Glossary
Støpeteknisk terminologi, forklart på norsk. Hver term har en fast lenke du kan sitere.
A
- Alloy #
- A metal with alloying elements added within defined ranges, giving the part its mechanical and casting properties.
- Se også Aluminium AlSi — aluminium-silicon Zamak — zinc alloys Heat treatment Material certificate EN 10204
- AlSi — aluminium-silicon #
- The family of aluminium alloys with silicon as the main addition — the most common casting alloys in existence.
- Se også High pressure die casting Aluminium Alloy Heat treatment
- Aluminium #
- A light metal with a density of 2.7 g/cm³ — roughly a third of steel — melting at 660 °C, which can be anodised and heat treated.
- Se også Secondary aluminium AlSi — aluminium-silicon Zamak — zinc alloys Heat treatment Anodising
- Anodising #
- An electrochemical process that grows a hard oxide layer on an aluminium surface, which can be dyed.
- Se også Aluminium AlSi — aluminium-silicon Blasting Powder coating
B
- Blasting #
- A treatment in which a blast medium is propelled at the surface to give an even matte finish and remove casting residues.
- Se også Fettling Anodising Powder coating Ra value
- Blisters #
- Raised bumps in the surface caused by trapped gas expanding when the part is heated.
- Se også High pressure die casting Porosity Heat treatment T6 temper
- Boss #
- A local raised feature in the section that receives a screw or a thread.
- Se også Wall thickness Rib Shrinkage porosity Thread cutting
C
- Cast-in threads #
- Threads formed directly in the casting tool, with no subsequent machining.
- Se også Slide core Parting line Thread cutting Threaded insert
- Casting tool #
- The product-specific steel die the part is cast in — the single investment that decides whether casting pays off.
- Se også Slide core Tool life Die wear Parting line Tool ownership
- CBAM — carbon border adjustment mechanism #
- The EU mechanism requiring importers to buy certificates for the emissions embedded in imported goods — introduced in Norway from 1 January 2027.
- Se også Secondary aluminium EEA origin LME — London Metal Exchange
- Clamping force #
- The force with which the casting machine holds the die closed, measured in tonnes — it sets the hard limit on how large the part can be.
- Se også High pressure die casting Casting tool Shot weight Flash
- Cold shut #
- A weak zone where two flow fronts meet without fully fusing, because the front had cooled too far.
- Se også Gate and runner Overflow Wall thickness Porosity
- Contract manufacturing #
- A production model in which the supplier manufactures the customer products to the customer drawing, without owning the product.
- Se også Casting tool Tool ownership Lead time
- Coordinate measuring machine (CMM) #
- A machine that measures geometry in three axes and documents deviation from the drawing numerically.
- Se også Tolerance class FAI — first article inspection Traceability
- Cycle time #
- The time from one shot to the next — one of the two main drivers of the price of a casting.
- Se også High pressure die casting Gravity die casting Shot weight Wall thickness
D
- DFM — design for manufacturability #
- A review of a design aimed at making it simpler, faster and cheaper to manufacture without weakening its function.
- Se også Draft angle Parting line Wall thickness Fillet radius Undercut
- Die wear #
- Gradual degradation of the steel tool from thermal shock and erosion, which over time shifts the dimensions of the part.
- Se også Casting tool Tool life Flash Tolerance class
- Draft angle #
- The slight taper on every face parallel to the draw direction, so the part releases from the die.
- Se også Ejector pin Parting line Undercut DFM — design for manufacturability
E
- EEA origin #
- That the goods are produced within the EEA — with consequences for customs, carbon tariffs and supply chain requirements.
- Se også Traceability Lead time CBAM — carbon border adjustment mechanism
- Ejector marks #
- The round impressions left by the ejector pins as the part is pushed out of the die.
- Se også Ejector pin Parting line Blasting
- Ejector pin #
- A pin that pushes the solidified part out of the die when it opens.
- Se også Casting tool Draft angle Ejector marks
F
- FAI — first article inspection #
- Full measurement and documentation of the first parts from a new tool, against every dimension on the drawing.
- Se også Tolerance class Coordinate measuring machine (CMM) Material certificate EN 10204 Traceability
- Feeder (riser) #
- An extra reservoir of metal that stays liquid longer than the part and feeds the section as it shrinks during solidification.
