| Adjustable Enclosures | Adjustable enclosures commonly used at the point of processing (danger zone) and allow for various sizes of stock. |
| Automatic Or Semiautomatic Feed | Automatic feed systems reduce the machine hazard by eliminating the need forthe operator to work in or near the danger zone. |
| Bar Graph | A diagram showing a system of connections or interrelations between two or more things by using bars |
| Bell Curve | The normal distribution is the curved shape of a graph that is highest in the middle and lowest on the sides. |
| Benchmarking | An improvement process in which a company measures its performance against that of best-in-class companies, determines how those companies achieved their performance levels, and uses the information to improve its own performance. |
| Bill Of Material | A bill of material is a parts list with specifications. |
| Brainstorming | A technique that teams use to generate ideas on a particular subject. |
| Break-Even Analysis | A mathematical model that relates cost and income with quantity of products produced. The break-even point indicates the number of units that must be made and sold before cost equals income. |
| Budget Projections | Estimates of the expenses a company expects from making and selling the product. |
| CAD (Computer Aided Design ) | Is the production of drawings, specifications, and other design-related elements using computer software to generate part geometry. |
| CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) | This process is commonly related to programming software that generates tool path to drive machine tools. |
| Capital Cost | The total cost of the equipment necessary to perform the process. |
| Casting | Casting involves pouring molten material into a mould, where it solidifies, taking the shape of the cavity. |
| Cause And Effect Fishbone Diagram | Identifies and explores possible causes of a problem |
| Check Sheet | Used to gather data based on sample observations. |
| Checklist | A tool used to ensure that all important steps or actions in an operation have been taken. |
| Continuous Improvement | The ongoing improvement of products, services, or processes through incremental and breakthrough improvements. |
| Control Charts | Used to determine how much variability is in a process. |
| Controlling | A communication process that ties all the functions of manufacturing together. |
| Corporation | An association of persons created by statute as a separate legal entity with centralized direction and limited financial commitment. |
| Critical Path Analysis | A method of analyzing a complex project. It helps you to calculate the minimum length of time in which the project can be completed, and which activities should be prioritized to complete by that date. |
| Customer Satisfaction | The result of delivering a product or service that meets customer requirements. |
| Decision Trees | Tools for making financial or number based decisions where a lot of complex information needs to be taken into account. |
| Defect | A product's or service's non-fulfillment of an intended requirement or reasonable expectation for use, including safety considerations. |
| Demographics | Statistics about the people you are surveying. This information is used to determine the "target population" |
| Design Process | Ideation/brainstorm, identify possible solution, prototype/model, finalize design. |
| Designing | In research and development departments, people search for new ideas, which will contribute to the product line of the company. |
| Electric Circuit | Path of an electric current. The term is usually taken to mean a continuous path composed of conductors and conducting devices and including a source of electromotive force that drives the current around the circuit. |
| Electric Or Mechanical Interlock | These enclosures shutoff or disengage the power when the guard is open. |
| Employee Involvement | A practice within an organization whereby employees regularly participate in making decisions on how their work areas operate, including making suggestions for improvement, planning, goal setting, and monitoring performance. |
| Empowerment | Conditions whereby employees have the authorities to make decisions and act in their work areas without prior approval. |
| EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| Fabrication | A number of techniques allow a part to be assembled from smaller components. |
| Fishbone Diagram | An analysis tool that provides a systematic way of looking at effects and the causes that creates or contributes to those effects. |
| Fixed Enclosures | Fixed enclosures are non-movable devices that used to prevent access to pulleys, gears, belts and other movable parts. |
| Flowchart | A graphical representation of the steps in a process. |
| Fluid Power Systems | Fluid power systems generate, transmit, and control applications of power by using pressurized and moving fluids within an enclosed circuit. |
| Force Field Analysis | Used to analyze forces for and against change. |
