Design and Technology Mock Paper

Suitable material + justification: Aliminium

• Strong enough → not to deform/snap → with regular use

• Lightweight → for ease of portability

• Easy to bend → into required shape

Suitable material + justification: Acrylic

• Comes in choice → of different colors

• Lightweight → for ease of portability

• Easy to bend/mold → into required shape

Suitable material + justification: Beech Wood

• Aesthetic qualities → attractive grain

• Environmentally friendly → sustainable/renewable resource

• Can use strips of hardwood → for lamination → reduces costs

• Choice of finishes → e.g. varnish/paint

Other materials

• Nylon → hardwearing + resistant to elements

• Mild steel → cost-effective → generally less expensive → than other steel types

• Polymer resins → hardwearing → resistance to knocks/scratches/impacts

Vacuum Forming (method)

• HIPS is heated

• Once hot → solid former = pressed into HIPS → from bed that can rise

• Vacuum is turned on → removing all air → from around former

• HIPS takes form → of solid former

Injection Moulding (method)

• Granular plastic → held in hopper

• Moved via Archimedean screw → along heated tube → called ‘heating chamber’

• Once polymer has melted → pushed into mould → with hydraulic ram → ensures just enough material = injected into mould → each time

• Mould then cooled → so moulded plastic can be removed

Extrusion (method)

• Granular plastic → held in hopper

• Moved by Archimedean screw → along heated tube → called ‘heating chamber’

• Once polymer has melted → pushed through die mould → forms shape of extrusion

• Due to no hydraulic ram → molten plastic = can be fed through die → continuously

Quality assurance

System of planned actions + procedures → set up to check product @ every stage of process → before + after manufacture

Benefits of Total Quality Management (TQM)

• Reduces errors/prevents recurrence of similar errors

  • Results in customer benefitting → from better product + lower costs

• Reduces waste

  • Better for environment + reduces costs

• Testing can guarantee → manufacture of quality product

  • Eliminates faulty products

• Increased customer approval/satisfaction

  • By reliability recognition

• Increased sales of company

  • Through increase company reputation

Why having info about socio-economic background of target customers is important to have when designing a product

1. Helps to identify → group of customers → to design for

   • Focusing on one group = reduces list of requirements → to consider

2. Helps design companies → easily produce product → that fulfills needs of customers

   • Each group of customers → may have specific needs → e.g. cost/product shape/features

3. Designers → can offer variation → of same product

   • Increases company’s market share

Direct costs

• Direct costs → i.e. price of raw materials + cost of energy used in production process + other manufacturing costs = variable

  • More company produces = higher direct costs

    • Price of product → needs to ensure all costs of production → i.e. indirect + direct = covered

Disadvantages of product extension strategy (adding more features to product)

1. Makes product more expensive → more material/processing could be needed

2. Could add complexity → makes it more difficult to use

3. Increases risk of things going wrong → during manufacture → results in additional product failure

4. Consumer → could dislike change → product is different to OG → risk of decreased sales

Purposes of prototypes

1. Working prototype = working model → made to test function + feel of design → helps to identify production needs → before manufacturing

2. Helps to identify faults + enable changes/improvements to be made → before product is manufactured → in quantity-

Features of concurrent engineering

• Simultaneous development of components → reduces lead time to market

• Speedier production → generates increase → in products produced

• Increases productivity → by stopping mistakes → in manufacturing cell

Socio-economic impact of use of automated production systems (APS) in manufacturing

1. APS = expensive to set up → potentially cheaper to run → in LT

   • Results in manufacturer → being able to offer → more affordable products → in the future

2. For workforce → impact on skills needed

   • May be fewer available qualified workers → may reduce specialist training = impacts manufacturing costs → due to workers expecting higher salaries + cost of training

3. Automated production → requires fewer workers

   • Some may be lower skilled → remainder = likely to be highly skilled

4. Automation → impacts type of roles → required in the workforce → with reduction in no. of existing roles + need for new roles

   • Leads to redundances → in the workforce + new workers → moving to local area

5. Automation → requires skilled technicians/IT specialists → to set up equipment + maintain it

   • Manufacturer → may need to recruit new workers → in certain skill area

6. Redundancies to replace manual labour → with automated systems = can have adverse effects → on employment prospects → in the local area

Socio-economic impact of APS (simplified)

1. Expensive → cheaper in LT

2. Impact on skills needed → higher salaries + training costs = increased manufacturing costs

3. Requires fewer workers

4. Impact on types of roles required → leads to redundancies

5. Requires skilled technicians/IT specialists

6. Redundancies = adverse effect on employment prospects

Service sectors in the design and manufacturing industry

1. Extraction of raw materials → to provide raw materials → used for building, etc.

2. Design and development services → improve/develop products

3. Manufacturing → e.g. consumer products

4. Education/training → e.g. school and university provision

5. Repair/maintenance → ensure safe + efficient use → of equipment + resources

6. Marketing → inform target consumers/markets → of product/service releases

Types of software programs used in product development

1. CAD 3D modelling/simulation software → allows virtual modelling + designing product → reduces lead times

2. Desktop publishing software → i.e. Microsoft publisher → create designs for publishing → in digital newspapers → online newspapers/magazines/blogs, etc.

Advantages of using digital communication methods in product design

1. Allows for more remote communication → ability to reach → more diverse range of designers/collaborators → in different locations + across different companies

2. Less need → for physical design studio/collaborating in the same space → allows design companies to save → on office rental/travel costs

3. Design companies → able to attract → wider range of designers → not only locals + collab with them → through use of collab software packages + software → e.g. MS Teams + Miro

4. Designers → may prefer not to go → into physical office to work → can save on travel costs/time

5. Speed + accuracy + replicability + quality → of design output → allows design companies → to work in more efficient way → in LT

Manufacturing specification points

• Specific materials used

• Bought-in components/parts

• Construction/assembly details

• Finish to be applied

• Allowable tolerances