Glossary

OEE is an abbreviation for 'Overall Equipment Effectiveness'. OEE is a metric for measuring the performance of a system in relation to its overall potential. It can therefore easily represent the productivity of the system.

During polishing material is removed which results in a smoothing of the surface. For this purpose a paste with polishing grains is used which slightly remove the material during the polishing process and thus remove unevenness. This process is crucial to minimize the friction of workpieces in mechanical components or to prepare them for subsequent processing.

Powertrain is the term used to describe the group of components in a motorized vehicle that generate energy and release it to road surfaces water or air. These include engines transmissions drive shafts differentials and the axle drive.

A production cells is a automated unit in which one or more machining processes are carried out on a workpiece.

Prototyping it the process of creating early versions of a product to test basic form or functionality. This allows specifications to be adapted for later versions. Prototyping is often the step between formalization and evaluation of an idea.

A robot is a programmable machine that can perform complex actions automatically. In production plants stationary robots can be used to process workpieces or carry out assembly work for example. Robots can thus automate the production process and large quantities can be produced efficiently and quickly.

Rolling bearings are used to fix axles or shafts and to ensure an optimal rotation of the mounted components. Rolling elements such as balls cylindrical or tapered rollers are used in the rolling bearing. These are guided between the inner ring and the outer ring. Lubricants are used to reduce the rolling friction. Rolling bearings are available in various sizes. For example relatively small needle roller bearings are used in electric motors while rolling bearings several meters in size are also used in wind farms.

Sintering is the process of compressing and shaping a solid mass of material by heat or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction. In this process powdery or granulated starting materials are first pressed into a mould and then compressed. A sintered workpiece is a workpiece produced using this process.

Superfinishing is a metalworking process that improves the surface quality and geometry of the workpiece. This is achieved by removing only the thin amorphous surface layer with a grindstone or grinding belt. Superfinishing unlike polishing which produces a high-gloss finish creates a crosshatch pattern on the workpiece. Other names for this are: short stroke honing microfinishing

Surface grinding is a grinding process that produces a flat plane surface on the workpiece. The generic term surface grinding includes several processes such as honing superfinishing double-sided grinding and lapping.