Manufacturing Glossary

Laser Cutter

A laser cutter is a tool that uses a high-power laser to cut through sheet metal or similar material. The laser is guided by CNC to cut preprogrammed patterns into the sheet.

Waterjet Cutter

A waterjet cutter is a tool which cuts sheet metal and other materials via extremely high pressure water focused into a small stream. Waterjet cutters are commonly used in industrial fabrication and can follow preprogrammed instructions to cut patterns, similar to a CNC system.

Standoff

A standoff is a fastener with two threaded ends and usually has a hex profile to be used with a wrench. These ends are usually female threaded, meaning that they can have a screw threaded into them.

This is usually a more compact alternative to a long screw and spacers, and can be used to space things out as well as fasten them. Custom standoffs can be made out of hex stock, such as AndyMark Churro.

Standoffs are usually used in drivetrain purposes, such as in parallel plate drivetrains, where the plates must be separated and supported by standoffs at equal distances.