Manufacturing vocabulary
Speak on the floor. 28 hand-written terms with real workplace examples.
Learn manufacturing terms every day.
One hand-written term. A real workplace example. Thirty seconds before your day gets loud.
NIMS Credential
Industry credential from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills. Proves you can perform a metalworking role to a national standard.
G-code
The command language a CNC machine reads. Tells the cutter where to move, how fast, and when to stop.
CNC Setup
Loading fixtures, tools, and offsets so the machine cuts the right part from the right program.
Credentialing Achievement Record
NIMS skills-check record. Documents that you performed a task to standard in front of an evaluator.
Surface Finish Ra
Roughness average in micrometers. Tells inspectors how smooth a machined surface must be.
Submarine Industrial Base
The network of suppliers and yards building parts for U.S. submarine programs.
Non-Destructive Testing
Inspection methods that check a part without cutting it apart. Includes ultrasound, radiography, and dye penetrant.
Registered Apprenticeship
DOL-recognized earn-while-you-learn program. Paid on the job with structured classroom training.
Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing
Navy-funded fast-track program at IALR in Danville, VA. Sixteen weeks of hands-on defense manufacturing skills.
GD&T
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing. Symbol language on drawings that defines allowable shape and position.
Feature Control Frame
Box on a drawing that states the geometric symbol, tolerance, datums, and modifiers for one feature.
Datum Reference Frame
Three perpendicular datum features that set the coordinate system for inspection.
Position Tolerance
Location tolerance that controls where a feature sits relative to datums.
Blueprint Reading
Interpreting dimensions, notes, revisions, and symbols on an engineering drawing.
ITAR
International Traffic in Arms Regulations. U.S. rules for manufacturing, exporting, and sharing defense articles and technical data.
Defense Article
Item on the U.S. Munitions List. Includes parts, software, and technical data for military systems.
Deemed Export
Sharing controlled technical data with a foreign national inside the U.S. Treated as an export to their home country.
USML
U.S. Munitions List. Catalog of items and services under ITAR jurisdiction.
MES
Manufacturing Execution System. Tracks jobs, operations, quality, and labor on the production floor.
SCADA
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. Real-time monitoring of machines, sensors, and PLCs across the plant.
PLM
Product Lifecycle Management. Holds CAD, BOM, revisions, and engineering changes from design through build.
Work Order Routing
MES document that lists operations, sequence, and resources for one job.
As-Built Traceability
Record of actual machine, operator, time, and inspection results for each operation. Required on flight-critical and defense parts.
Model-Based Definition
3D model that carries dimensions, tolerances, and annotations instead of or alongside a 2D print.
Authoritative Source of Truth
Single system-of-record dataset that the digital thread draws from for design, build, and service.
Skills Gap
Shortfall between open skilled jobs and workers trained to fill them.
Earn While You Learn
Paid apprenticeship model. You work on the floor while classroom training runs alongside.
Work Ethic Scholarship
Trade-school scholarship for students who show reliability, attitude, and follow-through. Not grades alone.
Building toward a role? Browse career pathways that map terms to jobs.