- Se også Gravity die casting Wall thickness Shrinkage Shrinkage porosity
- Fettling #
- Removal of runners, overflows and flash from the finished casting.
- Se også Gate and runner Overflow Flash Blasting
- Fillet radius #
- The rounding in internal corners, which both spreads stress in the part and prevents cracks in the tool.
- Se også Wall thickness Rib DFM — design for manufacturability Hot tearing
- Flash #
- A thin film of metal squeezed out along the parting line when the die does not close perfectly tight.
- Se også Clamping force Die wear Parting line Fettling
G
- Gate and runner #
- The channel system that carries the melt from the machine into the cavity, and the point where it enters the part.
- Se også Shot weight Overflow Porosity Cold shut
- Gravity die casting #
- A casting process in which molten metal runs into a permanent metal mould under gravity, without applied pressure.
- Se også High pressure die casting Sand casting Wall thickness Heat treatment T6 temper
H
- Heat treatment #
- Controlled heating and cooling that raises the strength of a heat-treatable aluminium alloy through the full section.
- Se også High pressure die casting Gravity die casting Blisters T5 temper T6 temper
- High pressure die casting #
- A casting process in which molten metal is injected into a steel die under high pressure and solidifies within seconds.
- Se også Gravity die casting Clamping force Cycle time Wall thickness Porosity
- Hot chamber and cold chamber #
- Two die casting machine types: hot chamber has the pump submerged in the melt and is used for zinc, cold chamber doses the melt for each shot and is used for aluminium.
- Se også High pressure die casting Cycle time Aluminium Zamak — zinc alloys
- Hot tearing #
- A crack that forms while the part is still solidifying, because contraction is restrained by the tool.
- Se også Gravity die casting Wall thickness Fillet radius Shrinkage
I
- Ingot #
- A cast block of metal of known alloy composition — the form in which raw material is delivered to a foundry.
- Se også Secondary aluminium Alloy Traceability
- Injection moulding #
- Injecting molten plastic into a tool — the most common competitor to metal casting for volume parts.
- Se også High pressure die casting MIM — metal injection moulding Wall thickness
- ISO 2768 #
- The standard for general tolerances on machined dimensions that carry no individual tolerance on the drawing.
- Se også Machining allowance Tolerance class ISO 8062
- ISO 8062 #
- The standard defining dimensional tolerances and machining allowances for castings.
- Se også Machining allowance Tolerance class ISO 2768
L
- Laser cutting #
- Cutting flat parts from sheet with a laser — the first step in the most common competitor to a cast bracket.
- Se også High pressure die casting Press braking Stamping
- Lead time #
- The time from order to delivery — which in casting has to be split into two entirely different figures.
- Se også Casting tool Cycle time Contract manufacturing
- LME — London Metal Exchange #
- The international exchange that sets the reference price for aluminium and zinc, and therefore a substantial part of the price of a casting.
- Se også Secondary aluminium Ingot Alloy
M
- Machining allowance #
- Extra material cast onto faces and into holes that will later be machined.
- Se også Wall thickness Shrinkage Tolerance class ISO 8062
- Material certificate EN 10204 #
- A standardised document confirming that the material supplied meets the specification ordered.
- Se også Ingot Alloy FAI — first article inspection Traceability
- Metal 3D printing #
- Additive manufacturing in which the part is built up layer by layer from metal powder, with no tooling.
- Se også High pressure die casting MIM — metal injection moulding Casting tool
- MIM — metal injection moulding #
- Metal powder mixed with a binder is injection moulded, debound and sintered into a dense metal part.
- Se også High pressure die casting Injection moulding Metal 3D printing
O
- Overflow #
- An extra cavity outside the part that receives the first, coldest melt and the air pushed ahead of the fill front.
- Se også Shot weight Gate and runner Porosity Cold shut
P
- Parting line #
- The line where the two die halves meet, which always prints onto the finished part.
- Se også Slide core Draft angle Ejector marks Flash
- Porosity #
- Voids in the section from gas trapped during filling — it weakens the part and can create leak paths.
- Se også High pressure die casting Overflow Shrinkage porosity Heat treatment Pressure tightness
- Powder coating #
- Electrostatic application of dry powder, fused into a continuous film in an oven.
