ENGINEERING TERMS
Engineering Glossary.
Definitions of key technical terms used in plastic injection molding, mold design, 3D scanning, and reverse engineering.
24 terms
- Mold Design
Cavity
Kalıp Boşluğu (Cavity)
- The female half of a plastic injection mold. It is the interior surface that shapes the molten plastic and defines the outer geometry of the part. Typically located in the stationary platen.
- Mold Design
Core
Maça (Core)
- The male half of a mold. It forms the interior surfaces and hollow features of the part. Typically located in the moving platen and, together with the cavity, defines the full part geometry when closed.
- Engineering
DFM — Design for Manufacturability
DFM — Üretilebilirlik İçin Tasarım
- Design for Manufacturability (DFM) is the analysis of a part's suitability for mold tooling and plastic injection processes during the design phase. Wall thickness uniformity, draft angles, and overall part geometry are the primary elements of this analysis.
- Mold Design
Draft Angle
Çekiş Açısı (Draft Angle)
- A slight taper applied to vertical surfaces of plastic injection parts to allow clean ejection from the mold. Typical values range from 1° to 3°, though textured surfaces may require greater angles.
- Mold Design
Gate
Yolluk Girişi (Gate)
- The opening through which molten plastic passes from the runner system into the mold cavity. Gate size, location, and type (pin, tunnel, edge, etc.) directly affect fill quality and the formation of weld lines in the part.
- Mold Design
Parting Line
Ayrım Çizgisi (Parting Line)
- The plane or surface where the two halves of the mold (cavity and core) separate. This line may leave a slight mark on the part; it is typically planned at an inconspicuous location or at a natural geometric boundary.
- 3D Scanning
Point Cloud
Nokta Bulutu (Point Cloud)
- A data set produced by 3D scanning, consisting of millions of measurement points each carrying X-Y-Z coordinates. It forms the primary input for the reverse engineering process and is converted into a CAD model.
- Manufacturing
Sink Mark
Çekme İzi (Sink Mark)
- Surface depressions that form on plastic parts during cooling, caused by volumetric shrinkage in thicker cross-sections beneath the surface. Minimized by uniform wall thickness and optimized cooling channel design.
- Engineering
Tolerance
Tolerans
- The permissible range of dimensional deviation. For plastic injection parts, general tolerances typically range from ±0.1 mm to ±0.5 mm, while tighter values may be applied in precision assembly zones.
- Manufacturing
Weld Line
Kaynak İzi (Weld Line)
- The line formed in a mold cavity where two molten plastic flow fronts coming from different directions meet. Mechanical strength and surface quality can be reduced at the junction; minimized through gate placement design.
- Mold Design
Ejector
İtici (Ejector)
- A pin or plate system used to push the part out of the mold cavity after injection molding is complete. Ejector position and size are determined during design to avoid leaving visible marks on the part surface.
- Mold Design
Runner
Dağıtıcı / Yolluk (Runner)
- The channel system that conveys molten plastic from the main sprue to the mold cavity. In cold runner systems, a solidified runner scrap forms each cycle, while hot runner systems eliminate this waste.
- Manufacturing
Shrinkage
Büzülme (Shrinkage)
- The dimensional reduction that occurs as molten plastic cools and solidifies. Shrinkage rate varies by material, and mold dimensions are calculated with a shrinkage allowance to compensate for the expected contraction.
- Manufacturing
Warpage
Çarpılma (Warpage)
- Unintended bending or distortion of a plastic part after ejection, caused by differential cooling and shrinkage. Non-uniform wall thickness, insufficient cooling, and high internal stresses all increase warpage.
- Mold Design
Undercut
Geri Kesim (Undercut)
- A geometric feature on a part that is perpendicular to or opposes the mold opening direction, preventing standard ejection. Resolved using side actions (sliders), lifters, or collapsible cores.
- Mold Design
Sprue
Yolluk Sapı (Sprue)
- The primary entry channel through which molten plastic flows from the injection nozzle into the mold runner channels. In cold runner systems, the sprue is ejected with the part each cycle; in hot runner systems it is eliminated.
- Manufacturing
Flash
Çapak (Flash)
- Thin plastic overflow at part edges formed when molten plastic leaks through mold parting surfaces or venting gaps during injection. Related to clamping force, parting surface quality, and melt viscosity.
- 3D Scanning
Mesh
Mesh / Örgü Yüzey
- A digital surface model generated from a point cloud after 3D scanning, consisting of triangular or quadrilateral surface elements. STL files represent a mesh model and are used as input data for reverse engineering and simulation processes.
- 3D Scanning
Deviation Analysis
Sapma Analizi
- A quality evaluation method in which the dimensional differences of a scanned or produced part relative to the reference CAD geometry are visualized as a color map with a measurement report. Used to identify production non-conformances and mold revision needs.
- Mold Design
Slider / Side Action
Slider / Yan Maça
- A moveable mold component that travels perpendicular to the mold opening direction, used to resolve undercut geometries. It locks when the mold closes and retracts laterally during opening, enabling clean part ejection.
- Mold Design
Lifter
Lifter / İtici Kaması
- An angled ejector mechanism that combines both lifting and lateral motion to resolve internal undercut features. It allows the part to clear internal geometries cleanly as it is ejected from the mold.
- Mold Design
Hot Runner
Sıcak Yolluk (Hot Runner)
- A heated channel system that keeps molten plastic in a continuously molten state inside the mold, delivering it directly to the part cavity without generating runner waste. In high-volume production it shortens cycle time and reduces material waste.
- Engineering
CAD Model
CAD Modeli
- A three-dimensional digital part or assembly model created with Computer-Aided Design software. Neutral formats such as STEP, IGES, and Parasolid enable data exchange between different CAD systems.
- Engineering
Surface Roughness (Ra)
Yüzey Pürüzlülüğü (Ra)
- A surface quality parameter measured by the Ra (arithmetic average roughness) value that describes the microscopic irregularities of a part or mold surface. Mold surface treatments (polishing, grinding, EDM) are selected based on the target Ra value.
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