GCSE Design and Technology: Core Technical Principles and Materials

Essential vocabulary flashcards covering industry, technology evaluation, energy systems, production techniques, and material categories for Design & Technology.

Industry

A group of manufacturers or businesses that produce a particular kind of goods or services.

Enterprise

A business started by someone who shows initiative by taking a risk, investing, and running it.

Demographic Movement

The way in which a population's structure changes, for example due to an ageing community or migration into an area.

Crowd Funding

A method of raising funds for an enterprise from a large number of people via online platforms.

Government Funding

Financial assistance available to businesses that can contribute to the overall economy, research, innovation, and job creation.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A system of interrelated devices connected via the internet that communicate and can be monitored or controlled remotely.

Apprenticeship

A job with structured practical training that allows individuals to learn from professionals and earn nationally recognised qualifications.

Automation

The use of control systems and computer technology to operate equipment and machinery instead of human labour.

Standardised Designs and Components

A production approach in which the same standard parts or systems (such as screws, nuts, bolts, and electronic components) are used across many different products.

Just-in-Time (JIT) Production

A manufacturing methodology where materials and components are delivered exactly when needed in production rather than held in storage.

Lean Manufacturing

A manufacturing technique aimed at reducing waste, minimising product defects, and eliminating unnecessary storage and processing.

One-off Production

A scale of production where a single, unique product (such as bespoke furniture, a wedding dress, or a prototype) is created to meet a specific brief.

Batch Production

A production scale where a specific number of identical products are manufactured together in limited quantities before machinery is reconfigured.

Mass Production

A production scale where very large quantities of identical items are made rapidly and consistently, typically on an assembly line.

Continuous Production

A non-stop manufacturing method where high-demand identical products (such as paper, chemicals, or sheet materials) are produced 24 hours a day.

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Pollution

The release of contaminating substances into the air, water, or land that are likely to harm the natural environment.

Finite Resource

A non-renewable natural resource that exists in limited supply and cannot be replenished within our lifetimes.

Non-Finite Resource

A renewable natural resource that can be replenished naturally and is unlikely to run out through use.

Critical Evaluation

A process of identifying the positives and negatives across various aspects to assess the suitability and viability of a design or concept.

Ethics

Balancing actions and business decisions with moral principles, including fair worker pay, safe working conditions, and responsible sourcing.

Carbon Footprint

The total amount of $\text{CO}_2$ and greenhouse gas emissions directly or indirectly generated by an individual's or organisation's activities.

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

An assessment evaluating all environmental impacts of a product through all its stages: raw material extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal or recycling.

Photovoltaics

The process of generating electrical power by directly converting solar radiation using semiconductor solar cells.

Biomass Energy

Energy derived from burning or fermenting organic matter such as crops, wood, agricultural waste, and landfill gas.

Tidal Energy

Renewable electricity generated from the natural gravitational ebb and flow of oceanic waters driving underwater turbines.

Hydroelectric Power

Electricity produced by capturing water trapped behind a dam, allowing it to flow through penstocks and spin electricity-generating turbines.

National Grid

The high-voltage transmission network of cables, pylons, and transformers that balances electrical power distribution from power stations to homes and businesses.

Physical Properties (Materials)

Characteristics of a material that can be observed, defined, or measured without applying external forces (e.g., density, conductivity, colour, and optical properties).

Working Properties (Mechanical Properties)

Characteristics that describe how a material behaves and responds when subjected to external physical forces or mechanical stress.

Ductility

The mechanical property of a material that allows it to be stretched, bent, or drawn out into long thin wires without fracturing.

Malleability

The ability of a material to undergo permanent plastic deformation in all directions through compressive forces like hammering or rolling without cracking.

Hardness

The ability of a material surface to resist scratching, abrasion, cutting, and indentation.

Toughness

The ability of a material to withstand sudden dynamic shocks, impacts, and high stresses without fracturing.

Brittleness

The tendency of a material to fracture, crack, or shatter abruptly when subjected to a sudden shock or force with little or no prior plastic deformation.

