Glossary
The words we use, explained.
Our industry is full of shorthand. Here is what each term means in plain English, and why it matters to you.
- First article inspection (FAI)
- Proving that the first part made by a new process, tool or supplier matches the drawing, before full production starts. It is usually a condition of the contract.
- 3D scanning (structured light, or 3DSL)
- Measuring the whole shape of a part without touching it, using a camera and a pattern of light projected onto the surface. It captures millions of points, so you can see the shape of an error, not just a single dimension.
- CMM (coordinate measuring machine)
- A machine that measures a part by touching it at precise points with a probe. Very accurate on the features it touches, but slower than scanning and limited to the points you choose.
- Qualification
- Proving that a part, process or supplier reliably produces what the drawing and the contract demand.
- Sentencing
- Deciding whether a measured part passes, fails or needs an engineer to review it.
- Gauge R&R and measurement system analysis (MSA)
- Tests that show whether a measurement can be trusted: do you get the same answer twice, and does everyone who measures get the same answer? If not, the data behind your decisions is unreliable.
- Tolerance
- The amount a dimension is allowed to differ from the drawing and still be acceptable.
- Digital twin
- A digital record of a part or a process that builds up as work is done. It lets you compare one part with hundreds of others and spot what makes a good one good.
- Traceability
- Being able to show, for any part, what was measured, when, by whom, with which equipment, and what was decided. Auditors ask for this and gaps in it cause failures.
- MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul)
- The business of servicing parts and engines after they have been in service, rather than making new ones.
- OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
- The company whose name is on the finished product, for example an engine maker. Their requirements flow down to every supplier.
- NADCAP
- An aerospace industry accreditation for special processes, awarded after an audit of how the work is actually done. Ours covers 3D scanning.
- AS9100
- The aerospace quality management standard. It governs how a company runs its quality system, not a single process.
- Ceramic core
- The ceramic insert used when casting a turbine blade, which forms the cooling passages inside it. Measuring cores is difficult and matters enormously to how the finished blade performs.
- MiDAS
- Our software. It records each measurement against the part it came from, checks it against your acceptance rules, and produces the report, with no retyping. Sold in three parts: the core record-keeping, an add-on that plans work and makes routine pass-or-fail decisions automatically, and an add-on for companies running several sites.
- ATLASQual
- The part of MiDAS that plans the inspection work: what needs measuring, in what order, and by when.
- MIND
- The rules engine inside MiDAS. It applies your own acceptance rules to each measurement and decides pass, fail or refer to an engineer, so routine decisions happen instantly.
- PMI (product manufacturing information)
- Tolerances and notes held inside the 3D CAD model rather than on a separate drawing. It lets inspection programs be built straight from the model.
Still sounds like jargon?
Ask us. We would rather explain it once than have you nodding along in a meeting.
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