Production and welding vocabulary – understand the foreman, the drawing and quality control
Production and welding vocabulary covers the names of machines and tools, welding methods and parameters, types of welds and their defects, descriptions on a technical drawing, quality control and the health and safety rules on the shop floor. Below you will find about 70 entries in thematic groups with plain explanations, the colloquial names used on the shop floor and three short dialogues. In a trial lesson we will check how you cope with the foreman's instructions and technical drawings.
Which section to start with
Start with the group that concerns your workstation, then move on to safety and quality control – you will hear those words in every plant. In brackets we give colloquial names, because a foreman rarely says “szlifierka kątowa” and often says “flex”. The glossary was created for our Polish courses for work and supplements the Polish course for production and welding. Phrases that will come in handy in any plant – from asking about your schedule to calling in sick – are in our Polish phrases for work.
Shop floor, machines and organisation
These words are used at the briefing and at shift handover – whether you weld or operate a machine.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| hala produkcyjna | a large building in which something is produced |
| linia produkcyjna | a sequence of workstations through which a product passes in turn |
| stanowisko | the workplace of one person or one machine |
| mistrz, brygadzista | the people who give instructions on shift and check the work |
| technolog | the person who decides exactly how a product is to be made |
| utrzymanie ruchu (colloquially: UR) | the department that repairs machines; Zadzwoń po UR. |
| zlecenie produkcyjne | a document saying what, how many and by when something has to be made |
| detal | a single part that is machined or welded |
| półprodukt, wyrób gotowy | a thing in the middle of production and a finished thing |
| przezbrojenie | changing a machine over to a different product (other tools, other settings) |
| przestój | the time when a machine or line is not working |
| awaria | the machine has broken down; Mamy awarię na trójce. |
| prasa, wtryskarka | a machine that presses metal; a machine that moulds plastic parts |
| tokarka, frezarka | machines for machining metal by rotating the part or the tool |
| panel sterowania | the screen and buttons you use to operate the machine |
Welding – methods, equipment and parameters
In a welding shop people often use method numbers – it is worth knowing both the number and the name.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| spawarka | a welding machine |
| MAG (135), MIG (131) | wire welding in a shielding gas: active (MAG) or inert (MIG) |
| TIG (141) | welding with a non-consumable electrode in an inert shielding gas, usually argon |
| elektroda otulona (MMA, 111) | manual welding with an electrode, colloquially “spawanie elektrodą” |
| uchwyt spawalniczy (colloquially: palnik) | the part you hold in your hand while welding |
| drut spawalniczy | wire that melts and forms the weld in the MIG/MAG method |
| gaz osłonowy, butla, reduktor | the gas that protects the weld, the gas cylinder, the valve for setting the flow |
| masa (przewód masowy) | a cable with a clamp that you connect to the part or the table |
| natężenie prądu, napięcie | parameters set on the welding machine, in amperes and volts |
| WPS (instrukcja technologiczna spawania) | a document with the parameters and method for welding a given part |
| sczepić (colloquially: szczepić, punktować) | to join parts with short welds before the actual welding |
| przygotowanie krawędzi, fazowanie | bevelling the edge of a plate for a weld |
Welds, positions and defects
These words come up most often during quality control – the inspector says what is wrong and you have to know what to correct.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| spoina pachwinowa | a weld in the corner between two parts, e.g. in the shape of a T |
| spoina czołowa | a weld joining two plates edge to edge |
| grań, lico | the underside (root) of a weld and its top side |
| ścieg | one pass of welding; thick welds are made in several passes |
| pozycja podolna (PA) | welding from above, the part lies flat |
| pozycja pionowa (PF) | welding from the bottom upwards |
| pozycja pułapowa (PE) | overhead welding, “under the ceiling” |
| porowatość, pory | small holes from gas in the weld |
| podtopienie | a groove along the edge of the weld |
| brak przetopu | the weld did not go through the whole thickness of the material |
| pęknięcie | a crack in the weld or next to it – a serious defect |
| rozpryski | drops of metal stuck next to the weld |
Tools, measurements and technical drawings
With measurements the correct form of the number matters most: pięć milimetrów, but zero przecinek pięć milimetra. How to decline numbers is explained in our guide to Polish numerals.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| szlifierka kątowa (colloquially: flex, fleks) | a hand-held machine for cutting and grinding |
| tarcza do cięcia, tarcza listkowa | a disc you cut with; a disc you use to smooth a surface |
| młotek do żużla, szczotka druciana | tools for cleaning a weld after electrode welding |
| imadło, ścisk | tools for holding a part firmly |
| suwmiarka | a tool for measuring length and diameter precisely |
| miara zwijana, kątownik | a tape for measuring; a tool for checking a right angle |
| wymiar | the length, width or height given on a drawing |
| średnica (Ø), promień (R) | the width of a circle; half of the diameter |
| tolerancja | by how much a dimension may differ; plus minus pół milimetra |
| otwór, gwint | a hole in a part; a spiral cut for a screw, e.g. an M8 thread |
| faza | a bevelled edge |
| przekrój, widok | a drawing of a part “cut through” and a drawing from one side |
Quality control
Quality control speaks briefly and specifically – it is worth knowing both the words and the decisions that follow from them.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| kontrola jakości (colloquially: jakość, QC) | the department that checks whether a product is good |
| brak, wyrób wadliwy | a product that does not meet the requirements |
| do poprawki | it has to be corrected before it goes further |
| odpad, złom | material to be thrown away or melted down |
| karta kontrolna | a sheet or form where you record measurement results |
| pierwsza sztuka | the first part after a changeover – quality control checks it before the series starts |
| wstrzymać partię | to stop shipping or further work on the whole group of parts |
Safety phrases on the shop floor and in the welding shop
You must understand the safety phrases in this table from the first day, because they concern your health and your colleagues' safety.