| Force Field Analysis | A method used to get a whole view of all the forces for or against a plan so that a decision can be made that takes into account all interests. |
| Foundational Technological Developments (FTDs) | Inventions that have had a significant influence on people's lives. They became the base or foundation for developments that changed our way of life. |
| Gantt Chart | A type of bar chart used in process planning and control to display planned work and finished work in relation to time. |
| General Expenses | Wages, utilities, insurance coverage, start-up cost, and other costs associated with manufacturing a product. |
| General Partnership | Partners share equally in liability limited partnership - "limited" partner's liability is restricted to a predetermined amount. |
| Go/No-Go | State of a unit or product. Two parameters are possible: go-conforms to specifications, and no-go--does not conform to specifications. |
| Hand Clearing Devices | Fixed bars, or straps which prevent hands from reaching the danger zone. |
| Histogram | A graphic summary of variation in a set of data. The pictorial nature of the histogram lets people see patterns that are difficult to see in a simple table of numbers. |
| Hydraulic Systems | Hydraulic systems use liquids such as oil and water to perform work processes. |
| Income | Sum of the selling price and waste recovery. |
| Inspection | Measuring, examining, testing, and gauging one or more characteristics of a product or service and comparing the results with specified requirements to determine whether conformity is achieved for each characteristic. |
| Just-In-Time Manufacturing (JIT) | An optimal material requirement planning system for a manufacturing process in which there is little or no manufacturing material inventory on hand at the manufacturing site and little or no incoming inspection. |
| Labor Estimates | Number of workers needed to produce the product, the total worker time spent making one product, and the total cost for production labor wages. |
| Leadership | An essential part of a quality improvement effort. Organization leaders must establish a vision, communicate that vision to those in the organization, and provide the tools and knowledge necessary to accomplish the vision. |
| Limited Partnership | Limited partner's liability is restricted to a predetermined amount. |
| Lower Control Limit (LCL) | Control limit for points below the central line in a control chart. |
| Machining | This is the group of processes in which a shape is generated by removing unwanted material. |
| Manufacturing | Companies are in the business of making something. The resources, processes, and the products they produce can be different, but all manufacturing companies convert raw materials or parts and turn them into a finished product. |
| Master Budget | Summarizes the sales, production expenses, selling costs, and general expenses into one document. |
| Matrix Diagram | Shows the relationship of information based on categories or function. |
| Mean | The sum of a list of numbers, divided by the total number of numbers in the list. |
| Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) | The average time interval between failures for repairable product for a defined unit of measure, for example, operating hours, cycles, miles. |
| Median | Middle value of a list. The smallest number such that at least half the numbers in the list are no greater than it. |
| Mode | For lists, the mode is the most common (frequent) value. |
| Moulding | Molding resembles casting in that the material solidifies in a die. However, the term mainly refers to processes involving polymers or glasses. |
| Nominal Group Technique | A technique used to give everyone in a group equal voice in problem selection. |
| Nondestructive Testing And Evaluation (NDT) | Testing and evaluation methods that do not damage or destroy the product being tested. |
| Operating | Operating the manufacturing system involves making the parts, assembling the product, packaging and shipping. |
| OSHA | Occupational safety & health administration |
| Out-Of-Control Process | A process in which the statistical measure being evaluated is not in a state of statistical control |
| Pareto Chart | A graphical tool for ranking causes from most significant to least significant. |
| Partnership | An association of two or more individuals who are co-owners of a business for profit. Two types of partnerships recognized in the united states |
| Pascal's Law | Pascal's law states that if pressure is applied to a non-flowing fluid in a container, then that pressure is transmitted equally in all directions within the container. |
| Pie Chart | A graph used to show percentages of data sets. |
| Pneumatic Systems | Pneumatic systems use compressed gas such as air or nitrogen to perform work processes. |
| Problem Solving Processes | Processes help people solve a problems by defining a sequence of tasks that will lead to a solution. |
| Process Control Charts | Widely used to determine whether a process is stable and to monitor that process over time. |
| Production Expenses | Money spent to manufacture a product. |
