Edexcel GCE Product Design Past Paper - Processes, Techniques & Specialist Tools PDF

Image result for dudley sixth logo Edexcel GCE PRODUCT DESIGN. 3: Processes: techniques and specialist tools 3:1. Processes, applications, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. 3:2. Application of specialist measuring tools and equipment. 3:3. Use of m...

Image result for dudley sixth logo Edexcel GCE PRODUCT DESIGN. 3: Processes: techniques and specialist tools 3:1. Processes, applications, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. 3:2. Application of specialist measuring tools and equipment. 3:3. Use of media to convey design decisions. 3:4. Adhesive, mechanical, heat and jointing. 3:5. Finishes, paper and board finishing processes. Learning Outcomes Name the necessary processes, techniques and specialist tools and use this in your practical work. Describe in greater detail using specialist subject vocabulary and show how the examples are used in a practical situation. Apply knowledge of the processes, techniques and specialist tools to practical work and explain how this can improve quality and efficiency. 3.1: Processes, applications, characteristics, advantages/disadvantages of: a) Heat Treatment. b) Alloying. c) Printing gravure. d) Casting. e) Machining. f) Moulding. g) Lamination. h) Marking out techniques. a) Heat Treatments Hardening and tempering. The term hardened steel is often used for a medium or high carbon steel that has been given heat treatment and quenched followed by tempering. Quenching results in the formation of metastable martensite, the fraction of which is reduced to desired amount during tempering. This is the most common state for finished articles such as tools and machine parts. a) Heat Treatments Case hardening. Case-hardening or surface hardening is the process of hardening the surface of a metal object while allowing the metal deeper underneath to remain soft, thus forming a thin layer of harder metal at the surface. It is used to harden machine tools and other components that need to be tough and durable. a) Heat Treatments Annealing. In contrast, the same steel composition in the annealed state is softer, as required for forming and machining. The diagram shows this process and the states/stages of heating. Normalising. Is a specific type of heat treatment that relieves stress on steel; this improves ductility and toughness in steels that may harden after cold working. b) Alloying Alloys were first used from the Bronze Age in 3500 BC. Alloying is the term used when one or more metals combine to improve one or more of these: Strength/weight- Steel. Aesthetics- Brass. Cost- less carats. White Gold. c) Printing gravure and Flexography Printing Gravure is a simple technique used to apply printed matter from one cylinder to another. It involves far less stages than using the flexographic printing method. Advantages: Printing Gravure offers more intricacy and accuracy of detail. Disadvantages: this involves high set up costs and because of this it is used more for high volume orders. c) Offset Lithography Offset lithography is used for long print runs and has constant quality of image. The printing surface does not come into direct contact with the plate. The ink is transferred from the metal rollers and applied to the surface by rubber rollers. The four colours Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Black are combined to achieve an infinite spectrum of other colours. This is known as the CYMK process. c) Screen Printing Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. Manual screen printing is a very labour intensive technique that is effective for short runs of artwork. Automated screen-printing is a very effective printing technique which achieves vivid colours and unpredictable blends when two or more colours mix together. d) Casting Sand casting Sand casting, also known as sand moulded casting, is a metal casting process which is characterised by using sand as the mould material.. This is also know by the term investment casting and can use the ‘lost wax method’. The term "sand casting" can also refer to an object produced via the sand casting process.  d) Casting Metal die-casting is an established production process used to manufacture highly detailed components from metals. Image result for die casting d) Casting Resin This is a quick and effective technique used to cast directly from objects using a mould to pour silicon rubber in to create another mould which the resin is poured and sets to create the desired form. Plaster of Paris This is used to achieve fine detail in mouldings from an original 3D mould created from a range of various mediums such as latex- silicon rubber. e) Machining Milling. Routing. Turning. Stamping. Pressing. f) Moulding: Blow Moulding Blow moulding is mainly used for producing a variety of hollow containers such as bottles. The main plastics used are PP, PET and Nylon. The plastic billet is heated up and blown inside a 2-or more part mould then it is gradually inflated to the shape of the 3D form. f) Moulding: Injection Moulding Injection moulding is a process which heats up thermoplastic to injects it at high pressure into a 2 or more part mould. This technique is used to produced highly accurate components in mass volume. A good example being LEGO. f) Moulding: Vacuum Forming Vacuum forming is a process used to heat up the thermoplastic sheet- HIPS or Acrylic. The plastic is heated up, held in place using toggle clamps and a vacuum pump sucks it over a 3D mould onto the platen. This is this then cooled to produce the finished product. It is used in packaging foods for chocolate trays and for containers such as yoghurt pots. The wall thickness is very thin so this is not an effective technique for achieving strength. f) Moulding: Extrusion Extrusion is used for both plastic and metal and heats the material up to force it through a sectional mould so it forms a cross section. in plastic this technique is used to produce sheet and film, tubing and pipes and a range of structural parts. A good analogy for this is toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube to form a cylinder. This technique is used in metal to produce long sections such as curtain rails or more complex products requiring sectional forms. Extrusion allows for highly accurate and detailed sections to be created. f) Moulding: