| Class Vocabulary | |
|
Acme thread
| A trapezoid-shaped thread used for power and motion transfer. |
|
auger
| A hand-powered tool that drives a drill bit used to make holes in the ground. |
|
blank
| Generally, a piece of metal with a basic geometric form that is machined into a workpiece. Screws start as blank cylinders. |
|
bolt
| A cylindrically shaped, threaded device used for fastening parts. Bolts usually have blunt ends and mate with a nut. |
|
buttress thread
| A thread with an asymmetrical ridge that has one straight and one angled flank. |
|
casting
| The process of pouring a liquid material into a mold until it cools or dries into a solid form. |
|
center
| A hardened, pointed, cylindrical component used to hold the end of a workpiece by inserting its tip into a matching hole in the part. |
|
centerless grinding
| A type of grinding in which cylindrical parts are not held between centers but are supported on a work rest and rotated. |
|
chip
| An unwanted piece of metal that is removed from a workpiece. Chips are formed when a tool cuts or grinds metal. |
|
chuck
| A device that holds a workpiece in place as it rotates. The chuck commonly has three or four jaws that can be adjusted to fit various sizes. |
|
cold forming
| The shaping of a metal at room temperature. |
|
crest
| The top where two flanks meet on a thread. |
|
depth
| The length of the space measured from the base of the root to an imaginary line spanning the crests of a thread. |
|
die
| A component with specific dimensions used to shape metal through forming or cutting when a part is forced through or against it. |
|
double-start thread
| Having two threads wrapped around the cylinder. |
|
fatigue resistance
| Opposition to breaking down or failing from use. |
|
flank
| An angled side of the body of a thread that connects the root to the crest. |
|
gaging inspection
| The physical inspection of part features using a device with an established standard size. Gaging results in a pass/fail or go-no go decision. |
|
go-no go
| The use of a gage to determine whether a part feature simply passes or fails inspection. No effort is made to determine the exact degree of error. |
|
grinding wheel
| A grinding tool made by bonding abrasive grits together and forming them into a circular shape. |
|
helical
| Winding around like a spiral, spring, or coil. |
|
included angle
| The angle created by two adjacent flanks. |
|
inside diameter
| The interior surface of a spherical or cylindrical object. |
|
International Organization for Standardization
| An organization based in Switzerland that develops and publishes standards for its international membership base. It is often referred to as ISO. |
|
ISO metric thread
| A standard thread form based on millimeters that was developed for use in Europe. |
|
lapping
| An abrasive process that uses an abrasive paste to produce refined surfaces. |
|
lathe
| A machine tool commonly used to create cylindrical forms. A lathe holds a cylindrical workpiece on one or both ends while the cutting tool is gradually passed along the surface of the rotating part. |
|
lead
| The distance that a screw travels in one revolution. |
|
major diameter
| The boundary of the crests of an OD thread or the roots of an ID thread. Also referred to as the major cylinder. |
|
metal rule
| A very precise metal ruler with an inch scale on one side and a metric scale on the other. Metal rules can be used to inspect OD threads. |
|
metric thread
| A thread made to a scale that is based on millimeters. |
|
micrometer
| A U-shaped measuring instrument with a threaded spindle that slowly advances toward a small anvil. Micrometers are available in numerous types for measuring assorted dimensions and features. |
|
mill
| A multi-point cutting tool that is used to remove metal from the surface of a workpiece. |
|
minor diameter
| The boundary of the roots of an OD thread or the crests of an ID thread. Also called the minor cylinder. |
|
multi-point tool
| A cutting tool with more than one cutting edge used to remove material. |
|
multi-rib grinding wheel
| An abrasive tool with a tooth-like profile, giving it multiple surfaces on the outer diameter with which to grind multiple grooves at a time. |
|
nut
| A block, usually of metal, with a threaded hole that mates with a bolt. The outer shape of a nut is often six-sided. |
|
optical comparator
| A sophisticated measuring instrument that projects an image of a part onto a screen to compare the shape, size, and location of its features. |
|
outer diameter
| The exterior surface of a spherical or cylindrical object. |
|
pass
| The single movement of a cutting tool across the workpiece, from one end to another. |
