Glossary of Terms

The moisture within timber that is contained in the cells walls.

Manufacturing techniques that add/fuse material in order to create it

Aspects of a product that relate to taste, texture, smell and appearance.

Sawn timber stacked in the open or in large sheds to save cost but with little control over the drying process

A mixture that contains at least one metal. This can be a mixture of metals or a mixture of metals and non-metals

A volume production process where components are moved continuously along a conveyor to make products

A volume production process involving machines controlled by computers

Limited volume production (a set number of items to be produced)

Warp along the length of the face of the wood

Material property: breaks easily into numerous sharp shards

Lack of reactivity with other materials

A material comprised of two or more constituent materials that have different properties

Material property: The ability of a material to withstand being pushed or squashed

Refers specifically to the computer control of machines for the purpose of manufacturing complex parts in metals and other materials

A production method used to manufacture, produce or process materials without interruption

A small-scale production process centred on manual skills.

Material property: The slow, permanent deformation of a solid material under the influence of a mechanical stress

Penetrates the timber fibres protecting the integrity of the wood from attack from borer, wood lice and fungal attack

A warp across the width of the face of wood, in which the edges are higher or lower than the centre

Material property: The mass per unit volume of a material

Designing efficient joining methods of component to component, components into sub-assemblies and subassemblies into complete products

Designing a product so that when it becomes obsolete it can easily and economically be taken apart to be reused, repaired or recycled

Designing specifically for optimum manufacturing capability e.g. mass production

Designing in relation to optimum materials during processing e.g. Aluminium for soda cans

Designing specifically for optimum process capability e.g. Injection Moulding

When timber is subject to decay and attack by fungus

Material property: The ability of a material to be drawn or extruded into a wire or other extended shape

Material property: The extent to which a material will return to its original shape after being deformed

Reduces transmission of electric charge

Material property: The measure of a material’s ability to conduct electricity e.g. low resistivity such as copper will conduct electricity well

This smart fluid can undergo a dramatic change in its viscosity when exposed to an electric field

A method for converting yarn into fabric by matting the fibres together

A simple mechanical arm that has the ability to make precise motions at high speed and need constant supervision by a human operator

A hard, brittle and typically transparent amorphous solid made by rapidly cooling a fusion of sand, soda and lime

Crystalline structure of metals where grain size can vary and be determined by heat treatment

Material property: The resistance a material offers to penetration or scratching

The wood from a deciduous (broadleaved) tree

Expensive temperature and humidity controlled chamber system used to dry moisture out of timber

A method for converting a yarn into fabric by creating consecutive rows of interlocking loops of yarn

Imperfections in timber, caused by the growth of branches in the tree that reduces its strength

A method for creating a decorative fabric that is woven into symmetrical patterns and figures

Sheets of material made from layers of veneers (e.g. plywood)

Gluing two or more layers of plywood to create a rigid shape

Covering the surface of a material with a thin sheet of another material typically for protection, preservation or aesthetic reasons

The weight a robot can manipulate

Wired and wireless communication system and sensors between robotic manufacture

Smart property relates to a fluid that can undergo a dramatic change in its viscosity when exposed to a magnetic field

Also known as engineered wood or composite wood e.g. MDF, plywood and chipboard.

A sophisticated CIM system that manufactures products to individual customer orders

The production of large quantities of standardised products on production lines

Properties of a material that involve the relationship between stress and strain or a reaction to an applied force

A volume production process involving machines controlled by humans

A type of robot that can perform more than one task in a manufacturing environment with little human supervision

Materials produced by plants or animals that can be spun into a thread, rope or filament

An individual (often craft-produced) article or a prototype for larger-scale production

Restoring woodlands or forests that once existed

A smart material that changes colour in response to an increase in light e.g. light source is removed, it returns to its original colour

A property that is measurable e.g. mass, weight, volume and density of materials

A smart material which gives off a small electrical discharge when deformed/pressed

Material property: The ability of a material to be changed in shape permanently

A continuous moulding process whereby reinforcing fibres are saturated with a liquid polymer resin and then formed and pulled through a heated die to form a part.

Restoring woodlands or forests that once existed

The drying of timber which reduces the moisture content of wood

Robots equipped with sensors and can provide information about their surroundings and synchronise with each other. Don't require constant supervision by a human but controlled by an external control unit

Smart alloy when deformed, can spring back into its original shape once released

Manufacturing methods for modifying the shape of a material

Robots that can perform one task only

Materials designed to have properties that can significantly change with a controlled external stimuli, such as stress, temperature, moisture, pH, electric or magnetic fields

Timber from evergreen trees which grow at a fast rate and commercially viable

Material property: The resistance of an elastic body to deflection by an applied force

The extension/elongation of a material under strain per unit length

The force per unit area determined by applying a tensile force to a sample of material

Has superior mechanical strength, resistance to high temperature thermal creep deformation, high resistance to corrosion & oxidation

Textiles made from man-made rather than natural fibers e.g. polyester, acrylic, nylon, rayon, acetate, spandex, lastex and kevlar

Heat treatment technique applied to ferrous alloys, such as steel or cast iron, to achieve greater toughness by decreasing the hardness of the alloy

Material property: The ability of a material to withstand pulling forces

A measure of how fast heat is conducted through a material with a given temperature difference

A measure of the degree of increase in dimensions when an object is heated

A recyclable plastic that can be heated, shaped and cooled repetitively

A plastic that withstand high temperatures and cannot be successfully remoulded or reheated after their initial heat-forming

Autonomous robots that can operate largely without supervision from a human

Material property: The ability of a material to resist the propagation of cracks

Ability to allow light to be transmitted with minimal scattering allowing a clear view through material

The twisting and distortion of a material

Distortion in wood caused by uneven drying, which results in the material bending or twisting

Manufacturing techniques that cut away material in order to create a component

A textile method of forming or interlacing long threads passing in one direction with others at a right angle to them (longitudinal threads called warp and the lateral are weft

Applied to wood to make it poisonous to insects, fungus, and marine borers as well as protecting it from the weather

A fixed 3D space where work activities take place, considering clearance and reach

Also known as strain hardening or cold working to strengthen a metal by plastic deformation

A long continuous length of interlocked synthetic or natural fibres

The tensile or elastic measure of the stiffness of material (stress/strain)