Industry Definitions

Articulation: The number and location of joints on a robot arm.

Blanking Die: A die that cuts a flat blank

Bottoming Block: An adjustable block mounted under a pad to set the proper height of the pad when the die is closed.

Compound Die: A die that performs more than one operation with one stroke of the press.

Deep Drawing: a drawing process where the depth of the recess equals or exceeds the minimum part width.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM): the process of designing parts so that they are easy to manufacture.

Plastic Deformation: Permanent deformation occurring in forming of metal after elastic limits have been exceeded.

Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA): A structured approach to identify and evaluate potential failure modes in a process, assess the risk associated with the failure modes, and prioritize actions to eliminate or reduce the risk.

Progressive Die: A stamping die with multiple stations to perform a series of operations to produce a finished part. With every press stroke, material is advanced to the next station.

Shut Height: The clearance in a press between the ram and bed with the ram down and adjustment up.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM): A proactive maintenance program to maximize equipment efficiency.

Transfer Die: A die that is similar to a progressive die except the workpiece is transferred from station to station by a mechanical system or manually in some situations.

Value Stream Map (VSM): A visual tool used in lean manufacturing to analyze and optimize the flow of materials and information, highlighting both value-adding and non-value-adding activities.