|
pipe thread
| A V-shaped thread that wraps around a tapered pipe. Pipe threads are used for plumbing. |
|
pitch
| The distance from one thread groove to the next measured from crest to crest. |
|
pitch diameter
| The measured distance between the pitch points taken in the groove between the threads. Pitch diameter is one of the most important dimensions in thread inspection. |
|
pitch point
| The position on the thread where an equal amount of distance exists between the flanks on the solid part of the thread and in the space between the threads. |
|
power screw
| A threaded device used to transfer power or motion. Power screw threads often have a square or trapezoidal profile. |
|
regulating wheel
| A wheel, usually made of plastic or rubber bond, used during centerless grinding to rotate the workpiece and pull it through the operation. |
|
root
| The base where two flanks meet on a thread. |
|
screw
| A threaded device used for fastening parts or transferring motion. Screws usually have pointed ends. |
|
screw pitch gage
| A fan-like device comparable to a set of keys, each of which has an edge of symmetrical points calibrated to a particular thread pitch. |
|
single-point tool
| A tool with just one cutting edge. |
|
single-rib grinding wheel
| An abrasive tool that has just one surface on its outer diameter with which to grind one groove at a time. |
|
single-start thread
| Having a single thread wrapped around the cylinder. |
|
square thread
| A thread with box-like ridges. The crests are at 90° angles from the flanks. |
|
start
| The number of individual threads on a device. |
|
tap
| A cylindrically shaped, threaded device that either cuts or presses threads into a pre-drilled hole. |
|
thread
| A raised, helical rib or ridge around the exterior of a cylindrically shaped object or the interior of a hole. Threads are found on screws, nuts, and bolts. |
|
thread blank
| A cylinder of smooth metal into which threads are cut, rolled, pressed, or ground. |
|
thread cutting
| A method of producing screw threads that uses a single-point tool to cut a blank or workpiece as it rotates on a lathe. |
|
thread form
| The shape or profile of a thread. Thread forms include V-shaped threads or square threads. |
|
thread grinding
| A precise method of producing threads that uses an abrasive wheel to either cut threads into solid metal or to refine threads that have been produced through other means. |
|
thread micrometer
| A U-shaped measuring instrument with a V-shaped anvil and a cone-shaped spindle used to measure threads. |
|
thread milling
| A method of producing screw threads that uses a rotating, multi-point tool to cut a blank or workpiece. |
|
thread plug gage
| A cylinder of heavy metal with threaded ends used to check ID threads. A plug gage is also used to calibrate thread ring gages. |
|
thread ring gage
| A disk of heavy metal with a central, threaded hole made to match a particular OD thread. The gage is screwed onto the part being inspected as though the two are mating parts. |
|
thread rolling
| A cold-forming process that uses hard dies to press threads into a solid blank or workpiece. |
|
thread snap gage
| A C-shaped device designed with either an upper and lower roll wiggled into place or one stationary roll and two go and no-go rolls, respectively. Those with dial indicators are variable inspection devices. |
|
thread tapping
| A method of producing ID threads using a threaded tool to either cut or form threads in a pre-drilled hole. |
|
three-wire measurement
| A thread inspection method that uses three wires of equal diameter placed at three different points on a thread. The inspector places a micrometer in simultaneous contact with the wires and takes measurements. |
|
tolerance
| An unwanted but acceptable deviation from a given dimension. Tolerances indicate the allowable difference between a physical feature and its intended design. |
|
trapezoid shape
| A four-sided shape with two parallel sides having the appearance of a triangle with a flattened top. |
|
Unified screw thread
| A standard thread form based on inches that was developed by the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. |
|
variable inspection
| The inspection of part features using an instrument calibrated in standard measurement units. Variable inspection reveals the degree of variation from a given standard. |
|
work harden
| To strengthen metal through repeated bending and shaping. |
|
work rest
| A part of a centerless grinding machine that supports the workpiece as it is ground. |
|
workpiece
| A part that is being machined or otherwise worked on. |