We have compiled an industrial vocabulary list, for reference.
Remember those vocabulary lists we all had to study in elementary school? They are the reason we know the difference between “brake” and “break” or the definition of “myriad.”
Chances are that you already knew a few of the words when Mrs. Crabapple handed out your first grade reading assignments. But hopefully, some were probably new - which was the point of this exercise. The vocabulary list was designed to improve your fluency in language.
In this article, we are going to go over a few of the terms and acronyms common to the parts we sell at DirectMaterial.com. Consider it an industrial vocabulary list to improve your fluency in industrial “parts-ese.” You may already know some, but you might just learn something.
We will add to the industrial vocabulary list as time goes on, so if something is particularly perplexing, feel free to write us at service@directmaterial.com.
We’ll answer your question and may add that term to our list so others can find a quick answer.
NPT threads draw in close as they continue down the pipe.NPT (National Pipe Thread) - Often abbreviated NPT, this is one of the most common acronyms you will find when talking about industrial piping in the United States.
National Pipe Threaded parts have a tapered thread, which pulls tight as it continues along the pipe. This allows the pipe to maintain a fluid-tight seal.
NPT is used on DirectMaterial.com along with a pipe diameter to denote the connection size of a particular part.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) - Generally speaking, OEM means that the part is manufactured by one company but sold under another company’s name, possibly with the seller’s name and logo.
In other cases, the part is not branded at all, such as DuraChoice’s PAG158B pressure gauge.
If someone buys a machine with that pressure gauge in it, he just knows that the machine manufacturer provided the part and is not presented with multiple brands.
In other cases, resellers want to sell parts without giving up their supplier advantage.
PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) – Try saying that quickly three times in a row.
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a hydrophobic compound of carbon and fluorine designed to allow the low-friction passage of water and other fluids.
In fact, it has the lowest coefficient of friction of any solid. It is also very non-reactive, meaning that it can be used in piping with corrosive chemicals.
Together, those two factors make it an ideal material for seats and seals in many of the valves on this site. The low friction coefficient the means opening and closing of valves is easier and causes less wear than if they the seals were made of another substance.
RPTFE (Reinforced Polytetrafluoroethylene) – Similar to the description above, but with added fillers. Those fillers range from glass fiber, to carbon and graphite. Each filler adds different chemical properties when mixed with PTFE.
Carbon substantially improves wear and deformation strength, while changing the compound’s electrical properties. Glass fiber, on the other hand, only improves resistance to wear only slightly, but maintains the PTFE’s electrical characteristics well.
PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch) – Basically, it’s what the name implies – the force of one pound applied to one square inch of space. It is the most common measurement of pressure in the United States of America and can be found on most gauges sold here. All of the gauges regularly stocked by DirectMaterial.com have PSI scales.
The term should not be confused with SI (the abbreviation for the International System of Units) which uses units called Pascals. The conversion rate is 1 PSI to 6,894.757 Pa.
Read more about pressure measurement in this blog post.
Bar – No, it’s not just the place you go to grab a beer after a long day’s work.
It is a unit of pressure equal to 100,000 Pascals (see previous entry). This is considered to be about the atmospheric pressure of sea level and meteorologists often use the bar scale as a matter of convenience. That relates to barometric pressure, although that may also be presented in hectopascals, which convert to 1/1,000 of a bar.
The bar scale can often be found on dual scale pressure gauges.
WOG (Water, Oil, Gas) – It may sound like a caveman’s name (“Wog hungry. Me go find mammoth burger shack”), but WOG refers to the pressure a valve can handle, measured in PSI at ambient temperatures. Ambient temperatures run from -20° and 150° F for brass valves to -10° to 100° F for stainless steel bodied valves.
All valves perform differently at extremely high or low temperatures. WOG is just shorthand to indicate that the pressure rating decreases for those materials outside the bounds of normal temperatures.
ISO 9001 – You will find that certification on the DuraChoice products for sale in the DirectMaterial.com store. The term ISO 9001 certified does not refer to a product, but to the company that manufactured that product.
A company can be ISO certified if it meets the quality management standards set out by the International Organization for Standardization. Those qualities include a strong customer focus, the motivation of top management and a dedication to continual improvement.
If a company meets the requirements for ISO 9001 certification, it signals that the company has a focus on quality from the top down.