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ABS Housing – Enclosure used to house computer and electronics for a vehicle's anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Arm Tensioner – Device, typically spring-loaded, that keeps various engine drive belts and chains to the correct tautness.
Austempered Ductile Iron – A cast iron that provides superior durability and strength, high fatigue life, and impact resistance while maintaining ductility.
Brake Caliper – Disc-brake assembly that holds pads and wheel cylinder. Squeezes inward to clamp against rotating wheel.
Blue Sand™ Casting Technology – Efficient aluminum casting method that utilizes sand molding similar to that used in green-sand iron casting.
CAD/CAE – Computer-aided design/computer-aided engineering, used in the different phases of component design.
Camshaft – Rotating shaft in the engine with lobes that open engine valves at the correct times.
Casting Simulation Analysis – Computer-generated simulation of metal-casting mold filling and solidification. Allows foundry engineers to design and evaluate mold cooling and gating before any patterns or molds are built.
CNC – Computer numeric-controlled process by which metal components are machined.
Connector Housing – Small enclosure, usually open on one side, that contains module and wire connectors.
Control Arm – Movable lever arm that forms part of a vehicle's suspension system.
Crankshaft – Changes the up-and-down motion of engine pistons into rotating motion that is used to drive transmission.
Die Casting – Metal component casting process in which molten aluminum, magnesium or zinc is introduced into a permanent mold and solidified.
Differential Carrier – Used to mount the differential assembly to the rear axle housing.
Differential Case – Holds the ring gear, spider gear, and inner ends of a vehicle's axles.
Ductile Iron – Form of cast iron in which a small amount of magnesium is added to gray iron in its molten form. Resultant material has considerable yield strength while retaining ductility.
Ductility – Measures elasticity, or ability to "bend" without breaking, of cast-iron components.
Fatigue and Impact Testing – Used to assess the durability and performance of metal components. Physical parts are used in this phase of pre-production validation.
FEA – Finite element analysis, used to evaluate product performance.
Finishing – Improving the surface appearance of a component after final treatment. Finishing operations can include grinding and de-burring.
Fluid-Containing Cover – Any cover usually installed on the engine that is used to move or store fluids such as engine oil and coolant.
Gray Iron – Common cast iron with graphite flake microstructure. Provides excellent machinability and vibration dampening.
Green-Sand Molding – Common iron casting procedure that utilizes compacted and bonded sand molds which are broken apart and recycled after casting is cooled.
Instrument Panel Frame – Structural component that spans both sides of a vehicle behind the engine firewall. Instrument panel controls, motors and other electronic components are affixed to instrument panel frame.
Intake Manifold – Directs the air-fuel mixture from the carburetor or throttle body to the cylinders.
Lost-Foam Casting – Aluminum casting process whereby polystyrene patterns are encased in compressed unbonded sand and "vaporized" as molten metal is added. Mold sand is recycled after casting cools.
Machining – Machine-finishing processes used on castings, normally numerically controlled, which include operations such as drilling, reaming, tapping, milling, and boring.
MADI™(Machinable Austempered Ductile Iron) – New ferrous metal developed by INTERMET for the production of high-strength safety-critical iron components at a much lower cost than competing materials and processes.
PCPC™ (Pressure-Counter-Pressure Casting) – Low-pressure aluminum casting process that fills multi-cavity dies from the bottom, providing uniform filling at high production rates. Ideal for lightweight suspension components such as steering knuckles and control arms.
Semi-Solid Molding – The semi-solid forming process involves heating specially cast billet sections of aluminum alloys to a working consistency similar to "ice cream," which is then injected into a modified die-casting machine.Yields products with the net shape of die-casting but with mechanical properties approaching those of forgings and permanent mold castings.
Shell Molding – Similar to green-sand molding, but uses heat to cure sand molds that have been coated with a resin. Molds usually constructed in two pieces.
Solid Modeling – Computer-generated component facsimile used for finite element analysis, tooling construction and mold simulation.
Squeeze Casting – Metal-component casting process where molten light metal (usually aluminum) is added to a permanent mold and cooled under pressure.
Steering Knuckle – The inner portion of the spindle that is affixed to and pivots on upper and lower ball joints and provides support for the wheel spindle or bearings surrounding an axle.
Steering Shift Tube – Precision-cast tubular component that houses transmission shift levers and connecting rods.
Thin-wall Technology – Designing castings with reduced weight and cost while at the same time maintaining structural integrity and durability. Used in both ferrous- and light-metals applications.
Transmission Cover – Cover usually installed on the bottom of the transmission to keep transmission fluid in and contaminants out.
Valve/Cam Cover – Rectangular-shaped cover that is affixed to the engine head. Seals in oil used to lubricate overhead valves.
Wheel Spindle – Stationary shaft used to support rotating wheel assembly on non-driving wheels.
