Studied by 7 people
Core knowledge and understanding is presented in five clear and distinct topic areas: • design and technology and our world • smart materials • electronic systems and programmable components • mechanical components and devices • materials
Impact of new and emerging technologies on industry and enterprise
Electricity to power machinery lead to products being mass produced (hundreds/thousands of identical products manufactured on a production line) on assembly lines (a line of equipment/machinery manned by workers who gradually assemble a product as it passes along a line). Modern factories increasingly use automated production (use of computer-controlled machinery in manufacturing) which improves productivity and product quality.
Market pull
a new product is developed in response to a demand in the market or users
Technology push
products developed as a result of new technology
Consumer choice
Designers and manufacturers respond to customer choice by developing products that specifically meet the needs of consumers
Life cycle
stages a product goes through from beginning (extraction of raw materials) to end (disposal)
4 main stages of a products lifecycle
Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
Introduction | New product is introduced to market place |
Growth | Sales grow as more consumers become aware and buy it |
Maturity | Sales are at peak. Companies hope to achieve maximum sales |
Decline | Sales begin to fall as more people own it or it’s been replaced |
Fad product
a product that is highly popular for only a very limited amount of time e.g. loom bands, fidget spinners
Global production - materials & components → products
Materials and components can be sourced in one country, manufactured in another country, and then shipped all over the world due to developments in transport. Automation lowers cost of manufacture.
Global production - communication
developments in mobile technology and internet makes it easier to communicate with people all over the world, leads to greater competition among manufacturers keeping prices low.
Downsides of global production
importing cheap products from overseas = less locally-produced products bought = loss of jobs
mobile technology = make people feel isolated as face-to-face interaction opportunities are limited
automation = fewer jobs needed
workers overseas exploited with low wages to keep costs down and maximise profits
Global production - culture
Cultural differences. Designers should respect values beliefs and customs of different countries - what may be acceptable somewhere may be offensive elsewhere. Also a threat to traditional industries, skills and techniques.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
protects consumers when goods/services purchased are not as expected. (also digital products and buying online) Law states all goods should be as described or seen when purchased and be fit for purpose.
When can consumers request a refund?
product doesn’t function as intended
product isn’t of satisfactory quality
product is not as described at the time of purchase
Counterfeit
an imitation of something, sold with the intent to defraud
Compensation
payment given to someone as a result of loss. If a service provided fails to meet expectation, and full refund/replacement is not available, provider is legally bound to offer compensation
Moral and ethical factors related to manufacturing products and the sale and use of products.
Many people grow businesses and improve lives of their workers, but no obligation so some people put profits above all else with low wages and poor working conditions for workers
Characteristics of more ethical companies/traders, and of some that are not
Some companies = more ethical. Give workers better living conditions and lives, focus on goods and services being beneficial to consumers, support environmental causes, open and transparent about costs. Some unethical companies choose not to disclose of ant costs and profits as it would reveal poor wages and working conditions - mostly true in textile industry.
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) (advantages + disadvantages) e.g. 2D Design
Advantages | Disadvantages |
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Computer-Aided Manufacture (CAM) (advantages + disadvantages)
Advantages | Disadvantages |
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Types of CAM equipment: CNC embroidery machine
designs can be embroidered directly onto a range of textile fabrics, and designs can be saved then repeated several times with the same high-quality finish
Types of CAM equipment: CNC router
a rotating cutter follows a (3D) CAD drawing to cut a path or shape
Types of CAM equipment: Vinyl cutters
pattern based on CAD drawing can be cut from a roll of self-adhesive vinyl. (used to cut the letters used on signs)
Types of CAM equipment: Laser cutter
use laser beam to cut through material/engrave into materials. Intricate designs can be cut from a variety of materials (not all, e.g. nylon and PVC as can burn/melt)
Types of CAM equipment: 3D printer
additive manufacture (adding materials together layer by layer). uses thermoforming polymer roll or spool of filament which is heated and extruded from a head to form a layer, bed then moves down for next layer to be printed, strength determined by inner design and material
Sustainability
meeting today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations
Environmental aspects designers take into account:
more environmentally friendly materials
efficient low energy manufacturing processes
good build quality - lasts long
less/recycled packaging
reduced transportation - locally sourced materials
LED instead of filament lamps
avoiding short lifecycle products
making recycling easier
environmental directive - law to provide protection for the environment
Economic aspects designers take into account:
good energy efficient ratings which can reduce household energy bills
Linear economy
raw materials are used to make a product and waster materials are thrown away
Circular economy
a system that aims to minimise waster and extract the maximum possible use from resources
Cradle-to-cradle production
considering the product’s complete lifecycle including the reuse or recycling of materials after its initial use has ended
Cradle-to-grave production
considering the product’s complete lifecycle until it is disposed of
6 Rs of sustainability
Rethink - Is there a better less harmful to the environment way of making the product?
