Glossary
The vocabulary of advanced manufacturing.
A working reference for the terms that come up most often in VEC engagements, written for technical and non-technical readers alike.
- Additive manufacturing (AM)
- A family of processes that build parts layer by layer from digital models, rather than removing material from a solid block.
- Binder jetting
- An AM process in which a liquid binding agent is deposited onto a powder bed to form a green part, which is then typically sintered.
- Build plate
- The platform on which a part is constructed during an additive build, and a key factor in thermal behaviour and part removal.
- Coupon
- A small standardized test specimen printed alongside or in place of a part to characterize material properties.
- Digital inventory
- A validated library of digital part models that can be manufactured on demand rather than held as physical stock.
- DfAM
- Design for Additive Manufacturing: designing components specifically to exploit the capabilities and constraints of additive processes.
- Directed energy deposition (DED)
- An AM process that melts feedstock as it is deposited, often used for large parts and repair applications.
- Feedstock
- The raw input material for a manufacturing process, such as metal powder, wire, filament or resin.
- Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)
- A metal AM process in which a laser selectively melts regions of a thin powder layer to build a part.
- Lattice structure
- An engineered internal geometry used to reduce mass while maintaining stiffness, strength or thermal performance.
- Post-processing
- Operations after the build such as stress relief, support removal, machining, heat treatment and surface finishing.
- Powder characterization
- Measurement of powder properties such as particle size distribution, morphology, chemistry and flowability.
- Process parameters
- The controllable settings of a build, including power, speed, layer thickness and hatch spacing, that govern part quality.
- Qualification
- The evidence-based process of demonstrating that a material, process and part consistently meet defined requirements.
- Sintering
- A thermal process that bonds powder particles below the melting point to densify a part.
- Technology roadmap
- A prioritized plan linking technology investment to applications, capability milestones and business outcomes.
- Topology optimization
- A computational method that distributes material within a design space to meet performance targets at minimum mass.
- Traceability
- The documented chain linking feedstock lot, process data and test results to a finished part.
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