic parts by
• ball screw — A precision screw mechanism with ball bearings to reduce fri
• bearing — A mechanical element that constrains relative motion between

C

• CNC machining — Computer Numerical Control machining, a subtractive manufact
• check valve — A valve that allows fluid to flow in only one direction.
• clearance fit — A fit where the shaft is smaller than the hole, allowing fre
• centrifugal casting — A casting method that uses centrifugal force to distribute m
• CMM — Coordinate Measuring Machine, used for precise dimensional i
• concentricity — A GD&T control that ensures the central axis of a feature co
• circular runout — A GD&T control that measures how much a surface deviates as
• CAD — Computer-Aided Design, using computer software to create 2D
• CAM — Computer-Aided Manufacturing, using software to control mach
• CAE — Computer-Aided Engineering, using software for engineering a
• CNC turning — A machining process where a cutting tool removes material fr
• CNC milling — A machining process using rotary cutters to remove material
• case hardening — A heat treatment process that hardens the surface layer of a
• carburizing — A case hardening process where carbon is diffused into the s
• cryogenic treatment — A sub-zero treatment applied to metals to transform retained
• CE marking — A conformity mark for products sold within the European Econ

D

• die casting — A metal casting process characterized by forcing molten meta
• draft angle — The taper angle on vertical walls of a mold to facilitate pa
• deep groove ball bearing — The most common type of rolling bearing, suitable for high-s
• DP — Dots per inch, a measure of printing or scanning resolution.
• DFM — Design for Manufacturing, designing products to be easy and
• DFA — Design for Assembly, designing products to be easy and effic
• DOI — Design of Injection mold, the complete process of designing
• deburring — The process of removing sharp edges and burrs from machined
• DIN — Deutsches Institut fur Normung, German national standardizat

E

• extrusion — A process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional
• ejector pin — A pin that pushes the finished part out of the mold after th
• electroplating — A process that uses electric current to deposit a metal coat
• EDM — Electrical Discharge Machining, a subtractive process using
• EDM drilling — A specialized EDM process for drilling small diameter holes

F

• forging — A manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using
• flash — Excess material that squeezes out at the parting line of a m
• FDM — Fused Deposition Modeling, a 3D printing technology that ext
• flatness — A GD&T control that ensures a surface lies within a specifie
• FMEA — Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, a systematic method for i
• FEA — Finite Element Analysis, a computational method for predicti

G

• gate — The entry point through which molten material enters the mol
• gearbox — A mechanical device that transmits power from one source to
• GD&T — Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, a system for definin
• gundrilling — A drilling process for creating deep holes with high length-
• GB standard — Guobiao standard, Chinese national standards for industrial

H

• heat treatment — Controlled heating and cooling of metals to alter their phys
• hot runner — A runner system that keeps the plastic molten throughout, el
• hydraulic cylinder — A mechanical actuator that converts hydraulic pressure into
• honing — A precision finishing process using abrasive stones to impro

I

• injection mold — A tool used in injection molding to shape molten plastic int
• investment casting — A casting process where a wax pattern is coated with ceramic
• interference fit — A fit where the shaft is larger than the hole, requiring for
• induction hardening — A surface hardening method using electromagnetic induction t
• ISO 9001 — An international standard for quality management systems, wi
• IATF 16949 — An international quality management standard specific to the
• IP rating — Ingress Protection rating, classifying the degree of protect

J

• JIS — Japanese Industrial Standards for industrial activities in J

K

• knit line — A visible line on a molded part where two flow fronts meet d
• keyway — A slot cut in a shaft or hub to accommodate a key for torque

L

• linear guide — A mechanical component that provides smooth linear motion wi
• lead screw — A screw mechanism with trapezoidal threads used to convert r
• laser engraving — Using a laser beam to mark or engrave patterns on a surface.
• laser welding — A welding technique using a laser beam to join metal pieces
• lost foam casting — A casting process using foam patterns that vaporize when mol
• laser cutting — A cutting technology using a high-power laser beam to cut ma
• lapping — A precision surface finishing process using loose abrasive b

M

• molecular sieve — A material with tiny pores used as an adsorbent for gases an
• MIG welding — Metal Inert Gas welding, a semi-automatic arc welding proces