Recycle - Can it easily be recycled?
Repair - Can it be repaired easily if broken?
Refuse - Some might not buy product if not environmentally friendly.
Reduce - Can number of component parts or materials be reduced.
Reuse - Can parts be reused?
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
Assessment of a product’s environmental impact during its’s entire life.
Fairtrade
Giving workers a share of profits or fairer wages = better lives for workers and helps combat poverty. No workers exploited. Consumers can be satisfied the product supports disadvantaged workers/producers in developing countries. The product has been made from ethical sourced materials.
Carbon footprint
Designers can reduce carbon footprint (a measure of the total amount of greenhouse gases produced as a result of human activity) by adopting more sustainable approaches to design. The logo is used to verify the product being sold has been manufactured/transported in a way that reduces CO2 emissions/carbon foot.
Ecological footprint
measure of the impact human activity has on the environment. Humanity’s ecological footprint = 1.7 earths
Ecological deficit
measure which shows that more natural resources are being used than nature can replace
Issues surrounding fossil fuels
waste such as CO2 and Sulphur dioxide contribute to global warming (rise in Earth’s temps)
fossil fuels = finite - cannot be replaced
high energy density
Renewable sources (advantages + disadvantages)
Advantages Disadvantages | |
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Uses of renewable energy sources in some products
small solar PV panels = produce small current = recharge a battery therefore flexible ones found on clothing and bags to charge phones etc
low powered products can be charged from a small wind generator
electronic road signs usually powered by solar PV panel
clockwork wind-up mechanisms can provide a temporary source of power for mechanical or electronic products
Energy generation and storage in motor vehicles (non-electric) and electric
(most cars use chemical energy stored in petrol or diesel(fossil fuels) as energy source. Convenience and high energy density makes hard to replace)
Electric cars use batteries. Recharged by being plugged into electricity source. These cars don’t produce emissions but power to charge them comes from fossil fuels. Batteries can take hours to fully recharge and car’s range is limited. Are efficient: some kinetic energy is recovered when brakes used, which can then be stored in battery. Increasing popularity as cheap to run and environmentally friendly.
Rechargeable hybrids = greater driving range AND lower emissions
Energy generation and storage in mains-powered products - concerns
many household appliances charged using mains. products left on stand-by = concern as they use electricity even when they are not being used
Energy generation and storage in battery powered products
energy is stored in rechargeable batteries in products like phones, tablets and cordless products.
Solar panels can absorb energy from sun, pass power to a battery as electrical charge and power products like garden lights.
some products like torches and TV remotes use non-rechargeable batteries which need to be replaced.
As batteries contain chemicals, should be disposed of through recycling schemes
4 types of motion
rotary, linear, oscillating, reciprocating
To visualise all these motions, linkages, cams, systems etc, go to focuselearning
yes
Rotary motion + rotational speed
movement in a circular path, rotational speed = number of revolution / time taken (rpm or rps) - revolutions per minute or second
Linear motion + speed
movement in a straight line, distance travelled / time taken (m/s or km/h or mm/s)
Oscillating and reciprocating motion + frequency (oscillation speed)
Oscillating motion - movement back and forth in a circular path
Reciprocating motion - movement back and forth in a straight line
frequency (oscillation speed) = number of oscillations / time taken
force
a pull, push or a twist
mechanism
a series of parts that work together to control forces and motion
Mechanical system
take an input force (or motion) and process it to produce an output force (or motion)
Levers and fulcrums
lever- a rigid bar that pivots on a fulcrum
fulcrum- the pivot point on a lever
effort and load
effort- input force on a lever
load- output force from a lever
mechanical advntage
ratio of force produced compared to force applied. mechanical advantage = load ÷ effort
Lever arm length =?
The distance between the fulcrum and the (input or output) force (effort or load)
If input arm length = larger than output arm length…
lever will increase the force applied but reduce the distance travelled by the force. In other words, the load will be larger than the effort.
lever arm length relation to force
inversely proportional.
