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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · CAD, Drawings and Simulation

Specification

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

/ˌspɛsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/nounCore term

In mechanical engineering, specification means: A document or list that states exactly what a product, material or process must do or meet, such as dimensions, performance, materials and standards.

In Turkish: şartname, teknik şartname, spesifikasyon, teknik özellikler

How it is used

Used in purchasing, design and quality. A product meets, complies with or deviates from a specification. People often shorten it to spec and say a part is 'in spec' or 'out of spec'. The plural can mean a product's technical data.

Example sentences

  1. The customer's specification requires a surface hardness of at least 58 HRC.

  2. These valves don't meet the pressure specification, so we can't install them.

Common collocations

  • technical specification
  • meet the specification
  • out of spec
  • customer specification
  • material specification
  • technical drawingA precise drawing of a part or assembly that shows its shape, dimensions, tolerances, material and finish, so that it can be made and inspected.
  • toleranceThe allowed amount of variation in a dimension or property, for example ±0.05 mm. A part is acceptable if its measured value falls inside this range.
  • inspectionChecking a part, product or machine against a drawing, specification or standard by looking at it, measuring it or testing it.
  • prototypeAn early working version of a product, built to test the design, check fit and function, and find problems before production starts.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: CAD, Drawings and Simulation

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