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Terminology
2D Production Drawing - Production drawings show how to manufacture the product. They detail important part dimensions and tolerances and describe in detail how assemblies are to be built. 2D production drawings are often electronically linked to the 3D solid model of the part or assembly.
3D Solid Model - A virtual 3D representation of components for mechanical design and analysis. All features of the final part or assembly being designed are represented in a three-dimensional representation that contains the entire CAD information needed to produce production parts.
ACIS - A solid modeling engine or kernel used in a number of CAD systems. Having a common solids modeling engine allows more ready interchange of data between different CAD systems.
ACIS SAT - A file format for 3D solid geometry created by systems using the ACIS solids modeling engine.
Appearance Prototype - An appearance prototype, or appearance model, is a physical representation of an object that closely simulates the look of a production product.
Associativity - A link between two different functions in a CAD system that assures that a change made in one area is reflected in all other areas. For example, a change to a solid model will be reflected in its drawing and related CAM program. Bi-directional associativity indicates that updates happen in both directions between functions. For example, a change to a drawing will be reflected in its solids model.
Blow Molding - Blow molding is a method of forming plastic whereby a hollow tube is made from molten plastic material and entrapped in a mold. Air is blown into the mold, expanding the tube and forcing it against the sides of the mold, thus forming into the shape of the part.
Boss - A cylindrical protrusion within a part, often designed to accept fasteners.
CNC Machining - Computer Numerical Control system in which the data handling, control sequences and response to input is determined by an on-board computer system at the machine tool.
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) - Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is the use of a computer to assist in the creation and modification of a design, most commonly, designs with a heavy engineering content.
Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) - Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) is the use of computers in design, analysis, and manufacturing of a product, process, or project. Sometimes refers more narrowly to the use of computers only in the analysis stage.
Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) - Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) is the use of the computer description of the part or assembly to drive planning, cutting, forming, assembly and inspection of the item via computerized applications.
Cycle Time - Period between the start of an operation and the start of the next occurrence of the same operation.
Direction of Pull - Refers to the motion of a part surface relative to a mold when the tooling is opened for part ejection.
Draft - The taper of features in the direction of pull. Helps parts release from the mold during ejection.
Ejection - The process of pushing a completed part out of a mold.
Ejector Pins - Steel pins incorporated into the B-side of a mold that pushes out the plastic part.
Extrusion - A manufacturing process that utilizes a softened billet of material which is forced through a shape (or die) to allow for a continuous form much like spaghetti.
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) - is a procedure in which each potential failure mode in every sub-item of an item is analyzed to determine its effect on other sub-items and on the required function of the item. It is used to identify potential failure modes and their associated causes/mechanisms, consider risks of these failure modes, and identify mitigating actions to reduce the probability or impact of the failure.
FDM - Fused Deposition Modeling is a thermoplastic extrusion-based rapid prototyping technology.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) - is a computer-based method that breaks geometry into elements and links a series of equations to each, which are then solved simultaneously to evaluate the behavior of the entire system, most often used for structural analysis, but widely applicable for other types of analysis and simulation, including thermal, fluid, and electromagnetic.
Functional Appearance Model - A functional appearance model is a prototype that 'looks like' and 'works like' a production product.
IGES File - Stands for "Initial Graphics Exchange Specification". It is a common file format for exchanging CAD data and producing the tooling for injection molding.
Industrial Design - The visual features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament applied to a manufactured product. Industrial Designers study both function and form, and the connection between product and the user.
Injection Molding - Manufacturing process where molten plastic is introduced into a tool or die with the use of pressure.
Living Hinge - Very thin section of plastic used to connect two parts and keep them together while allowing them to open and close. They require careful design and gate placement. A typical application would be the hinged flip-top cap on a shampoo bottle.
Manufacturability - The extent to which a new product can be easily and effectively manufactured at minimum cost and with maximum reliability.
Parting Line - The location where the pieces of a mold come together. Typically a thin line is created on the part at this edge.
Product Design - The process of converting a product need into plans for a manufacture-ready product. For a product to be successful, the design of that product usually should include industrial design (which focuses on the user aspects of the product including form, aesthetics, consumer appeal, ergonomics, etc.) and design engineering (which focuses on the function and manufacturability aspects of the product).
Product Development - is the process of converting product ideas into viable products. Successful product development requires a balance of soft requirements (how does it look and feel) with hard requirements (how does it function to fill the need).
Product Rendering - A product rendering is a flatwork illustration of a product.
Prototype - Physical model of a part or product during the product development process. Depending upon the purpose, prototypes may be non-working, functionally working, or both functionally and aesthetically complete.
Rapid Prototyping - refers to various technologies such as stereolithography and selective laser sintering that can rapidly create parts for visualization, product mock-ups, or functional product prototypes or produce rapid tooling to manufacture small to medium volumes of parts. Rapid prototyping processes involve devices, ranging from office modelers to four-ton machines, that accept 3D CAD files, slice the data into cross-sections, and construct layers from the bottom up, bonding one on top of the other, to produce physical prototypes.
Rapid Manufacturing - Rapid Manufacturing refers to the use of rapid prototyping technologies to directly manufacture low volumes of parts.
Rapid Tooling - Rapid Tooling refers to the use of rapid prototyping technologies to fabricate tooling in a much shorter period of time than conventional tooling. Rapid tooling technologies include methods such as RTV molds, high-speed milling, centrifugal casting, etc.
Reverse Engineering - Reverse Engineering is the process of capturing the geometry of existing physical objects and then using the data obtained as a foundation for designing a duplicate of the original or an entirely new adaptation. Other terms include Digital Shape Sampling and Processing (DSSP), 3D Scanning, 3D Data Capture, and Optical Scanning. Reverse engineering also refers to the procedure of carefully dismantling and inspecting a competitor's product to look for design features that can be incorporated into one's own product.
Robust Design - Design of the product in a manner to desensitize the product to variation including misuse and increase the probability that it will perform as intended.
Scope - The sum of products and services to be provided as part of a project.
Scope Creep - is the tendency for project requirements to grow over time, usually resulting in huge, unmanageable projects. As some projects progress, especially through development, requirements continuously change incrementally, causing the developer to add to the work scope with consequent increases in the time and budget required. Synonymous with Requirements Creep.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) - a rapid prototyping technology that uses a laser to trace a pattern on a powdered material to fuse it into a solid on layer after another to form a solid object.
Sink - Undesired depressions in the surface of a part that are caused by the shrinking of resin as it solidifies. Sink is most common in thick sections of a part that are unable to be properly filled or packed out in the molding process.
Solids Modeling - A geometric modeling method that completely and unambiguously describes both the exterior and interior of a part or assembly in three dimensions (geometry, topology and mass properties).
Statistical Process Control (SPC) - is the application of statistical methods to the monitoring and control of a process to ensure that it operates at its full potential to produce conforming product.
STEP - Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data (ISO 10303) - An international product data standard to provide a complete, unambiguous, computer-interpretable definition of the physical and functional characteristics of a product throughout its life cycle.
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