| Phrase | What it means and what you do |
|---|---|
| Załóż przyłbicę. | the welding mask protects your eyes and face from the arc |
| Okulary ochronne obowiązkowe. | always wear glasses when grinding and cutting |
| rękawice spawalnicze, fartuch skórzany | protection for your hands and body against sparks and hot metal |
| ochronniki słuchu (stopery, nauszniki) | you wear them where it is loud |
| Wyłącz maszynę przed czyszczeniem. | do not clean or repair a running machine |
| wyłącznik awaryjny (colloquially: grzybek) | a red button that stops the machine at once |
| Zablokuj i oznacz. | for a repair the machine is switched off and secured with a padlock and a tag |
| Nie zdejmuj osłony. | the guard protects your hands from the moving parts of the machine |
| Włącz odciąg. | a device that extracts welding fumes |
| pozwolenie na prace pożarowe | written permission for welding or cutting outside the welding shop |
| Uwaga, gorące! | a part is hot after welding – do not touch it with a bare hand |
| Pożar! Wszyscy na zewnątrz! | you leave by the nearest emergency exit to the assembly point |
Dialogues from production
This is how people talk on the shop floor: during a weld inspection, a breakdown and a shift handover. Read the dialogues aloud and try changing the dimensions or the names of the defects.
Mistrz sprawdza spoinę (the foreman checks a weld)
– Pokaż, co zrobiłeś. Tu masz podtopienie, a tu pory.
– Za duży prąd?
– Raczej za szybko prowadzisz palnik. Zeszlifuj to i zrób drugi ścieg.
– Dobrze. Mam potem pokazać jeszcze raz?
– Tak, zanim zaczniesz następny detal.
Awaria maszyny (machine breakdown)
– Prasa stanęła. Na panelu jest błąd czujnika drzwi.
– Próbowałeś zresetować?
– Tak, dwa razy. Nie pomaga.
– Nie ruszaj więcej. Dzwonię po UR.
Przekazanie zmiany (shift handover)
– Jak idzie zlecenie?
– Zrobiliśmy sto sześćdziesiąt sztuk, zostało czterdzieści. Dwie sztuki odłożyłem na braki – zły wymiar otworu.
– Jakość już wie?
– Tak, karta kontrolna jest przy maszynie.
In the trial lesson you will practise a shift handover or a conversation with a quality inspector with your teacher – using examples from your own shop floor.
Frequently asked questions
How do I say in Polish that a weld has porosity?
Say: Spoina ma pory or W spoinie jest porowatość. Most often you will hear it short: Masz tu pory.
What does the abbreviation UR mean in production?
UR stands for “utrzymanie ruchu” (plant maintenance) – the department that repairs machines and keeps them in working order. When a machine breaks down you usually hear: Zgłoś do UR or Zadzwoń po UR.
What is the difference between “spawać” and “zespawać”?
Spawać describes an action in progress or a repeated one (Spawam od rana), and zespawać – a finished action with a result (Zespawałem ramę). The pair “sczepiać – sczepić” works in the same way.
How do I read the dimension 12.5 mm aloud?
Say dwanaście przecinek pięć milimetra or dwanaście i pół milimetra. After a fraction and after “pół” the noun is in the genitive singular.
Vocabulary and conversations from your industry. Book a trial lesson and we will tailor the programme.
See also
- Production and weldingThe foreman's instructions, technical drawings, dimensions, welds, machine breakdowns and safety.from 99 PLN / lessonRead →
- Workplace phrasesAbout 70 everyday phrases: instructions, schedule, leave, sickness, pay and chatting over coffee.Read →
- Job interviewRecruiter questions, ready answers, the pan / pani form and an employment glossary.Read →