Design and Technology Revision Guide

Desk Lamp Design Brief and Specification

The project focused on the Technergy Design Revision for Summer Exams. The design brief was to design, manufacture, test, and evaluate a small, lightweight desk lamp that is affordable.

The specification includes several key categories:

• Aesthetics: The product must be appealing to the teenager age group, defined as ages $12-18$.

• Function: The product should illuminate an area no smaller than $200 \times 200\,\text{mm}$.

• Anthropometrics and Ergonomics: The product should be lightweight and easily maneuvered around a desk using either the base or the stem.

• Materials: Materials used should be sustainable, durable, and easily worked with in the school workshop.

• Manufacture: Batch production techniques should be used to minimize material wastage and speed up the manufacturing process.

• Sustainability: The design will minimize waste material and use materials that can be recycled easily.

• Safety: The lamp must not have small parts or exposed circuitry.

• Economics: The product should cost no more than $£5$ to manufacture, achieved by making use of bulk buying and minimizing waste.

Wood Lamination Process

Wood lamination requires specific parts and tools, including glue, clamps, and a mold. The process follows these eight distinct steps:

1. Collect three pieces of flexible plywood.

2. Apply PVA glue on two of the three pieces.

3. Place all three pieces of wood on top of each other.

4. Place the stacked wood on top of the mold.

5. Push the first part of the mold down.

6. Secure the assembly with clamps.

7. Take the wood out of the mold.

8. Leave the wood to dry for a minimum of $24\,\text{hours}$.

Vacuum Forming Process

Vacuum forming is a method used to shape plastic sheets. The procedure consists of the following steps:

1. Place the mold onto the table and lower the table into the void.

2. Clamp the rigid polystyrene sheet over the void, ensuring there are no gaps.

3. Pull the heater over the polystyrene sheet and start the timer.

4. After $45\,\text{seconds}$, check to see if the sheet has softened, then push the heater away.

5. Raise the table upwards and start the vacuum; this process shakes all air out of the machine to form the plastic around the mold.

Electronics Recap: Systems and Components

An electronic system consists of three primary parts: Inputs, Process (represented as Boundary Control), and Outputs. Specific components used in these systems include:

• Resistor: Limits current flow to protect other electronic components.

• LED (Light Emitting Diode): Emits light when current flows through it.

• Battery: Converts chemical energy into electrical energy.

• Switch: Breaks or connects a conducting path in the flow of an electric circuit, allowing it to control the current.

Coping Saw Labelling and Use

A coping saw consists of several parts: the frame, adjustment bars, a handle, and the blade with teeth. It is used to cut thin wood and plastics in both curved and straight lines.

To change the blade of a coping saw, you must hold the adjustment bar, loosen the handle, replace the blade, and then tighten the handle again.

Health and Safety Signs

Safety signs are categorized into four main types:

• Prohibition Signs: These tell you what you must not do. They are often used to ban unsafe actions.

• Warning Signs: These alert you to possible dangers or hazards nearby.

• Mandatory Signs: These tell you specific actions you must take for your safety.

• Emergency Signs: These show directions or the location of safety equipment and first aid.

Sweet Dispenser Product Analysis

The sweet dispenser is analyzed based on several design headings to identify its Unique Selling Points (USP) and features:

• Aesthetics: The design is described as clean and colorful.

• Anthropometrics and Ergonomics: Features round handles for ease of use.

• Materials: Uses clear acrylic and wood finished with varnish, stain, or wax.

• Safety: Utilizes smooth wood and plastic rather than glass to prevent injury.

• Function: Its purpose is to provide sweets in a playful and fun way.

• Manufacture: Produced using an assembly line and woodworking machinery.

• Sustainability: Made from wood, which is a renewable resource.

Drawing Techniques and Perspectives

Designers use specific drawing techniques to communicate ideas. Concept drawings often utilize cuboids and 3D shapes to help visualize the form of an object, such as a sweet dispenser. Perspective drawing techniques include:

• Single point perspective: Utilizes one vanishing point (VP).

• Two point perspective: Utilizes two vanishing points (VP).

Mechanisms: Cams, Linkages, Gears, and Pulleys

Mechanisms are used to control and direct motion and force.

Cams consist of a shaped piece of metal or plastic fixed to a rotating shaft. A cam system has three parts: the cam, the slide, and the follower. The follower can perform three types of motion: Rise (moving up), Fall (moving down), or Dwell (remaining stationary). The four main types of cams are Eccentric, Heart, Pear, and Snail.

Linkages allow force or motion to be directed where it is needed. They can change the direction of motion, the type of motion, or the size of a force. These often involve a fixed pivot point.

Gears consist of toothed wheels fixed to shafts. The teeth interlock, so when the first gear (the driver gear) rotates, the motion is transmitted to the second (the driven gear). The output motion at the driven gear can differ from the input at the driver gear in terms of speed, direction, and torque.

Pulleys are used to change the speed, direction of rotation, or turning force (torque). A pulley system consists of two pulley wheels, each on a shaft, connected by a belt. The system contains a driver pulley and a driven pulley.

Levers: Classes and Mechanics

Levers are simple machines classified by the position of the effort, load, and fulcrum.

• Class One Lever: A machine where the fulcrum (pivot point) is located between the effort (force) and the load (resistance).

• Class Two Lever: A machine where the load (resistance) is located between the fulcrum and the effort (applied force).

• Class Three Lever: A machine where the effort is applied between the fulcrum and the load. The order is described as "Fulcrum-Effort-Load" ($\text{FEL}$).

Risk Assessment and Design Task

A risk assessment involves five main stages:

1. Identifying the hazards.

2. Deciding who can be hurt and how they can be hurt.

3. Evaluating the risk and deciding on precautions.

4. Recording the findings.

5. Reviewing and updating the policy.

In the design portion of the exam, students are asked to complete a design drawing utilizing one-point or two-point perspective. This task must be completed using a pencil, ruler, and colored pencils.