Hybrid
Hybrid turns up in 2 fields: powder coating, production. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Hybrid in powder coating
Powder that cures an epoxy resin and a polyester resin together, trading some outdoor life for low cost and good flow.
In a hybrid, the epoxy acts as the crosslinker for a carboxyl polyester, with blends usually described by ratio such as 50:50, 60:40 or 70:30. Hybrids flow and level well, resist overbake yellowing better than pure epoxies and cost less than most polyesters. They chalk and fade outdoors, so they belong on shelving, appliances, office furniture and other indoor products.
"These are going in a warehouse, put them in the 60/40 hybrid and save the polyester for the outdoor stuff."
Hybrid in production
A manufacturing system or machine that combines two distinct technologies to produce a part.
A machine or process that integrates two fundamentally different methods into a single operation. The most common industrial application is a CNC machine that performs both additive metal deposition and subtractive milling in the same work envelope. This allows operators to build up complex geometries and instantly machine them to tight tolerances without moving the part.
"The new hybrid cell lets us print the rough bracket and machine the mounting holes in a single setup."