| Production Planning | Once a product is designed, an efficient way to produce it must be planned. Production planning involves designing the system for making the product. |
| Production Rate | The production rate is the output-rate of the process. For batch processes, it is measured in number of units per hour, or in total mass per hour of product; for continuous processes it is measured in total mass or length per hour. Automated processes have higher output rates than their manual counterparts. |
| Productivity | The ratio of output to input. It is an index that shows how well the system is operating by comparing what goes into the system (resources) with what comes out (products). |
| Profitability | One productivity index used to measure system performance. |
| Project Management | Identify project goals, identify tasks to reach the goals, develop a plan to accomplish the tasks, implement the plan, and evaluate the plan. |
| Quality | In technical usage, quality can have two meanings: 1) the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs and 2) a product or service free of deficiencies. |
| Quality Assurance/Quality Control | Actions performed to ensure the quality of a product, service, or process. |
| Random Sampling | A sampling technique in which sample units are selected in such a manner that all combinations of units under consideration have an equal chance of being selected as the sample. |
| Rapid Prototyping | Techniques for making prototypes and models quickly, allowing designers to check their designs and make any necessary changes before investing in expensive tooling. |
| Regression Analysis | A statistical technique to determine the best mathematical expression describing the functional relationship between one response and one or more independent variables. |
| Research And Development | Conceptualize the project, select research procedure, finalize research design, develop proposal, conduct research, analyze results, report results, and evaluate research project. |
| Run Chart | Used to display trends of measurements over time. |
| Sales Projections | Estimate of the number of products the company expects to sell. |
| Scatter Diagram | Show what happens to one variable when another variable changes. |
| Scatter Diagram | A graphical technique to analyze the relationship between two variables. Two sets of data are plotted on a graph, with the y axis being used for the variable to be predicted and the x axis being used For the variable to make the prediction. |
| Scientific Process | Observation, develop hypothesis, experimentation, draw conclusions. |
| Selling Expenses | Expenses associated with selling a product include advertising, product transportation to the consumer, and sales commissions. |
| Sensors | Electrical or mechanical devices used to measure environmental conditions. |
| Seven Tools Of Quality | Tools that help organizations understand their processes in order to improve them. The tools are the cause-and-effect diagram, check sheet, control chart, flowchart, histogram, Pareto chart, and scatter diagram. |
| Sole Proprietorship | A business with owners (or husband and wife) performing the duties of owner, manager and employee. |
| Standard Deviation | Standard deviation tells how spread out numbers are from the average, calculated by taking the square root of the arithmetic average of the squares of the deviations from the mean in a frequency distribution |
| Statistical Process Control (SPC) | The application of statistical techniques to control a process. Often the Term "statistical quality control" is used interchangeably with "statistical process control." |
| Technology | Technology is human innovation in action. It involves the generation of knowledge and processes to develop systems that solve problems and extend human capabilities. - Technology For All Americans Project, 1996 |
| Tooling Cost | The tooling cost is the cost of the tooling (that is, molds, dies, jigs and fixtures) which are totally dedicated to the production of a single product. |
| Total Quality Management (TQM) | Japanese-style management approach to quality improvement. TQM is a management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction. TQM is based on the participation of all members of an organization in improving processes, products, services, and the culture they work in. |
| Transducers | Sensors that convert non-electrical conditions to electrical values. |
| Trial And Error | Identify probable solution, try solution, test, log results, repeat until solution is found. |
| Troubleshooting/Debugging | Isolate the problem, identify possible causes, test, and implement solution, test solution. |
| Upper Control Limit (UCL) | Control limit for points above the central line in a control chart. |
| Variable Cost | Direct expenses of producing each product. Variable cost items include labor, materials, and supplies, packaging and waste disposal. |
| Variation | A change in data, a characteristic, or a function that is caused by one of four factors: special causes, common causes, tampering, or structural variation. |