- Se også Parting line Blisters Blasting Anodising
- Press braking #
- Bending sheet along straight lines in a press brake, giving a flat cut part a three-dimensional shape.
- Se også High pressure die casting Laser cutting Stamping
- Pressure tightness #
- A requirement that the part does not leak under a stated pressure — decided by freedom from porosity, not by the surface.
- Se også Gate and runner Wall thickness Porosity Shrinkage porosity
R
- Ra value #
- A measure of surface roughness, given as the average deviation from the mean line in micrometres.
- Se også High pressure die casting Gravity die casting Blasting Tolerance class
- Rib #
- A thin stiffener that adds rigidity without adding thickness — the key technique for making a casting light and strong at once.
- Se også Wall thickness Fillet radius Boss Shrinkage porosity
S
- Sand casting #
- Casting into a single-use mould of bonded sand, broken up after each pour.
- Se også Gravity die casting Tolerance class Ra value
- Secondary aluminium #
- Aluminium produced by remelting scrap, re-alloyed to standardised casting alloys.
- Se også Aluminium Ingot Alloy CBAM — carbon border adjustment mechanism
- Shot weight #
- The total mass of metal injected per shot, including the parts, the runners and the overflows.
- Se også Clamping force Gate and runner Overflow Cycle time
- Shrinkage #
- The contraction of metal from casting temperature to room temperature, which the tool must be built to compensate for.
- Se også Casting tool Feeder (riser) Shrinkage porosity Tolerance class
- Shrinkage porosity #
- Voids that form where the section is thickest, because the metal contracts as it solidifies and receives no feed.
- Se også Feeder (riser) Wall thickness Boss Shrinkage Porosity
- Slide core #
- A moving part of the tool that withdraws sideways, allowing the part to carry geometry that does not lie in the draw direction.
- Se også Casting tool Cycle time Parting line Undercut
- Stamping #
- Blanking and forming sheet in a dedicated press tool, at very high volume and very low cost per part.
- Se også High pressure die casting Laser cutting Press braking
T
- T5 temper #
- A temper in which the part is artificially aged straight from the casting temperature, without a separate solution treatment.
- Se også Gravity die casting Heat treatment T6 temper
- T6 temper #
- A temper with full solution treatment, quenching and artificial ageing — the treatment that gives the highest strength in an aluminium casting.
- Se også Gravity die casting Blisters Heat treatment T5 temper
- Thread cutting #
- Cutting or forming threads in a cast hole after casting, using CNC or a tap.
- Se også Boss Machining allowance Cast-in threads Threaded insert
- Threaded insert #
- A steel element fitted into the part to provide a thread that survives many disassembly cycles and higher torque.
- Se også Boss Thread cutting Cast-in threads
- Tolerance class #
- A standardised class stating how much dimensional deviation is permitted, graded by the size of the dimension.
- Se også Machining allowance Shrinkage ISO 8062 ISO 2768
- Tool life #
- How many shots a casting tool survives before it has to be rebuilt or replaced.
- Se også Casting tool Die wear Aluminium Zamak — zinc alloys Tool ownership
- Tool ownership #
- The question of who owns the casting tool — with us, the answer is the customer.
- Se også Casting tool Tool life Contract manufacturing
- Traceability #
- The ability to trace a finished part back to its melt, batch, tool and production date.
- Se også Ingot Tolerance class FAI — first article inspection Material certificate EN 10204
U
- Undercut #
- Geometry that prevents the part from releasing straight out of the die, and therefore requires a moving core.
- Se også Casting tool Slide core Draft angle
W
- Wall thickness #
- The thickness of metal in the walls of the part — the single parameter with the greatest effect on both quality and price.
- Se også Cycle time Rib Boss DFM — design for manufacturability Shrinkage porosity
Z
- Zamak — zinc alloys #
- The family of zinc alloys used for die casting, with aluminium, magnesium and sometimes copper as additions.
- Se også High pressure die casting Hot chamber and cold chamber Tool life Alloy Thread cutting
Knowledge
Glossary
The terms as we use them on the shop floor, not as a textbook writes them.
How it is built
Four groups of terms, in the order they arrive
The glossary is written to be quoted. Every term has its own URL and its own definition, and the definition is short on purpose: it should be possible to paste it straight into a specification or read it aloud on the phone without anything being lost on the way.