Rotational Moulding Rotational Moulding is a technique used to produce larger scale hollow objects. The thermoplastic is loaded, heated up and rotated so that the polymer attracts to the positively charged inner 3D mould. Finally water jets cool the inner mould and air blows in before releasing mould to reveal the completed product. It is a cost effective method used to create high quality moulded product, has low tooling costs and is flexible. g) Lamination- veneer for aesthetics Lamination is a technique that can be used with most materials to improve the overall aesthetic or strength by creating multiple layers. Various materials could be combined to form laminates. A good example being melamine faced chipboard. Chipboard is a relatively cheap material which is being visually improved by laminating the surface with a layer of melamine. The surface is improved The lamination process can be by using a real timber as used much more creatively as the veneer which gives shown on the following slide. the impression that this is a solid piece of wood. g) Lamination- strength/aesthetics Lamination can be a complex and creative technique which skilled designers have experimented with to create incredible products and furniture. Alvar Aalto (Finland) was a pioneer of early furniture design using laminated timber and steam bending to produce self supporting chairs as seen top right. Lamination is an effective technique to add strength and beauty to materials by adding varied layers to enhance the aesthetics. h) Marking out techniques These are the best marking out techniques for following materials: Woods: a sharp pencil, steel rule, try-square and a marking gauge. Geometry equipment- compass, set square, protractor. Polymers: a marker pen, steel rule, scribe, try-square and other geometry equipment. Metals: blue permanent ink, marker pen, scribe, dividers. Paper/board: pencil, pen, ruler, geometry equipment. Textiles: fabric marker, tracing paper, templates, pins- geometry equipment. 3:2. PTS: Application of specialist measuring tools and equipment. a) Marking. b) Odd leg. c) Squares. d) Micrometer and Vernier callipers. e) Densitometer. f) Divider. g) Jigs and Fixtures. h) Go and No Go Gauges. Learning Outcomes Name the specialist measuring tools and describe how they can be used in your practical work. Describe in greater detail using specialist subject vocabulary and show how the examples are used in a practical situation. Apply this knowledge to the practical work and explain how this can improve accuracy, quality assurance and control. a) Marking: timber Marking out materials correctly is crucial for the overall success and accuracy for furniture or other craft products. You need to use measuring tools such as a sharpened pencil with a steel rule, marking knife or marking gauge. a) Marking: plastic Marking out plastics correctly is crucial for the overall success and accuracy of the end product. It is important to use a template if you have one. Otherwise you need to use measuring tools such as steel rule, an engineers try square and a metal scribe to mark the surface of the material. You can also draw directly onto the plastic cover on the acrylic adding masking tape to existing surface in order to draw on. a) Marking: metal Marking out metals correctly is crucial for the overall success and accuracy of the end product. You need to use measuring tools such as steel rule, an engineers try square and a metal scribe to mark the surface of the material. You can also draw directly onto the metal surface with white pencil, permanent marker or with engineers blue ink. b) Odd leg calipers Odd leg calipers are used to mark parallel lines from one datum edge of a piece of metal or to locate the centre. They are very similar to use as compasses. They can be used on metal, plastics and also glass. c) Try Squares Some specialist try squares also include integrated spirit Try squares are vital to achieve levels for extra accuracy. accurate measurements from a specific datum point. The fixed 90° angle guarantees a right angle to be marked from a square edge. There are adjustable try squares with sliding features to allow the angle to be precisely set. Both are essential tools when measuring out materials correctly. There are a number of specialised try squares for both wood and for other materials metal and plastic. d) Micrometer and Vernier Calipers Micrometers and Vernier Calipers are highly precise measuring instruments. They allow you to measure a piece of Micrometers are material to within thousands of an inch. used to check the thickness of a piece Vernier Calipers allow the user to check of material/component for the inner and outer dimensions of an use of quality control during the object using either of two sets of jaws. manufacturing process. e) Densitometer A densitometer is used to test the density of a piece of material. It is quite a specialist piece of equipment used in industry to test components during stages of quality control and assurance. It works by shooting a beam of light to the surface and measuring its resistance when reflected back recording the absorption and calculating the relative density. They are used in engineering to measure density of materials, but more widely in colour printing and in medicine and scientific applications. f) Divider A divider as it suggests is used to divide a piece of material acting just like a pair of compasses. There are different adjustment systems that are available but the principle is the same with the one fixed point and a moveable arm which can be used to mark out circles, strike arcs or draw other more complex geometry. g) Jigs and Fixtures A jig is a form which is used to help locate a position on a component so can be drilled or have other machining processes applied. It provides accuracy, repeatability and also interchangeability for products. The part is usually clamped in place and the jig fits onto this in order to do the following: A fixture is used to hold and support a piece of work in a specific place. Cut material. This ensures accuracy of production Drill holes and mill details (fixture), for the components and ensures repeatability and interchangeablity. h) Go and No-go gauges The Go and No-go gauge is used The classis Go No- in a range of situations in order to quickly check if a component is in go gauge is used to tolerance