Chamfer

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A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round"^[1] or a "radius".

"Chamfer" is a term commonly used in industrial engineering. Special tools such as chamfer mills and chamfer planes are available. In tile work, or furniture such as counters or table tops, an edge or arris that has been eased by rounding instead of chamfering is called a bullnose. Where a chamfer does not go to the end of the piece, but "lifts out" in a smooth curve, the end is called a lark's tongue.

An example of chamfering is part of the process of hand-crafting a parabolic glass telescope mirror. Before the surface of the disc can be ground, the edges must first be chamfered to prevent chipping. This can be accomplished by placing the disc in a metal bowl containing Silicon carbide and rotating the disc with a rocking motion. The grit will thus wear off the sharp edge of the glass.

In the realm of architecture, the base of the Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra, India is a cube with chamfered corners, thereby creating an octagonal architectural footprint.

[edit] In printed circuit board (PCB) design

In printed circuit board (PCB) designing, a chamfer is when a right angled edge is eliminated from the tracks, to strengthen the places where a track meets another at a right angle.