The terms fall into four groups, and they arrive in this order in a project.
In the enquiry you meet the process words: high pressure die casting, gravity die casting, injection moulding, stamping, press braking, laser cutting, MIM and metal 3D printing. They describe alternative ways of making the same part, and choosing between them is usually the first thing to settle.
In design you meet the geometry words: draft angle, wall thickness, fillet radius, parting line, ejector marks and cast-in threads. These decide whether the part can be cast at all, and they are cheapest to fix while the drawing is still only a drawing.
In tooling and production you meet the words that explain defects: cold shut, hot tearing, pressure tightness, shot weight, gate and runner, feeder. If you see one of them in a non-conformance report or in feedback from us, the explanation is here.
In delivery you meet the documentation words: material certificate EN 10204, FAI, coordinate measuring machine, traceability, EEA origin and CBAM. These are what a buyer ticks off in a supplier questionnaire.
Where the industry uses two words for the same thing — zinc casting and zinc die casting, permanent mould and gravity die — both are listed, because both turn up in enquiries. If a term you are looking for is missing, tell us: the glossary grows with what we are actually asked.
- High pressure die casting
- A casting process in which molten metal is injected into a steel die under high pressure and solidifies within seconds.
- Gravity die casting
- A casting process in which molten metal runs into a permanent metal mould under gravity, without applied pressure.
- Sand casting
- Casting into a single-use mould of bonded sand, broken up after each pour.
- Injection moulding
- Injecting molten plastic into a tool — the most common competitor to metal casting for volume parts.
- MIM — metal injection moulding
- Metal powder mixed with a binder is injection moulded, debound and sintered into a dense metal part.
- Metal 3D printing
- Additive manufacturing in which the part is built up layer by layer from metal powder, with no tooling.
- Laser cutting
- Cutting flat parts from sheet with a laser — the first step in the most common competitor to a cast bracket.
- Press braking
- Bending sheet along straight lines in a press brake, giving a flat cut part a three-dimensional shape.
- Stamping
- Blanking and forming sheet in a dedicated press tool, at very high volume and very low cost per part.
- Casting tool
- The product-specific steel die the part is cast in — the single investment that decides whether casting pays off.
- Clamping force
- The force with which the casting machine holds the die closed, measured in tonnes — it sets the hard limit on how large the part can be.
- Shot weight
- The total mass of metal injected per shot, including the parts, the runners and the overflows.
- Hot chamber and cold chamber
- Two die casting machine types: hot chamber has the pump submerged in the melt and is used for zinc, cold chamber doses the melt for each shot and is used for aluminium.
- Slide core
- A moving part of the tool that withdraws sideways, allowing the part to carry geometry that does not lie in the draw direction.
- Ejector pin
- A pin that pushes the solidified part out of the die when it opens.
- Gate and runner
- The channel system that carries the melt from the machine into the cavity, and the point where it enters the part.
- Overflow
- An extra cavity outside the part that receives the first, coldest melt and the air pushed ahead of the fill front.
- Feeder (riser)
- An extra reservoir of metal that stays liquid longer than the part and feeds the section as it shrinks during solidification.
- Tool life
- How many shots a casting tool survives before it has to be rebuilt or replaced.
- Cycle time
- The time from one shot to the next — one of the two main drivers of the price of a casting.
- Die wear
- Gradual degradation of the steel tool from thermal shock and erosion, which over time shifts the dimensions of the part.
- Draft angle
- The slight taper on every face parallel to the draw direction, so the part releases from the die.
- Parting line
- The line where the two die halves meet, which always prints onto the finished part.
- Ejector marks
- The round impressions left by the ejector pins as the part is pushed out of the die.
- Wall thickness
- The thickness of metal in the walls of the part — the single parameter with the greatest effect on both quality and price.
- Fillet radius
- The rounding in internal corners, which both spreads stress in the part and prevents cracks in the tool.
- Undercut
- Geometry that prevents the part from releasing straight out of the die, and therefore requires a moving core.
- Rib
- A thin stiffener that adds rigidity without adding thickness — the key technique for making a casting light and strong at once.
- Boss
- A local raised feature in the section that receives a screw or a thread.
