Glossary Haizol

A

ACIS 

ACIS is a library for 3D solid and surface modelling. SAT is the native file format. It is a standard computer file format for exchanging CAD data.

Additive manufacturing, 3D printing

Additive manufacturing is the process of making three dimensional parts from a digital design by building layer upon layer of material. The most common forms of additive manufacturing are 3D printing, layered item manufacturing, laser sintering, laser melting, LENS, fused deposition modelling, and stereolithography. It can often be referred to as rapid prototyping or layered manufacturing.

Agile Manufacturing

Agile manufacturing refers to initiatives and strategies to respond to the environment quickly and easily to reflect changing customer demand. To be able to thrive in unpredictable conditions, by not only meeting consumer needs but providing quick response manufacturing also.

Anodized - As in aluminum, the sheet is coated with aluminum oxide which has a low reflective chance with laser cutting. This layer of coating makes the material harder and less prone to scratch or corrode.

Assembly - The method of construction two or more parts together to form a product.

Automation – A mechanical, electronic or electrical way to operate technology. It refers to a task being undertaken without human involvement.

B

Bridge tool

A short-term or acting mold created to make production parts whilst a high-volume production mold is being prepared.

Benchmarking

Formal programs that compare a plant’s practices and performance results against "best-in-class" competitors or against similar operations.

Bottleneck

Congestion of a manufacturing system due to parts reaching a machine or operation faster than the operation or machine is able to process them.

C

Computer Numerical Control

Numerical control is the automated control of machining tools and 3D printers by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a piece of material to meet specifications by following a coded programmed instruction and without a manual operator.

The digital control of a physical machine that consists of a series of integrated actuators, power electronics, sensors, and dedicated computer running under a real-time operating system. Computer numerical control (CNC) can control multiple machines, usually when they are grouped in a manufacturing cell. This is a form of digital automation.

Computer-Aided Design

CAD or computer aided design is using computer-based tools to help in the design process. It assist in formation, alteration, analysis, or improvement of a design.

Computer-Aided Manufacturing

CAM, or computer-aided manufacturing, is when a computer is used to control, manage and plan manufacturing operations from a computer interface with the factories manufacturing resources. It is sometimes known as computer-assisted manufacturing. In simple terms, it involves software which takes the CAD design and outputs manufacturing instructions which are picked up by automated equipment such as a CNC machine, which then produce the part.

Chamfer

Often referred to as a “bevel,” it is a flat truncated corner.

Cycle time

Cycle time refers to the duration of manufacturing one part, from mold closing, injecting resin, part solidification, and taking the part out of the mold.

D

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)

DMLS is one of the only 3D printing methods that produces a metal part directly from a 3D computer model. It is a progression of powder metallurgy (PM), a form of metal molding where heat and pressure are applied to weld the powder into a solid and create powdered metal parts.

Durometer

A durometer measures a material’s hardness. It follows a numeric scale from low (soft) to high (hard).

E

EDM

EDM, or Electric Discharge Machining, is a form of mold making, able to form taller thinner ribs compared to milling.

End mill

An end mill is a cutting tool used to machine a mold.

Ejection

The last step in injection molding where the finished part is ejected from the mold using pins or other devices.

F

Finish

A finish refers to the surface treatment used to a specific section or all of the part. Finishes can be smooth and polished or highly contoured depending on how the final part should look.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM)

With FDM, a wire coil of material is extruded from a print head into successive cross-sectional layers that harden into three-dimensional shapes.

G

GF

Glass-filled. Glass-filled is a resin mixed with glass fibers, making it stronger and more rigid than other unfilled resins, though more brittle.

H

Hot tip gate

A specific gate to inject resin onto the A-side of the mold, without needing a sprue or runner.

I

IGES

IGES stands for Initial Graphics Exchange Specification. This is a typical file used in exchanging CAD data. These files can be used to make molded parts.

Injection

Injection is the process of pushing molten resin into a mold to create a part.

Insert

An insert is a piece of a mold which is placed in after machining a mold base, or placed in temporarily between mold cycles.

J

Jetting

When resin enters a mold at high speed it can result in flow marks, usually close to a gate. These flow marks are called Jetting.

L

Live tooling

Mill-like machining actions in a lathe where a rotating tool removes material from stock. This allows for the creation of features like flats, grooves, slots, and axial or radial holes to be created within the lathe.

LSR

Liquid silicone rubber.

M

Medical grade

Resin that may be suitable for use in certain medical applications.

Multi-cavity mold

A mold where more than one cavity is cut into the mold to allow for multiple parts to be formed in one cycle. Typically, if a mold is called “multi-cavity,” the cavities are all the same part number. See also “family mold.”

N

Net shape

The final desired shape of a part; or a shape that does not require additional shaping operations before use.

Nozzle

The tapered fitting on the end of the barrel of the injection-molding press where the resin enters the sprue.

O

Overflow

A mass of material away from the part, typically at the end of fill, connected by a thin cross-section. The overflow is added to improve part quality and is removed as a secondary operation.

P

Parasolid

A file format for exchanging CAD data.

Part A/Part B

LSR is a two-part compound; these components are kept separate until the LSR molding process begins.

Parting line

The edge of a part where the mold separates.

Pickouts

A mold insert that remains stuck to the ejected part and has to be pulled out of the part and placed back into the mold before the next cycle.

PolyJet

PolyJet is a 3D printing process where small droplets of liquid photopolymer are sprayed from multiple jets onto a build platform and cured in layers that form elastomeric parts.

Porosity

Undesired voids included in a part. Porosity can manifest in many sizes and shapes from many causes. Generally, a porous part will be less strong than a fully dense part.

Post gate

A specialized gate that uses a hole that an ejector pin passes through to inject resin into the mold cavity. This leaves a post vestige that usually needs to be trimmed.

Press

An injection molding machine.

R

Reinforced resin

Refers to base resins with fillers added for strength. They are particularly susceptible to warp because the fiber orientation tends to follow flow lines, resulting in asymmetric stresses. These resins are typically harder and stronger but also more brittle (e.g., less tough).

Resin

A generic name for chemical compounds that, when injected, form a plastic part. Sometimes just called “plastic.”

Runner

A channel that resin passes through from the sprue to the gate/s. Typically, runners are parallel to, and contained within, the parting surfaces of the mold.

S

Sticking

A problem during the ejection phase of molding, where a part becomes lodged in one or the other half of the mold, making removal difficult. This is a common issue when the part is not designed with sufficient draft.

Stitch lines

Also known as “weld lines” or “knit lines,” and when multiple gates are present, “meld lines.” These are imperfections in the part where separated flows of cooling material meet and rejoin, often resulting in incomplete bonds and/or a visible line.

STL

Originally stood for “STereoLithography.” It is a common format for transmitting CAD data to rapid prototyping machines and is not suitable for injection molding.

STEP

Stands for Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data. It is a common format for exchanging CAD data.

Stereolithography (SL)

SL uses an ultraviolet laser focused to a small point to draw on the surface of a liquid thermoset resin. Where it draws, the liquid turns to solid. This is repeated in thin, two-dimensional cross-sections that are layered to form complex three-dimensional parts.

Sprue

The sprue is where the resin goes into the mold, it is step one in the resin distribution process. The sprue transfers the resin to the runners, The sprue is perpendicular to the parting faces of the mold and brings resin to the runners, which are typically in the parting surfaces of the mold.

Get your free manufacturing quote today here