THE INDUSTRIAL
CUTTING GLOSSARY

The tilt axis on a 5-axis CNC machine — it controls the sideways tilt angle of the head and is critical in V-cut and 3D machining.

Fine-grained mineral added to the water stream in waterjet cutting, which cuts by abrading the material. Garnet is the most common type.

The number of cycles for which the abrasive (garnet, alumina and so on) remains reusable in sandblasting. In systems with reclamation it can be used 3-5 times.

Robotic system on a CNC machine that takes tools from the magazine and fits them to the spindle automatically. 20-30 times faster than a manual change.

Mechanical play that appears in a ball screw or gearbox when the direction of travel reverses. Corrected with compensation in the CNC control.

Recirculating-ball screw system for precise linear motion — widely used on the Z axis of CNC machines.

German CNC control system manufacturer. The standard controller on the USEL Compact Waterjet model.

The metal matrix that holds the grit together in a diamond blade. Its hardness is chosen to suit the material — a soft bond for hard materials, a hard bond for soft materials.

Kitchen countertop edge profile — a half-round (180°) finish. A classic premium look.

The head rotation axis on a 5-axis CNC machine — 0-360°. It changes the cutting direction and is critical in contour following.

Drawing a design in a computer environment. DXF and DWG files are common for CNC.

Measuring and correcting the accuracy of a CNC machine with a laser interferometer. Mandatory annually.

Software that converts CAD geometry into the G-code the CNC machine understands. IGEMS, Contranest and MasterCAM are common.

The percentage of a workshop's theoretical production capacity that is actually used. The "Availability" factor within OEE.

Mark of conformity with European Union safety directives. Mandatory for industrial machinery in Türkiye as well.

The process of certifying quality or competence. ISO 9001, CE, manufacturer-approved operator and so on.

On a food-line waterjet — an internal automatic washing procedure carried out with the machine closed. Critical for HACCP compliance.

Computer numerical control — the axis movements of the machine are controlled by a program.

Cutting adjacent parts along a single cut line — it reduces waste and time. An automatic nesting feature in CAM software.

Interactive tool where the customer selects machine specifications and receives an automatic quotation.

Nesting software that works integrated with the Beckhoff CNC. The standard on the USEL Compact Waterjet.

Safety trigger on the blasting gun — flow stops instantly when it is released. Mandatory for operator safety.

Cutting blade containing synthetic diamond grit. The standard in marble, granite and stone cutting.

Shadow effect of the filter type — it follows the alpha mask. (In a UI/CSS context.)

AutoCAD's standard file formats — used when transferring a CAD drawing to the CNC.

USEL portable pressure sandblasting model — 10 litre tank, 5-6 bar standard, for small to medium volumes.

Red mushroom-head button on industrial machines that instantly stops all movement and power output in the event of danger. ISO 13850 makes it mandatory.

Safety standard for the electrical equipment of machines. Earthing, IP protection and cabling rules.

Man-made surfacing product made of quartz (90%+), resin and pigment. Caesarstone and Silestone are example brands.

Collet-type toolholder standards — for small-diameter milling cutters. Common on CNC routers.

Integrated management software for workshop orders, stock, production and invoicing. Logo, Mikro and SAP are common.

Spanish CNC control system manufacturer. Optional on some USEL models.

USEL portable pressure sandblasting model — 25 litre tank, 6-8 bar, for high volumes.

European dust mask protection class — 99% particle filtration. Mandatory in work carrying a silicosis risk.

Modern laser cutting technology — with a fibre-optic amplifier. More efficient than the CO₂ laser and the standard for cutting thin sheet.

Tungsten carbide tube in which the water and garnet mixture is aligned on a waterjet. It gives the cutting stream its coherence.

The standard command language of CNC machines — it defines axis movements, speed and tool selection.

Natural aluminium-iron-magnesium silicate mineral — the waterjet abrasive. Mohs hardness 7-7.5.

Igneous rock — dominated by quartz and feldspar. Mohs hardness 6-7. Two to three times harder than marble.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — a food safety management system. Compliance is essential on waterjet food lines.

The heat-affected area that forms at the material edge after hot cutting. Because waterjet is cold cutting it produces no HAZ.

Modern symmetrical tool taper standard — a balance advantage at high speeds. Common on premium 5-axis machines.

Swedish waterjet CAM software — the sector standard. Integrated with pumps such as KMT, BFT and Flow.

System in which industrial sensors transmit data over the internet. For real-time monitoring of CNC machines.

Standard for the general principles of machinery safety — risk assessment plus design approach.

International standard for the emergency stop function.

Environmental Management System standard — waste management and control of environmental impact.

Standard for the roughness of a blast-cleaned steel surface — it divides the profile into three grades: fine, medium and coarse. The same grade corresponds to a different Rz range for angular (grit/G) and round (shot/S) abrasive.

Quality Management System standard — certification for industrial workshops.

Traditional tool taper standards. ISO40 is standard, ISO50 is for heavy work.

Method of ordering stock at the moment of need. Risky for critical spare parts, suitable for consumables.

The thickness of the cutting stream — 0.8-1.2 mm on a waterjet, 0.1-0.5 mm on a laser, 2-4 mm on plasma.

High-pressure pump manufacturer of German origin — KMT Streamline. A common choice for USEL waterjet models.