Load/Effort = Input arm length/Output arm length
linkage
a component to direct forces and motion to where they are needed
Reverse motion linkage
reverses the direction of input motion
Parallel motion linkage
use two fixed pivots to make the input and output travel in the same direction, through a link arm
Bell crank linkage
transfers motion around a corner
Crank and slider linkage
converts rotary motion to reciprocating motion
Peg and slot linkage
coverts rotary motion into oscillating motion
Cam
a component used with a follower to convert rotary motion to reciprocating motion
snail cam
causes follower to steadily rise followed by a sudden drop
pear-shaped cam
creates a sudden rise and fall followed by a long period where the follower doesn’t move
eccentric/circular cam
creates an even rise and fall motion throughout its rotation
heart cam
The follower rises and falls steadily with uniform velocity. There is no stationary period.
where are cams used
toys, machinery and engines
what motion do gear systems transfer
rotary motion
simple gear train
two spur gears (a gear wheel with teeth around its edges) meshed together. gears rotate in opposite directions
input and output gear names on gear train
input = driver gear, output = driven gear (if driver gear is the smaller gear, can be called a pinion)
Smaller gear rotates faster or slower than larger gear
faster
number of teeth on gear and speed relation
inversely proportional, input gear speed/output gear speed = number of teeth on driven gear/number of teeth on driver gear
pulley and belt drives
transfer rotary motion. input and output pulleys can be separated using a long belt. smaller pulley rotates faster than larger pulley. rotate in same direction. used in washing machines, workshop bench drills and car engines
rack and pinion
converts rotary motion into linear motion e.g. stairlifts, sliding doors
how does sizing for papers and boards work
Each sheet = twice the size of the one before.
Folding in half = becomes next size below
GSM stand for and meaning
grams per square metre (gsm OR g/m²) - weight of paper and card
weight > 170gsm classified as board rather than paper (also classified by thickness)
what is a micron + use
one thousandth of a millimetre (0.001mm). used to measure thickness of board
common paper types, properties and uses
virgin fibre paper
paper made entirely from ‘new’ wood pulp
recycled paper, define and how is it made
paper made from wood pulp using some re-pulped paper.
made by soaking waste paper to separate fibres back into pulp, which is refined to remove unwanted contaminants such as staples and plastic. each time recycled, fibres get shorter and weaker. So most recycled paper made from mixture of virgin pulp and recycled paper - higher proportion of recycled pulp, lower the quality of the paper produced
approx composition and uses of recycled paper
Card and cardboard : board types, properties and uses
what are the 2 different types of lamination, define,purpose, properties and uses of both
(spray-on) coating surfaces during the paper making process to reduce absorbency, give clearer printing and increase strength
applying a thin film of clear plastic to one or both sides of paper or thin card. usually on finished documents such as menus, posters, signs, identity badges.
It : improves strength and resistance to bending/creasing or ripping; waterproofs the document; improves appearance (makes doc shiny); increases lifespan of printed doc
forms of natural timber
planks, boards, strips, squares and dowel forms.
2 types of timbers
hardwoods, softwoods
hardwoods are
timbers that come from deciduous trees. most deciduous trees lose leaves in autumn and take a long time to mature. generally have a close grain structure, usually making them harder than softwoods. can be sanded to a finer, smoother finish. generally more expensive than softwoods.
softwoods are
timbers that come from coniferous trees(also known as evergreens). coniferous trees are quick growing and take about ten years to reach maturity. most have an open grain and are generally less dense and not as strong as hardwoods.
general properties of hard vs softwoods
hardwoods - hardwearing, heavy, attractive grain and smooth finish
softwoods - inexpensive, easy to cut, shape and smooth
examples, properties and uses of hardwoods
examples, properties and uses of softwoods
manufactured boards meaning + 2 types
man-made boards that are available in large sheets. laminated and compressed boards. less expensive than natural timbers
laminated boards
manufactured boards made by layering sheets or veneers (thin sheet of natural timber used to cover manufactured boards) together.
compressed boards
manufactured boards made by gluing wood particles together
examples, properties and uses of manufactured boards
overview of laminated vs compressed boards
laminated boards (e.g. plywood, veneered board) - strong and look like real wood ; used for shelving, workbenches and worktops.
compressed boards (e.g. medium-density-fibreboard (MDF), chipboard, hardboard) - smooth surface, can be coated with plastic laminate, easy to cut and shape, no grain ; used for kitchen worktops, cupboards, bedroom furniture
uses of finishes
helps protect timber from damage and enhances its appearance
wood stains
change colour of timber but don’t add protection
paint
helps protect wood from weather e.g. acrylic paint = waterproof
Note 
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