Recently I was surprised to hear one of my colleagues had never heard of the term “decking.” That instance got me thinking, glass techs do speak a language of their own. A good example is from previous Education Committee debates, where I learned there are a lot of colloquial names for plastic sticks like, bones, fiber sticks, and the always popular “pooky sticks”; different terms were used based on the location.

I thought it would be beneficial to start a glossary of terms and add them to the dictionary of auto glass terminology. Here are some to start:

• Decking

Decking refers to the act of pressing the glass downward into its final position on an applied adhesive. A common phrase would be, I decked the glass into position on the pinchweld.

• Pinchweld

Considering this term doesn’t exist in my computer’s dictionary for some reason, I thought it might be added to our glossary for that reason alone. Everyone knows what a pinchweld is, a periodic weld between two layers of metal.

However, in the auto glass industry we look at a pinchweld as not just a thing, but as an item with multiple parts. It can be “L” shaped, “flat” or have a “Z” shape. It can also have a “floor” and a “wall.”

It’s a part of the vehicle frame that a glass part is adhered to.

• Exposed-edged Part

An exposed-edge glass part is any glass part with an unprotected edge. It can still have an underside moulding attached, but the very edge of the glass is exposed.

• Bead

The bead is an extrusion of the urethane adhesive, and is usually found on the under edge of the glass part. However, it can also be recessed on the bottom of the glass. Sometimes the bead is applied to the glass and other times applied to the vehicle frame (pinchweld).

• Cowl

The true term for the “cowl” is the cowl panel. It’s a cover located at the bottom edge of the glass and extends to the front of the firewall. It covers the cowl/firewall drains. The panel usually surrounds the windshield wiper posts and covers the unsightliness of the drains and raw metal underneath. The cowl panel should be removed on most vehicles to perform a proper installation.

• Tucking

Tucking is the act of inserting the glass under the cowl panel without its removal. Tucking can displace the applied adhesive and make the glass installation unsafe. It is usually used to save time removing the cowl panel and wiper.

• SDAT/MDAT

These acronyms stand for Safe Drive Away Time and Minimum Drive Away Time. They have been used interchangeably, however the industry wants to begin using the later. To reach MDAT the urethane must reach the strength necessary to withstand the forces put upon the glass as defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 208 and 212. The titles of these standards are Passive Restraint Systems and Windshield Retention respectively.

These terms are only the start. If any of my readers have heard a term used they are not familiar with or if you have some terms we should add, please let me know.