Instrument that measures distance to nanometre accuracy using the wavelength of laser light. The standard for CNC calibration.

Feature with which the CNC control calculates the following commands in advance and adjusts the speed — for smooth motion.

Lockout/tagout — a systematic procedure for isolating the energy of a machine during maintenance. OSHA 1910.147 standard.

Metamorphic rock — calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). Mohs hardness 3-5. Reacts with acid.

Real-time production tracking software at workshop level.

Abrasive grain size standard — the grain gets smaller as the number rises. #50-#120 is common for waterjet garnet.

Mineral hardness scale — logarithmic, from 1 to 10. Marble 3-5, granite 6-7, quartz 7, diamond 10.

Algorithm in CAM software for placing parts on the slab with the least waste.

European-approved independent test laboratory for CE certification. Mandatory on high-risk machinery.

The orifice component in the cutting head that raises the water to high velocity. Made of diamond or sapphire.

Production efficiency metric — Availability × Performance × Quality. 85%+ is "world class".

Classic kitchen countertop edge profile — an S-shaped European style.

Law No. 6331 in Türkiye — the regulation of workplace safety. PPE, risk assessment and training obligations.

Training programme for the user of a CNC machine. The five-day all-in-one USEL Academy programme is the standard.

The narrow hole where high-pressure water reaches supersonic velocity. 0.1-0.4 mm diameter, diamond or sapphire.

The United States lockout/tagout standard — rules for energy isolation during industrial machine maintenance.

The point at which the stream first enters the material in waterjet cutting. It is started at low speed, then brought up to normal cutting speed.

Pitch error of the ball screw — linear position deviation caused by mechanical wear.

Technology for cutting conductive metal with a stream of ionised gas. Melting at 20,000-30,000°C.

Programmable logic controller — the controller used in simple CNC systems.

Surface polishing — abrasive stages plus polishing powder. 6-7 stages for marble, 8-10 for granite.

Protective equipment worn by the operator — mask, goggles, gloves, footwear.

USEL waterjet models — the 3-axis and 5-axis STORMA series.

Detecting a fault from sensor data before it happens. Pattern analysis with AI/ML.

Pressure measuring instrument — analogue or digital. Mandatory on the pump, the compressor and the blasting tank.

Waterjet cut surface quality — Q1 the roughest, Q5 mirror quality. Inversely proportional to speed.

SiO₂ mineral — Mohs 7. The main constituent of granite and engineered stone.

Quartz-dominant metamorphic rock — Mohs 7. Harder than granite and difficult to machine.

Average surface roughness — in micrometres. It shows the "general" character of the surface with a single value.

Geared mechanism for linear motion — common on the X and Y axes of a CNC bridge saw.

The field standard for measuring surface profile — the Rz value is measured by pressing a special tape onto the surface.

Water conditioning technology — it brings TDS below 50 ppm. Critical for the UHP pump.

The payback period of an investment — it should be calculated with the workshop's own job data, as a general figure can be misleading.

Control feature on a 5-axis CNC that keeps the tool tip point fixed while the head rotates.

The difference between the highest peak and the deepest valley of the surface — the basic metric for determining paint thickness.

ISO 8501 surface preparation grades — Sa3 is "completely clean metal", the standard before painting.

Electric motor used for precise position control — with encoder feedback.

Lung disease caused by inhaling silica sand dust — irreversible. The use of PPE is essential.

Annual contract for spare parts and service — it includes a guaranteed supply time.

Soft blasting with sodium bicarbonate — ideal for the restoration of antiques.

The motor, bearing and cooling unit that turns the tool on a CNC machine. The heart of the machine.

3D model file format — it defines the surface with a triangular mesh. The standard input for CAM software.

USEL CNC bridge saw machine series — the STORMA, STORMA 4 and STORMA PLC models.

The lower face coming out at an angle relative to the upper face when cutting thick material — a natural effect on a waterjet, compensated for in CAM.

Water quality metric — in ppm. Below 50 ppm is ideal for a UHP pump.

Italian CNC control system manufacturer — standard on USEL CNC bridge saw machines.

Mechanical clamp — a lever-operated quick clamping system. For fixing a slab on the CNC table.

Porous calcium carbonate based stone — similar to marble but more brittle.

Turkish Standards Institution — the standards certification body in Türkiye. CE mostly covers TSE.

Pressure above 4,000 bar — standard on waterjet pumps. It carries a LETHAL risk; depressurising before any intervention is essential.

An undercut projection in 3D machining — it can only be produced with a 5-axis machine.

45° chamfer cut — when two pieces are joined it gives the appearance of a thick edge.

Slab fixing — holding the slab on the table with atmospheric pressure plus suction.

Fast-flowing water creating low pressure — it draws the garnet in within the cutting head.

Cold cutting technology using a stream of water at 4,000-6,000 bar (with garnet where required).

The region of a UHP pump where the water is brought up to high pressure — piston, seals and valve group.

The long horizontal axis on a CNC bridge saw — the bridge movement (3,000-6,000 mm).

The short horizontal axis on a CNC bridge saw — under the bridge (1,500-3,000 mm).

The vertical axis on a CNC — plunging up and down. Mechanical support is essential during maintenance because of the risk of dropping under gravity.

Height tracking sensor on the waterjet cutting head — automatic adaptation to changes in material thickness.