Aqa textiles

Absorbency

The ability of a material to draw in moisture

Accuracy

The degree of closeness of a measurement to its true value

Aesthetics

How a product appeals to the five senses; its sense of beauty

Adehesive

A chemical used to stick or glue objects together

Alloy

A mixture of two or more metals

Annotation

Adding labels identifying and explaining key features on a drawing

Anthropometric Data

Measurements taken from millions of people of different shapes and sizes and place in charts

Art Nouveau

A design movement known for its use of long, organic lines and architectural designs

Atmospheric Pollution

The release of pollutants into the Earth's atmosphere

Automation

The use of computer systems and control technology to operate equipment

Batch Production

Making a series of groups of identical products

Battery

Converts chemical energy to electrical energy to power products and systems

Bauhaus

A German design school that existed from 1919 to 1933 and favoured a minimalist approach to design

Biodegradeable

The ability to decompose or rot due to interaction with the environment

Biomass

Fuel that is developed from organic materials, such as crops, scrap wood and animal waste

Blow Moulding

A process used to shape hollow polymer products

Bonding

A method of joining fabrics without stitching

Brazing

A joining process for metals where a joint is created by soldering at high temperature

Breadboarding

A temporary, physical method for prototyping electronic circuits

Cam

A mechanism that converts rotary motion to reciprocating motion

Casting

Pouring molten metal into a mould to form a product

CNC

Computer numerical control; using a computer to control a machine tool

Composite

A material made up of two or more other materials that are not chemically combined

Computer Aided Design (CAD)

The use of computer software to produce designs for products

Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM)

The use of computer software to control machine tools to manufacture poroducts

Continuous Improvement

A process where ongoing incremental improvements are made to a product or system

Continuous Production

Making a material or chemical continuously using dedicated equipment

Co-Operative

A business or organisation that is run jointly by and for the benefit of it's members

Cracking

A process where complex organic chemicals are broken down into simpler modules such as the monomers used to make polymers

Crowd Funding

A way for people to raise awareness and money for a project or idea, where people donate money in return for rewards

Datum Surface

A reference point for measurements on a materials, product or object

Deforestation

The removal of forests and conversion of the land to other uses

Density

Mass of material per unit volume

Design Brief

A short description of a design problem and how it is to be solved

Design Fixation

When designers become overly attached to a particular idea, therefore not taking account of other potential solutions

Design Specification

A list of measurable design criteria that a product or system must meet

De Stijil

A Dutch design movement that simplified designs by using only horizontal and veritical lines, and primary colours

Die Casting

A process where motlen metal is shaped using pressure and a reusable mould

Ductility

The ability of a material to be stretched without breaking and stay permanently in its new form

Economics of Scale

A saving cost per product gained by making a higher number of products

Effort

The force applied to something (for example to a lever)

Elasticity

The ability of a material to return to its original shape when a force on it is removed

Electrical conductivity

The ability of electricity to be conducted by a material

Electronic System

A collection of input, process, driver and output stages that respond to, change and produce different types of signals

Embossing

A technique that uses steel dies to press a shape onto the material, giving a tactile effect

End User

The person or people that will use a product when it is completed

Egronomics

The study of how people interact with the products

Evaluation

An assessment of how well a product or prototype looks, functions or does its job

Exploded Drawing

A picture that shows how the parts or a product fit together

Extrusion

Making a sectional shape by pushing material through a die

Fair Trade

A movement that works to help people in developing countries get a fair deal for the products that they produce

'Fast Fashion'

A trend where catwalk clothing designs move quickly to the high street so people can capture the current fashions; often clothes will only be worn for a single 'season' before being replace

Ferrous Metal

A metal that contains iron

Finite Resource

A resource of which there is only a limited quantity

Former

A profiled shape used to mould material

Fossil Fuel

Fuel created from the remains of dead organisms over a long period of time; for example, coal, oil and gas

Fractional Distaillation

Separation of a liquid mixture into the different chemicals of which it is comprised by a chemical distillation process

Fulcrum

The pivot point of a lever

Functionality

How well a product fulfils the purpose it is designed to meet

Fusibility

The ability of a material to be changed from a solid to a liquid by heat

Gathering

A sewing technique for shortening the length of a strip of fabric, to allow a longer piece to be attached to a shorter piece

Gear

A mechanism used to transfer rotary motion, which can also change the direction or magnitude of the force transmitted

Grain

The growth rings visible on the surface of the wood

Graphene

A form of carbon consisting of sheets which are one atom thick

GSM

Grams per square metre; the wight of paper or card

Hardness

The resistance of a material to wear and abrasion

Hardwood

Wood for deciduous tress that shed their leaves each autumn

Hydro-electrical Energy

Energy that is taken from flowing water, typically by releasing water from a dam to turn turbines

Inclusive Design

The design of products and systems that can be used by everyone, without any special adaptations

Injection Moulding

A process used to shape polymer products

Input Device

A device that turns a real-world signal, such as light, sound or movement, into a an electronic signal

Interfacing

Adding multiple layers of material to a textile product to increase its strength

Isometric Projection

A scaled 3D drawing with sides at an angle of 30 degrees to the baseline

Iterative Design

A cyclic design approach where each iteration is tested, evaluated and refined, resulting in a new iteration

Jig

A custom-made tool designed to achieve accuracy, repeatability and interchangeability during product manufacture

Just-In-time Production

A production technique where supplier deliver materials only when they are needed

Knitted

Made from yarn using interlocking loops

Laminating

Overlaying a flat object or sheet of material with a layer of protective material

Lean Manufacturing

An approach to improve efficiency of manufacture through the elimination of waste

Lever

A simple device that pivots about a fulcrum

Linear

Moving in a straight line

Line Bending

A process that involves bending thermoplastic along a heated line

Linkage

An assembly of parts used to transfer motion between two mechanisms, which can also change the direction or magnitude of the force transmitted

Malleability

The ability of a material for its shape to be permanently changed without the material breaking

Manufacturing Specification

A set f information that is required to manufacture a product or system

Market Pull

Products developed because of market forces

Market Research

When information is collected to find out whether there is a place in the market for a proposed product

Mass Production

Making the same product in large quantities

Mathematical Model

A representation of a product or system using mathematical formulae

Memphis

A design movement characterised by the use of asymmetric shapes and colourful decoration

Metal Foam

A metal containing gas-filled pores, giving it a very low density

Microcontroller

A small, programmable computer on a chip that is designed for use in control applications

Model

A representation of a product or system that is being developed

Moisture-Wicking Fabric

Fabric that removes sweat from the skin and carries it to the outside of the fabric

Moulding

Using a former to shape a material

Nanomaterials

Materials made up of particles that are less than 100 nanometres in size

Natural Fibres

Firbres from sources such as animals and plants

Non-Ferrous Metal

A metal that does not contain iron

Non-Renewable Energy Source

An energy source that cannot replenish itself quickly and therefore will eventually run out

Nuclear Power

Power that is created by making use of highly controlled nuclear reactions, such as nuclear fission