Stop located in the rear of a metal forming or fabricating machine which is used to position the workpiece during an operation.
Banding, Metallic or Non-Metallic
Strong, lightweight ribbons, generally of steel or nylon, applied under tension to strap packages on a pallet.
Bar Coding
Machine readable alphabetic and/or numeric information used for identification of packaged parts.
Bark
An older term used to describe the decarburized skin that develops on steel bars heated in a non-protective atmosphere.
Barrel Tumbling
Process in which parts to be deburred are put together with abrasive material into a many-sided barrel and slowly rotated for prolonged periods for the purpose of burr removal.
Basecoat
See Primer.
Bed
Bottom transverse structural member on metal forming machine.
Belt Sanding
Metal removing process in which an abrasive impregnated endless cloth belt does the cutting.
Bend Radius
Inside radius of a formed feature.
Bend Relief
Clearance notch at an end of a flange to allow bending without distorting or tearing adjacent material.
Bending
Generally applied to forming. Creation of a formed feature by angular displacement of a sheet metal workpiece. See also Drawing and Forming.
Bi-Planar
Refers to surfaces which meet at an angle in different planes.
bis
Acronym for bits into sound.
Blank
1 Sheet metal stock from which a product is to be made. 2 Workpiece resulting from blanking operation.
Blank and Pierce Die
A type of die that both blanks and pierces holes in a single operation.
Blankholder
A device that holds the metal sheet in place during the stamping process.
Blanking
Die cutting of the outside shape of a part.
Blanking Die
A die specifically designed for the blanking process, cutting out flat shapes from a metal sheet.
Bleed-Out
Leaching of entrapped plating solutions, causing surface discoloration and corrosion.
Blind End Fastener
Internally threaded fastener which is manufactured with one end closed such that, when installed, it forms a gas and moisture resistant seal.
Blind Fastener
Fastener which is capable of being permanently installed and used in a workpiece with access from only one side.
Blind Rivet
Rivet which is capable of being installed and used in a workpiece or assembly with access from only one side.
Bottoming
Forming operation in which the punch and the die is closed completely on the workpiece. See Press Brake Chapter.
Bow Distortion
Out of flatness condition in sheet material commonly known as Oil Canning in which, with the edges of the sheet restrained, the center of the sheet can be popped back and forth but cannot be flattened without specialized equipment. This condition is sometimes inherent in the material as received from the supplier and sometimes the result of multiple punching or forming operations. See chapter on CNC Turret and Laser Fabrication.
bps
Acronym for bits per second. Refers to the rate at which a data communications line can transfer information. Bits per second can be faster than baud rate when data compression is used.
Brass
Alloy of copper and zinc.
Break-Off
See Breakout.
Breakout
Fractured portion of the cross section of a cut edge of stock. A condition naturally occurring during shearing, blanking, punching and other cutting operations.
Bridges
See Micro Ties.
Bright Annealing
Annealing work in a protective atmosphere to prevent discoloration as the result of heating. In some atmospheres oxides may be reduced.
Brinnell Hardness Testing
A method of testing the hardness of material. This test is usually used on softer materials and castings in which a carbide ball is pressed into the material for a given period of time and then removed. The resulting impression is measured for the width along with a value determines hardness of the material.
Brushing or Etching
Mechanical or chemical cleaning of parts before further processing.
Buffing
Polishing method employing soft cloth to carry very fine polishing compounds. Burn Mark Heat discoloration created in the contact area of a welding electrode.
Burnish
Smooth or shiny area above the breakout on a sheared edge. Also called shear or cut band.
Burr
Raised, sharp edge inherent in cutting operations such as shearing, blanking, punching and drilling.
Burr Direction
Side of the stock on which burrs appear.
Burr Height
Height to which burr is raised beyond the surface of the material.
Burr Rollover
Condition of burr displacement resulting from mechanical deburring operation.
Burr-Free
Edge without sharp protrusions.
Bus Bar Copper
Copper with minor alloying constituents and high conductivity used for electrical applications.