Glossary of Key Contract Converting & Manufacturing Terms

Below is a list of key terms we often encounter in our daily routine that are related to our specialty of contract converting and manufacturing services:

• ISO 9001:2015 Certified: An international standard for quality management systems (QMS). Certification indicates that an organization meets the requirements for a QMS, demonstrating its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.
• Precision Metal Stamping: A manufacturing process that uses specialized presses and dies to cut and form metal sheets into precise, intricate components.
• Precision Laminate Stamping: A process similar to metal stamping, but applied to laminated materials (often thin films combined with adhesives), ensuring high precision and tight tolerances for critical applications.
• Metal Laminating: The process of bonding multiple layers of metal, or metal with other materials, using adhesives or other methods, often for specific performance characteristics.
• Film Laminating: The process of bonding multiple layers of thin film materials, often with adhesives, to create a composite material with enhanced properties.
• Slitting: A process that involves cutting wide rolls of material (metal, film, or laminates) into narrower rolls or strips of specified widths.
• Cleanroom Lamination: The process of laminating materials within a controlled environment (cleanroom) designed to minimize airborne particles, crucial for sensitive applications like electronics and medical devices.
• Cut-to-Length: A service that involves cutting continuous rolls of material (thin metals) into specific, precise lengths.
• In-house Tooling: The practice of designing and building the necessary tools, dies, or molds for manufacturing processes within the company’s own facilities, rather than outsourcing.
• Reel-to-Reel Parts: Components manufactured and delivered on a continuous reel or spool, suitable for automated assembly processes.
• Extreme Ratio Blanking: A specialized stamping technique that allows for the creation of parts with very specific and challenging dimensions, often involving a large difference between two critical measurements.
• High-Performance Adhesive Systems: Advanced adhesive materials designed to provide superior bonding strength, durability, and resistance to environmental factors, essential for demanding applications.
• Statistical Process Controls (SPC): A method of quality control that uses statistical methods to monitor and control a process, ensuring that it operates efficiently and produces products conforming to specifications.
• Just-in-Time (JIT) Manufacturing: An inventory strategy that aims to increase efficiency and decrease waste by receiving goods only as they are needed in the production process, thereby reducing inventory costs.
• Computer Aided Design (CAD): Software used by engineers and designers to create precise two-dimensional or three-dimensional models of parts and assemblies.
• CNC Machining: Computer Numerical Control machining, a manufacturing process in which pre-programmed computer software dictates the movement of factory tools and machinery, offering high precision and repeatability.
• Wire EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining): A non-conventional machining process that uses a thin, electrically charged wire to cut intricate shapes into conductive materials, particularly useful for hard materials and complex geometries.