Designers, manufacturers and engineers have a vocabulary all their own. If you’re getting design work done, knowing the right terminology will help you communicate with one another and get the results you envision. 













Minimum Order Quantity

Bill of Materials

Computer-Aided Design

Polyurethane – a flexbile polymer material

Good Manufacturing Practice

Original Design Manufacturer

Original Equipment Manufacturer

Document Change Request

Quality Management System

Computer Numerically Controlled

Design History File

Engineering Change Request 

MOQ is the least amount of products or units that a supplier is willing to produce at one time. MOQs are set by suppliers to cover their cost of production and ensure that they make a profit off of each production run.

A BOM describes the different components that together create a product. The bill of material contains the item number of each component and the quantity required to successfully manufacture a product.

Computer-Aided Design simplifies every aspect of designing, drawing, sharing, visualising and delivering projects. It’s used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve communications through documentation, and to create a database for manufacturing.

Polyurethane is made of two main chemical components: polymers and urethane. During the chemical process, polymers are linked together by urethane groups, creating a versatile solution that can take many forms. This polymer compound creates a stable, safe and durable product that millions of individuals use every single day.

GMP is a system for ensuring proper design, monitoring, and control of manufacturing processes and facilities. GMP controls quality. 

This is where an already-existing product design is remade with a few small changes and sells it under their own brand name. Changes can include things like packaging or product bundles, colours and branding, and some limited adjustments to components or functionality. The original brand is the ODM.





The design history file documents the design decisions made throughout the development of the product. The DHF provides the chronology of the design, including previous revision information.

A change request listing proposed improvements or problems with components or assemblies.