N

• nitriding — A surface hardening process where nitrogen is diffused into
• normalizing — A heat treatment process that refines grain structure by hea
• NEMA — National Electrical Manufacturers Association standard for e

P

• pneumatic cylinder — A mechanical device that uses compressed air to produce forc
• planetary gear — A gear system with one or more outer gears revolving around
• press fit — An assembly method where one part is forced into another, cr
• passivation — A chemical treatment to create a protective layer on metal s
• powder coating — A dry finishing process where finely ground particles are el
• precision casting — A casting process that produces near-net-shape parts with mi
• parallelism — A GD&T control that ensures a surface is parallel to a datum
• perpendicularity — A GD&T control that ensures a surface is perpendicular to a
• position tolerance — A GD&T control that specifies the allowable deviation of a f
• PPI — Pixels per inch, a measure of display or image resolution.
• plasma cutting — A cutting process using a high-velocity jet of ionized gas t

Q

• quenching — Rapid cooling of heated metal to achieve desired hardness an

R

• runner system — The channel system that carries molten plastic from the nozz
• rapid prototyping — Quick fabrication of a physical model using 3D CAD data, typ
• reverse engineering — The process of recreating a CAD model from an existing physi
• roughness — The measure of surface texture irregularities on a manufactu
• Ra — Arithmetic average of absolute surface height deviations fro
• Rz — Average maximum height of the profile, measuring the distanc
• RoHS — Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive, limiting cert
• REACH — EU regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Autho

S

• stamping — A manufacturing process that uses a die to shape flat metal
• surface treatment — Processes applied to improve the surface properties of a man
• shrinkage — The reduction in volume of a plastic part as it cools, affec
• sink mark — A depression on the surface of a molded part caused by local
• silica gel desiccant — A moisture-absorbing material used in packaging and dehumidi
• solenoid valve — An electrically operated valve used to control fluid or gas
• servo motor — A rotary actuator that allows for precise control of angular
• stepper motor — A brushless DC electric motor that divides a full rotation i
• spline — A series of ridges on a shaft that mate with grooves in a ma
• sandblasting — A surface treatment that propels abrasive material at high p
• spot welding — A resistance welding process joining metal surfaces at speci
• sand casting — A casting method using sand molds to produce metal parts.
• SLA — Stereolithography, a 3D printing technology that uses UV las
• SLS — Selective Laser Sintering, a powder bed fusion 3D printing p
• SPC — Statistical Process Control, using statistical methods to mo
• swiss machining — Precision machining using sliding headstock lathes for small
• superfinishing — An ultra-precision surface finishing process achieving very
• shot blasting — A surface treatment where small steel shots are blasted at h
• solution treatment — Heating an alloy to dissolve precipitates, followed by rapid

T

• tolerance — The permissible limit of variation in a physical dimension o
• tight tolerance — A very small allowable variation in dimensions, typically ±0
• tapered roller bearing — A bearing that can handle both radial and axial loads, commo
• timing belt — A toothed belt used for precise power transmission between s
• transition fit — A fit that may be either clearance or interference depending
• TIG welding — Tungsten Inert Gas welding, a precise arc welding process us
• total runout — A GD&T control measuring deviation across the entire surface
• tempering — A heat treatment process applied after quenching to reduce b

U

• undercut — A feature in a molded part that prevents direct ejection fro
• ultrasonic welding — A welding process using high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations
• UL certification — Underwriters Laboratories certification for product safety i

V

• vent — Small channels in a mold to allow air and gas to escape duri
• V-belt — A trapezoidal cross-section belt used for power transmission
• vibratory finishing — A mass finishing process using vibration and abrasive media
• vacuum heat treatment — Heat treatment performed in a vacuum furnace to prevent oxid

W

• warpage — Deformation of a molded part caused by uneven cooling or int
• worm gear — A gear arrangement where a screw meshes with a gear wheel to
• WEDM — Wire Electrical Discharge Machining, using a thin electrical
• wire-cut EDM — A variation of EDM using a thin wire as the electrode to cut
• water jet cutting — A cutting process using a high-pressure stream of water, som