- Machining allowance
- Extra material cast onto faces and into holes that will later be machined.
- Shrinkage
- The contraction of metal from casting temperature to room temperature, which the tool must be built to compensate for.
- DFM — design for manufacturability
- A review of a design aimed at making it simpler, faster and cheaper to manufacture without weakening its function.
- Porosity
- Voids in the section from gas trapped during filling — it weakens the part and can create leak paths.
- Shrinkage porosity
- Voids that form where the section is thickest, because the metal contracts as it solidifies and receives no feed.
- Cold shut
- A weak zone where two flow fronts meet without fully fusing, because the front had cooled too far.
- Flash
- A thin film of metal squeezed out along the parting line when the die does not close perfectly tight.
- Blisters
- Raised bumps in the surface caused by trapped gas expanding when the part is heated.
- Hot tearing
- A crack that forms while the part is still solidifying, because contraction is restrained by the tool.
- Fettling
- Removal of runners, overflows and flash from the finished casting.
- Aluminium
- A light metal with a density of 2.7 g/cm³ — roughly a third of steel — melting at 660 °C, which can be anodised and heat treated.
- Secondary aluminium
- Aluminium produced by remelting scrap, re-alloyed to standardised casting alloys.
- Ingot
- A cast block of metal of known alloy composition — the form in which raw material is delivered to a foundry.
- Alloy
- A metal with alloying elements added within defined ranges, giving the part its mechanical and casting properties.
- AlSi — aluminium-silicon
- The family of aluminium alloys with silicon as the main addition — the most common casting alloys in existence.
- Zamak — zinc alloys
- The family of zinc alloys used for die casting, with aluminium, magnesium and sometimes copper as additions.
- Heat treatment
- Controlled heating and cooling that raises the strength of a heat-treatable aluminium alloy through the full section.
- T5 temper
- A temper in which the part is artificially aged straight from the casting temperature, without a separate solution treatment.
- T6 temper
- A temper with full solution treatment, quenching and artificial ageing — the treatment that gives the highest strength in an aluminium casting.
- Blasting
- A treatment in which a blast medium is propelled at the surface to give an even matte finish and remove casting residues.
- Anodising
- An electrochemical process that grows a hard oxide layer on an aluminium surface, which can be dyed.
- Powder coating
- Electrostatic application of dry powder, fused into a continuous film in an oven.
- Thread cutting
- Cutting or forming threads in a cast hole after casting, using CNC or a tap.
- Cast-in threads
- Threads formed directly in the casting tool, with no subsequent machining.
- Threaded insert
- A steel element fitted into the part to provide a thread that survives many disassembly cycles and higher torque.
- Tolerance class
- A standardised class stating how much dimensional deviation is permitted, graded by the size of the dimension.
- ISO 8062
- The standard defining dimensional tolerances and machining allowances for castings.
- ISO 2768
- The standard for general tolerances on machined dimensions that carry no individual tolerance on the drawing.
- Ra value
- A measure of surface roughness, given as the average deviation from the mean line in micrometres.
- FAI — first article inspection
- Full measurement and documentation of the first parts from a new tool, against every dimension on the drawing.
- Coordinate measuring machine (CMM)
- A machine that measures geometry in three axes and documents deviation from the drawing numerically.
- Material certificate EN 10204
- A standardised document confirming that the material supplied meets the specification ordered.
- Traceability
- The ability to trace a finished part back to its melt, batch, tool and production date.
- Pressure tightness
- A requirement that the part does not leak under a stated pressure — decided by freedom from porosity, not by the surface.
- Contract manufacturing
- A production model in which the supplier manufactures the customer products to the customer drawing, without owning the product.
- Tool ownership
- The question of who owns the casting tool — with us, the answer is the customer.
- Lead time
- The time from order to delivery — which in casting has to be split into two entirely different figures.
- CBAM — carbon border adjustment mechanism
- The EU mechanism requiring importers to buy certificates for the emissions embedded in imported goods — introduced in Norway from 1 January 2027.
- EEA origin
- That the goods are produced within the EEA — with consequences for customs, carbon tariffs and supply chain requirements.
- LME — London Metal Exchange
- The international exchange that sets the reference price for aluminium and zinc, and therefore a substantial part of the price of a casting.
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