Glossary

A
auxiliary command	A control function such as tool change or machine table rotation. These commands may be interpreted by a specific post-processor.
B
back and forth	Machining in which motion is done alternately in one direction then the other. Compare with one way.
bottom plane	A planar geometric element that represents the bottom surface of an area to machine. It is normal to the tool axis.
D
DPM	Digital Process for Manufacturing
F
facing operation	A surfacing operation in which material is removed in one cut or several axial cuts of equal depth according to a pre-defined machining strategy. Boundaries of the planar area to be machined are soft.
fault	Types of faults in material removal simulation are gouge, undercut, and tool clash.
feedrate	Rate at which a cutter advances into a work piece. Measured in linear or angular units (mm/min or mm/rev, for example).
fixture	Elements used to secure or support the workpiece on a machine.
G
gouge	Area where the tool has removed too much material from the workpiece.
H
hard	A geometric element (such as a boundary or a bottom face) that the tool cannot pass beyond.
high speed milling (HSM)	Functionality that is supported for Pocketing and Facing operations in which corners and transitions in the tool path are rounded to ensure a smooth and continuous cutting effort.
I
inward helical	Machining in which motion starts from a point inside the domain to machine and follows paths parallel to the domain boundary towards the center of the domain. Compare with outward helical.
island	Inner domain of a pocket that is to be avoided during machining. It has a closed hard boundary.
M
machine rotation	An auxiliary command in the program that corresponds to a rotation of the machine table.
machining axis system	Reference axis system in which coordinates of points of the tool path are given.
machining feature	A feature instance representing a volume of material to be removed, a machining axis, tolerances, and other technological attributes. These features may be hole type or milling type.
machining operation	Contains all the necessary information for machining a part of the workpiece using a single tool.
machining tolerance	The maximum allowed difference between the theoretical and computed tool path.
manufacturing process	Defines the sequence of part operations necessary for the complete manufacture of a part.
manufacturing program	Describes the processing order of the NC entities that are taken into account for tool path computation: machining operations, auxiliary commands and PP instructions.
manufacturing view	The set of machining features defined in the part operation.
multi-level operation	Milling operation (such as Pocketing or Profile Contouring) that is done in a series of axial cuts.
N
NC	Numerical control
O
offset	Specifies a virtual displacement of a reference geometric element in an operation (such as the offset on the bottom plane of a pocket, for example). Compare with thickness.
one way	Machining in which motion is always done in the same direction. Compare with zig zag or back and forth.
outward helical	Machining in which motion starts from a point inside the domain to machine and follows paths parallel to the domain boundary away from the center of the domain. Compare with inward helical.
P
part operation	Links all the operations necessary for machining a part based on a unique part registration on a machine. The part operation links these operations with the associated fixture and set-up entities.
pocket	An area to be machined that is defined by a closed boundary and a bottom plane. The pocket boundary may be either open or closed. The pocket definition may also include a top plane and one or more islands.
pocketing operation	A machining operation in which material is removed from a pocket in one or several axial cuts of equal depth according to a pre-defined machining strategy. The tool path style is either Inward helical, Outward helical or Back and forth.
point to point operation	A milling operation in which the tool moves in straight line segments between user-defined points.
PP instruction	Instructions that control certain functions that are auxiliary to the tool-part relationship. They may be interpreted by a specific post processor.
PPR	Process Product Resources.
profile contouring operation	A milling operation in which the tool follows a guide curve and possibly other guide elements while respecting user-defined geometric limitations and machining strategy parameters.
R
remaining material	Area where the tool has not completely removed material from the workpiece.
S
stock part	Raw material or base part
T
thickness	Specifies a thickness of material to be removed by machining. Compare with offset.
top plane	A planar geometric element that represents the top surface of an area to machine. It is always normal to the associated tool's rotational axis.
tool axis	Center line of the cutter.
tool change	An auxiliary command in the program that corresponds to a change of tool.
tool clash	Area where the tool collided with the workpiece during a rapid move.
tool path	The path that the center of the tool tip follows during a machining operation.
total depth	The total depth including breakthrough distance that is machined in a hole making operation.
U
undercut	Area where the tool has left material behind on the workpiece.
V
video	`Full Video` records a simulation of the machining operation. From the video simulation, NC Manufacturing Verification can analyze collisions and do other machining verification tasks. A separate `Video` window is also opened to enable verification.
Z
zig zag	Machining in which motion is done alternately in one direction then the other. Compare with one way.