What is meant by Refuse?

Refusing to buy certain products or use

certain things, such as extra packaging.

What is meant by Re-use?

Re-using products which have not been

used to their full capacity, or finding another
purpose for them. Doing this reduces the
consumption of the product, the materials
and their disposal. For example, bags
for life. About using it to its maximum.

What is meant by Repair?

Thinking about whether it is always
a good idea to buy a new product
rather than fixing an old one.

What is meant by Recycle?

Many materials can be recycled, to be

turned into a new product. Materials such
as card, aluminium, and glass are easily
recycled. This reduces the amount of that
material being used, and cuts down its
production and the use of raw materials.

What is meant by Rethink?

Perhaps it is time for a radical change in
the way we buy and dispose of products.

What is meant by Carbon footprint?

Everything we produce, has a carbon

footprint. Which is a total amount of
carbon dioxide or other greenhouse
gases which are emitted into the
atmosphere during a products lifetime.
Designers and manufacturers are
having to find ways of reducing this.

What is fair trade?

Fair trade is a foundation which helps poor
people, mainly workers and farmers, who
originally would not get a fair price for the
goods they produced. When fair conditions
and the Fairtrade standards are met, a
product will be given Fair Trade symbol

What is Just-in-time (JIT) production?

Where materials or pieces arrive from a

supplier, just in time for the assembly of
the product. This is good as it is quick
and efficient, plus no extra money needs
to be spent on storage, but if it doesn't
arrive on time, then production stops.

What is Electronic data interchange (EDI)?

It involves the transfer of structured data
from one computer system to another,
without human intervention. It is good as
it makes things faster, and information is
sent quickly and efficiently to suppliers
informing them on which parts are required

What is stock control?

This generally uses EDI nowadays. When

a barcode is scanned, the computer
monitors how much of a certain product
is left in stock. When this gets low, the
computer can request more by EDI.

What is CAM?

Computer-aided manufacture. This is good,

Computer-aided design. This is good,
as it is accurate, quick, and requires very
as it can be edited and changed easily,
little workers, however does cost quite a
as well as being copied and tesselated,
lot and it difficult to repair unless you have
however it requires a computer and
lots of knowledge about the equipment.
someone with the skills to use the program.

What is CAD?

What is rapid prototyping?

A fast, accurate process, which enables
products to be modelled from the
designer's CAD drawings, which are
passed directly into a CNC machine.
This allows shapes to be tested, before
having to invest in mould-making.

What does CNC mean?

Computer numerical control

What is stereolithography (STL)?

A rapid prototyping process which
produces realistic models and working
prototypes. A CAD/CAM laser draws
outlines of the product onto liquid resin,
and where the laser touches, the resin
solidifies, building a 3D prototype.

What has video conferencing

got to do with product design?

Using computers for video conferencing,

webcams, and communication tools such
as Skype, have allowed us to communicate
face to face with people all over the world.
This is beneficial for product design, as it
allows designers + manufacturers to talk.

What is remote manufacturing?

It is common nowadays for designers to
send designs electronically to other parts
of the world where the product will; be
manufactured. This is advantageous, as
it allows companies to produce products
in countries where it is cheaper to do so.

How is software sharing

connected to ICT in manufacture?

Because people around the world can

have access to the internet and sharing
software is crucial in manufacturing,
as files need to be uploaded and
downloaded for manufacture, stock
control and the sourcing of data.

What is automation?
Automation involves the use of CNC.
CNC uses computer systems to read
instructions, drive and control industrial
tools, machines and processes,
and reduces the need for human
intervention. It can use robots to
do repetitive and dangerous tasks.

What do robots have to do with production?

Robots can be controlled by CNC to

perform tasks, which would previously have
been done by workers. However, robots
can work all the time, unlike employees.

What are flexible manufacturing systems?

Flexible manufacturing refers to the
organising of production into 'cells' of
machines performing different tasks.
They are usually set out in a U shape,
rather than a production line, so one
person can operate several machines.

What is lost pattern casting?

This technique is used for complex shapes.

The pattern is made from polystyrene
foam or wax, which is buried in the sand,
and when the hot metal is poured in, it
burns away the foam, filling the space.
However this gives off toxic fumes.

What is die casting?

Die casting is similar for injection moulding,
just for metals. Alloys with low melting
points are used, such as pewter. Molten
metal is forced into the mould until it cools.

What is rotational moulding?

This is a process used for making hollow

plastic products. The material is placed
in the mould, then heated, and then
rotated in all directions so the polymer
sticks to the mould. However, this is
slower than injection and blow moulding.

What is soft soldering?

This involves heating a thermoplastic,

It uses a lead-based alloy. Flux is applied
usually acrylic, sheet over a strip heater,
to the joint and heated with a gas torch
until is becomes soft. This allows the plastic
or metal soldering bit, used for plumbing
to be bent to a desired angle. Cold sheet
joints and lightweight electrical connections.
metal can also do this, but rather than
being heated, it is bent between bars.

What is line bending?

What is hard soldering?

A similar process to soft soldering,
which uses metal alloys of higher
melting points, which glow orange
when they metals are joined together.

What is gas welding?

This process uses a gas torch to

heat up the metals at the joint.

What is MIG (metal inert gas) welding?

This process is a form of electric arc
welding. An electric spark creates the
heat together with a very bright light.

What is spot welding?

This process is a form of resistance

welding, used for the joining of two thin
pieces of sheet steel. THe two sheets
are put together with copper electrodes
and the current passing through them
creates heat and bonds them at a tiny spot.

What is seam welding?

This process is similar to spor welding,
except it is continuous. The materials
is pressed between two wheels.

What are knock-down fittings?

Used in flat pack and self-assembly

furniture. They include pronged
nuts, corner plates and block joints.

What is polishing?
Polishing is where things such
as wax and silicon are applied
to wood, metal and plastics.

How can you finish wood?

Oil, French polish, wood

stains, sanding sealer.

What does oil do to wood?

It brings out the natural grain of the wood.

What does wood stain do to wood?

They are available in a range of colours.

They provide a surface coating, and
are usually finished with wax or varnish.

What does sanding sealer do to wood?

It is applied after wood has been
sanded, sealing the wood, so that
wax or varnish can be applied.

How can you finish metals?

Enamel, plastic dip coating, powder

coating, anodising, plating, hotdip galvanising, self-finishing.

What is enamel?
A powdered glass mixture which
forms a coating on the metal.

What is plastic dip coating?

It involves air being blown through a

thermoplastic powder to make it behave
like a liquid. The metal is dipped into
this and it creates a smooth finish.

What is powder coating?

It is more sophisticated, where
powder is sprayed on to the products.

What is plating?

It involves using electrolysis to apply a

thin layer of a more attractive metal to
the larger piece of metal. Also helping
if the metal is prone to corrosion.