Rapid Prototyping Glossary A | Attwood Product Development

A-axis

The rotary axis that rotates about the machine X-axis, used on indexed and continuous multi-axis machines.

A-side

The cavity half of an injection mould, usually responsible for the external cosmetic faces of the part.

Abrasive blasting

A family of finishing methods that propel media at a part surface to clean it, texture it or prepare it for coating.

Abrasive flow machining

AFM; a finishing process in which an abrasive media is forced through internal passages to smooth hard-to-reach surfaces.

ABS

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; a common engineering thermoplastic used for machined, moulded and FDM/FFF prototype parts because it is tough and easy to finish.

ABS-like resin

A photopolymer resin formulated to approximate the look or handling of ABS in SLA, DLP or related vat-photopolymer processes.

Accuracy

The closeness of a manufactured feature to its intended nominal dimension, taking process capability and measurement uncertainty into account.

Acetal

Also known as POM or polyoxymethylene; a low-friction engineering plastic valued for stiffness, dimensional stability and wear performance.

Acid etching

A chemical surface treatment that lightly attacks a material to clean, matte or prepare it for another finishing step.

ACIS

A solid-modelling kernel and file format used in some CAD workflows for exchanging precise geometry.

Acrylic

Often used as a commercial name for PMMA; a clear thermoplastic chosen when optical clarity and gloss are important.

Adaptive clearing

A high-efficiency roughing strategy that maintains a controlled cutter engagement angle to increase metal-removal rate and reduce tool load.

Additive manufacturing

AM; the industrial term for building parts layer by layer from digital data, covering technologies such as SLA, SLS, MJF, DMLS and material jetting.

Additive-subtractive hybrid manufacturing

A workflow or machine architecture that combines additive deposition with CNC machining in one process chain or on one platform.

Adhesion promoter

A primer or surface treatment used to improve paint, ink, plating or bonding performance on difficult substrates.

Aerosol jet printing

A digital deposition process that prints fine conductive or functional inks, often for electronics prototyping and printed sensors.

Air trap

A pocket of trapped gas in a mould cavity that can cause burns, short shots or cosmetic defects if venting is insufficient.

Alodine

A common trade term for chromate conversion coating on aluminium, used for corrosion protection and paint preparation.

Aluminium tooling

Prototype or bridge tooling machined from aluminium, valued for lower cost and faster lead times than hardened steel moulds.

AM

Abbreviation for additive manufacturing.

AMF

Additive Manufacturing File Format; a digital file format developed to carry geometry, materials and other build information.

Anaerobic adhesive

A retaining or threadlocking adhesive that cures in the absence of air, often used in prototype assemblies.

Anisotropy

Directional variation in properties; common in additively manufactured parts because strength and stiffness can differ by build orientation.

Annealing

A controlled heat-treatment step used to reduce internal stress, improve stability or modify material properties after printing, machining or moulding.

Anodising

An electrochemical finishing process, mainly for aluminium, that thickens the oxide layer to improve corrosion resistance, wear and appearance.

Arbor

US spelling of arbour; a shaft used to mount tools such as slitting saws, shell mills or wheels.

Arbour

Also spelled arbor; a shaft or mandrel used to mount a cutter, wheel or workholding element.

As-built finish

The surface condition of a part directly after manufacture, before polishing, blasting, machining or coating.

As-cut finish

The surface condition of a sheet-cut or laser-cut part exactly as it leaves the primary cutting process, before deburring, blasting or any secondary finishing.

ASA

Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate; a weather-resistant thermoplastic often selected for outdoor prototype parts.

Aspect ratio

The relationship between a feature's height and width or length and thickness; high aspect ratios often raise manufacturing risk.

ATC

Automatic Tool Changer; an automated magazine-and-change mechanism that swaps tools in a CNC machine without manual intervention, reducing cycle time and enabling unattended multi-operation machining.

Automatic tool changer

ATC; a machine subsystem that selects and loads different tools automatically during a CNC programme.

Axes

The controlled directions in which a CNC machine can move, typically X, Y and Z linear axes with optional rotary A, B and C axes.

Axial hole

A hole parallel to the axis of a turned part, often created during CNC turning or live-tool operations.