IB Design Tech Full Review

Human Factors and Ergonomics

The practice of designing products, systems, or processes to take proper account of the interaction between them and the people who use them.

Anthropometrics

The aspect of ergonomics dealing with body measurements, size, strength, and physical capacity.

Static (Structural) Anthropometrics

The study of skeletal dimensions of the human body.

Dynamic (Functional) Anthropometrics

The study of body measurements related to movement, such as reach, clearance, and sufficient leg room.

5th-95th Percentile

The range of data used when a designer is asked to create a product to fit most people.

Primary Data

Anthropometric data that a designer collects and organizes/processes themselves because it does not already exist.

Secondary Data

Anthropometric data that has already been collected and organized/processed by someone else.

Physiological Factors

The study of the ways living things or their parts function, used by designers to optimize safety, health, comfort, and performance.

Psychological Factors

The study of behavior and mind, focusing on how individuals react differently to sensory stimuli like light, sound, and smell.

Manikin

A three-dimensional physical model with moving parts (e.g., a crash test dummy) used to check spatial considerations like fit and clearance.

Ergonome

A 2D physical model (anthropometric man) used by designers to check sizes and angles relative to human proportions.

Design Cycle Model (DCM)

A non-linear model explaining how a design solution can be improved through stages like concept modeling and testing.

Graphical Model

A representation of a design using algorithms, flow charts, or drawings (CAD/sketches) to communicate ideas.

Physical Model

A representation of a design made from raw materials that a user can hold in their hand.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

The use of computer software to aid in the generation, creation, development, and analysis of a design or system.

Surface Model

A CAD model that provides a realistic picture of the final product's exterior but contains no data about its interior.

Solid Model

A CAD model that provides a complete set of data (e.g., mass and strength) and is a clear representation of the final part.

Bottom-Up Modeling

A modeling process where individual part models are created independently and then brought together as an assembly.

Top-Down Modeling

A modeling process where a design begins as a concept and gradually evolves into components and sub-assemblies.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

A series of mathematical equations used to analyze the stress and effects of outside forces on a design.

Orthographic Projection

A multiview projection system that provides a clear description of size and shape through systematically arranged 2D views.

Perspective View

A geometric method of representing objects on paper so they appear to get smaller and closer together as they move farther away.

Section View

A drawing that shows the internal details of an object by "cutting" through it with a plane.

Composite

A mixture of two or more substances bonded together to improve mechanical, physical, chemical, or electrical properties.

Matrix

The "glue" in a composite material that holds the fibers, sheets, or particles together.

Fiber

A class of materials consisting of continuous filaments or discrete elongated pieces with a length-to-thickness ratio of at least 80.

Kevlar

An aramid fiber with very high tensile strength, five times stronger than the same weight of steel, and does not absorb water.

Plywood

An engineered wood made of multi-layers of veneer glued together at right angles, always using an odd number of layers.

Adaptation

An existing technology or solution from one field used to provide a new idea for a solution in another.

Analogy

Drawing on a similar situation, such as a scientific principle or something found in nature, to provide a design solution.

Brainstorming

A group technique for generating a large number of ideas in a short amount of time to solve a design problem.

Design Brief

A formal statement that outlines the initial requirements, design goal, expected outcomes, and feasibility of a new product.

Design Specification

A list of precise limits and "Specific Requirements" for a product's performance that forms the basis for evaluation.

Product Life-Cycle

The general pattern of a product's production and profitability, consisting of four stages: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline.

Ceramic

An inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared from powdered materials and fabricated through heat, characterized by hardness and brittleness.

Sintering

A manufacturing method of making objects from powder by heating the material below its melting point until particles adhere.

Laminated Glass

Safety glass composed of layers bonded with a plastic material (like PVB) that holds the glass together when shattered.

Lamination (Timber)

The process of constructing a product from layers of material, such as wood veneers, bonded together with glue and a mold.

Alloy

A mixture of two or more elements where at least one is a metal, often created to improve properties like strength or corrosion resistance.

Plastic Deformation

A permanent change in the shape of a material that remains after the applied load is removed.

Elastic Deformation

A non-permanent change in shape where the material returns to its original position after the load is removed.

Grain Boundary

The interface where crystals (grains) meet in a metal; smaller grains result in more boundaries, which increases strength.

Superalloy

An alloy based on iron, cobalt, or nickel that maintains its strength and stiffness even at high temperatures (up to 70% of melting point).

Perspective Drawing

A technique for depicting 3D space on a 2D picture plane using size variation, foreshortening, and vanishing points.

One Point Perspective

A drawing method where all parallel lines appear to converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon line.

Two Point Perspective

A drawing method using two vanishing points on the horizon to represent the sides of an object vanishing in different directions.

Thermoplastic

A type of plastic that can be heated and reshaped multiple times, typically used in injection molding.

Thermoset

A type of plastic that, once cured by heat, undergoes a chemical change and cannot be remelted or reshaped.