Ferrous Metal

A metal group consisting primarily of iron; most are magnetic and prone to rusting when exposed to oxygen and water, with exceptions like stainless steel.

Non-Ferrous Metal

Metals that contain no iron, are non-magnetic, do not rust, and are generally more malleable and corrosion resistant than ferrous metals.

Alloy

A metallic substance made by combining two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, to enhance specific properties.

Mild Steel

A ductile, tough, and easily welded ferrous alloy containing iron and $0.1\%\text{--}0.3\%$ carbon, commonly used for car panels and fixings.

Cast Iron

A brittle ferrous alloy of iron with $2\%\text{--}6\%$ carbon that exhibits high compressive strength and fluidity, making it ideal for casting in moulds.

Stainless Steel

A corrosion-resistant ferrous alloy of carbon steel mixed with $10.5\%\text{--}18\%$ chromium, $8\%$ nickel, and $8\%$ manganese, used for cutlery and cookware.

Brass

A yellow, corrosion-resistant, and easily cast non-ferrous alloy composed of copper and zinc.

Cartridge Paper

A thick, textured, opaque paper weighing $120\text{--}150\,\text{gsm}$, commonly used for drawing, ink work, and watercolour painting.

Tracing Paper

A smooth, shiny, translucent paper weighing $60\text{--}90\,\text{gsm}$ designed for transferring drawings and developing design concepts.

Corrugated Card

A multi-layered packaging board featuring a fluted inner sheet bonded between flat outer paper layers, offering impact resistance and insulation.

Folding Box Board

A three-layered board consisting of a printable bleached top surface, an unbleached centre, and a bleached inside layer, suited for scoring and cereal boxes.

Solid White Board

A stiff, bleached board smooth on both sides, widely used for cosmetic packaging, retail cartons, and architectural modelling.

Polymer

A large molecule composed of repeating structural units called monomers linked together in long chains.

Thermoforming Polymer

A polymer consisting of intertwined polymer chains without fixed cross-links that softens upon heating, allowing it to be repeatedly remoulded and recycled.

Thermosetting Polymer

A polymer containing rigid molecular cross-links that permanently sets upon curing and cannot be reheated or reshaped.

Acrylic (PMMA)

A hard, brittle, weather-resistant thermoforming polymer with high optical clarity that can be cut, bent, and polished, but scratches easily.

High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)

A rigid, inexpensive thermoforming polymer with good impact resistance that is easily vacuum formed, commonly used for yoghurt pots and CD cases.

Biopol

A biodegradable thermoforming polymer made from natural sources that breaks down naturally in compost or landfill environments over time.

Polyester Resin (PR)

A thermosetting polymer composed of a liquid resin and hardener that cures into a clear, heat-resistant, waterproof material used for encapsulating.

Urea Formaldehyde (UF)

A hard, brittle, heat-resistant thermosetting polymer with excellent electrical insulation, commonly used for moulding domestic plug sockets and switches.

Plain Weave

A basic textile weave structure created by interlocking warp and weft yarns in a regular, alternating over-and-under pattern.

Weft Knitted Fabric

A knitted fabric constructed by interlocking loops of yarn horizontally across the width, offering high stretch and elasticity, though prone to laddering.

Warp Knitted Fabric

A machine-manufactured knit constructed with loops interlocking vertically along the length of the fabric, preventing easy unravelling.

Hardwood

Wood derived from broad-leaved deciduous trees that lose their leaves annually, resulting in slow-growing, compact, and dense cellular structures.

Softwood

Wood harvested from needle-bearing, cone-producing evergreen coniferous trees that grow quickly, yielding less dense and cheaper timber.

Plywood

A manufactured board created by bonding multiple thin wood veneers together with the grain direction of each layer turned at $90^\circ$.

Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF)

A manufactured board produced by breaking down wood residues into fine fibres, mixing them with synthetic resin adhesive, and pressing them into smooth, uniform panels.