Injection Molding

The process of injecting molten plastic under pressure into a die, where it cools and is ejected as a finished part.

Creep

The tendency of a material (like a superalloy) to slowly move or deform permanently under the influence of persistent mechanical stresses and high heat.

Batch production

Limited volume production where a set number of items are produced.

CAM

The use of computers to aid manufacturing, often by outputting 'G' code to machines.

CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing)

A system that totally integrates manufacturing where all components (Business, Engineering, etc.) share and have access to the same database.

CNC

The use of computers to control machines using 'G' code for coordinates and speeds.

Continuous flow production

A large-scale production method that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, requiring very few human operators.

Design for Assembly

An approach to designing products with ease of manufacture in mind to make the assembly process faster and more cost-efficient.

Design for Disassembly

Designing a product so it can be taken apart and the components separated easily to facilitate recycling.

Design for Manufacture (DfM)

Strategies employed by designers to ensure products are easy to manufacture, which includes design for materials, process, and assembly.

Economies of scale

The falling average costs of production experienced as a business grows in size and produces more units of output.

Ergonomics

The application of scientific information concerning the relationship of human beings to the design of objects, systems, and environments.

First generation robot

Commercially viable robots (e.g., Unimate) capable of being programmed for complex movements and lifting heavy loads repeatedly.

Human factors

A term interchangeable with ergonomics that analyses interactions between humans and system elements to maximize well-being and performance.

Mass customization

A process that enables global products to become individual items by bringing consumers into the design process.

Mass production

Industrial-scale manufacture of large quantities of products, usually on a production line.

Non-renewable resources

Finite resources, such as fossil fuels and minerals, that do not replenish themselves at a sufficient rate for sustainable extraction.

One-off production

An individual article (often craft produced) or a prototype intended for larger scale production.

Rapid Prototyping

The production of a physical model of a design using three-dimensional CAD data.

Renewable resources

Resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, and geothermal heat.

Reserves

The part of an identified resource base that can be economically extracted at the time of determination.

Robot

A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer.

Timber

A natural fibre-reinforced polymer composed of cellulose tubular filaments bonded by a lignin resin.

Softwoods

Timber produced by coniferous trees, typically evergreen, fast-growing, and easier to work than most hardwoods.

Hardwoods

Timber from broad-leaved, fruit-bearing trees that are generally slower-growing and more expensive than softwoods.

Cellulose

The main structural element of plants; a long chain polymer that can absorb water in its amorphous sections.

Lignin

The organic resin that acts as a "glue" to bond cellulose fibers together in timber.

Particle Board

A composite timber made from wood particles glued together under pressure, often finished with a veneer for aesthetics.

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)

A composite timber similar to particle board but denser, stronger, and smoother, making it suitable for furniture and cabinetry.

OSB (Oriented Strand Board)

A composite board made from large wood chips glued together, often used for roofing and exterior house walls.

Polyurethane

A common type of timber coating, also known as varnish, used for protection and aesthetics.

Additive Techniques

Manufacturing processes that build objects by adding material, such as 3D printing and stereolithography.

Subtractive Techniques

Manufacturing processes that remove material to shape a product, including cutting, machining, and turning.

Shaping Techniques

Manufacturing methods like moulding, thermoforming, and casting used to form materials into specific shapes.

LOM (Laminated Object Manufacture)

An additive process using layers of paper or plastic to create 3D scale models and prototypes.

Stereolithography

An additive manufacturing technology that cures photo-reactive resin with a UV laser layer by layer.

FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling)

A 3D printing process that constructs objects by extruding thermoplastic material layer by layer from a CAD drawing.

Stress

The force per unit area acting on a body when a load is applied (Force/Area).

Strain

The ratio of change in dimension (length) to the original value when a material is loaded.

Young's Modulus

A measure of a material's stiffness, calculated as the ratio of stress to strain in the elastic region.

Yield Point

The specific stress level beyond which a material becomes permanently (plastically) deformed.

Ultimate Stress (UTS)

The maximum stress a material can withstand while being stretched before it begins to fail or break.

Virtual Prototyping

The use of digital systems and computer models to aid in the product design and development process.

Circular Economy

An economic model based on "designing out" waste, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

A technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from raw material extraction to disposal or recycling.

Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C)

A design philosophy where all materials used in industrial processes are recycled or reused, imitating nature's cyclic systems.

The 6 Rs

A framework for waste mitigation: Refuse, Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink.

Triple Bottom Line (HL)

An accounting framework with three parts: social, environmental (ecological), and financial (People, Planet, Profit).

Decoupling (HL)

Disconnecting economic growth from environmental impact so the economy can grow without a corresponding increase in resource use.

Toughness

The ability of a material to resist the propagation of cracks and absorb energy before failure.

Ductility

The ability of a material to be drawn or extruded into a wire or shape without breaking.

Malleability

The ability of a material to be hammered or pressed into shape without cracking.