to a specific dimension. check the specified It is one of the simplest ‘pass or fail’ tolerances of any measuring tools. When the part is component. offered up it either fits exactly or it is The green ‘go’ part obvious if it is too large or small. is inserted These three examples on this slide into the hole are used to test products such as: to test if it will fit. If not Chain links, plumbing pipe and it fails and drill bit sizes. then 3:3. PTS: Use of media to convey design decisions a) Pictorial drawing methods for representing 3D forms. b) Working drawings for communicating 2D technical information. c) Nets (developments) for communicating information about 2D forms in a 2D format. d) Translation between working drawings, pictorial drawings and nets (developments). e) Report writing. Learning Outcomes Name the range of presentation techniques and describe how they can be used in your design work. Describe in greater detail using specialist subject vocabulary and show how the examples are used in your design. Apply this knowledge to your design work and explain how this can improve the standard and quality of design work and aid the development of 2D and 3D packaging. a) Pictorial drawing methods for representing 3D forms There are many techniques used to represent 3D forms and it is vital to practice as much as possible. You can use ‘crating’ to create simple geometrical shapes out of a series of constructed lines to make rectangular boxes. From this you can project other lines and construct other shapes to refine the sketch. Graph paper can also be used to achieve greater accuracy and to aid symmetry. b) Working drawings for communicating 2D technical information It is important to present the final design using accurate techniques and drawing tools. You can sketch accurately or use precise aids such as ruler, set square, protractor and compass to present work. The drawings could be presented using one of the following:1st and 3rd angle. Isometric. c) Nets (developments) for communicating information about 2D forms in a 2D format Nets or developments are used to construct 3-dimensional shapes from a flat 2D piece of material. They are mostly used in the packaging products and fast food containers. d) Translation between working drawings, pictorial drawings and nets (developments) These are some good examples of 3D nets for packaging of the translated examples based on the original technical drawings. Care has been taken in both the design and the development to combine good design aesthetics with functionality- strength and use of materials. These are ingenious examples of how net developments can be used to create innovative packaging. e) Report writing It is important to record any information based on your research and annotation throughout your iterative design process. Report writing is used to present useful information in a logical manner and you should consider the following points. Stay within the word limit. Understand the subject and aim. Organise this into sub-headings. 3:4. PTS: Adhesive, mechanical, heat and jointing a) Adhesive. b) Mechanical. c) Heat. d) Jointing. Learning Outcomes Name various types adhesives, mechanical, heat treatment and other joining methods. Describe in greater detail using specialist subject vocabulary and explain why the techniques are used in your practical work. Apply the techniques to your design work and use them in order to experiment with innovative assembly and joining methods. a) Adhesive: Timber, Plastic and Metal There are many adhesives that can be used to join materials together. Some such as contact adhesive will join different types of materials. Timber: As it the material is porous the adhesive absorbs into surfaces which creates a strong joint. PVA, wood adhesive. Plastic: There are various types of adhesive depending on type of plastic. Absorbent: timber (paper/card) adhesive absorbs into the pores of material. Non-absorbent: surfaces are not porous- adhesive is applied to both surfaces. Metal: This is non-absorbent and requires contact or other specialist adhesive. a) Adhesive: Plastic The main techniques used to join plastics are chemical bonding with substances such as: Acrylic solvent cement: this works by softening both surfaces and chemically bonding them together. Tensol: this adhesive is applied to both surfaces and then the material is clamped for at least 24 hours to form a strong joint. Cyanocrylite: Otherwise known as ‘Superglue’ this adhesive can be used to join many different types of material to each other and once applied forms a quick and strong joint. b) Mechanical There are many techniques used to join materials together ranging from basic to more complex including: Semi-permanent: Nails. Screws. Nuts and bolts. Staple. Seam joint. Permanent: Riveting. Mechanical Joint: Semi-Permanent When joining woods, plastic and metals there are many semi-permanent methods you can use. The technique selected is influenced by factors based on function, aesthetics and speed of completing the activity. Nails: Quick, convenient, basic joining technique. The nail head is recessed. Screws: Pilot hole, main hole. The screw head is visible. Nuts and bolts: Quick, main hole drilled. The nut head is visible. Staple: Quick, convenient. The staple is flush to the surface. Seam joint: Complex multi stage process. Hidden joint- good aesthetics. Mechanical Joint: Permanent When permanently joining materials the best technique is riveting. There are a number of different methods which can range from basic to more complex. Rivet gun with rivets: convenient to use and efficient manual technique. Hot metal riveting: a mechanised technique involving complexity and level of skill for worker. Resistance spot riveting: fast/ efficient- electrodes apply force from top and bottom to create permanent join. c) Heat There are a number of joining techniques involving the use of heat: Solder: this is a low heat method 300°C used for joining a range of metals used in jewellery and electronic circuit boards. Brazing: this method uses medium heat of 450°C to join materials such as Copper for plumbing using brass as a flux. Welding: this is an effective widely used technique used to form a strong and permanent joint in metals such as Iron, Aluminium and alloys such as Steel. c) Heat: Types of Welding There are two types of welding known as MIG and TIG: MIG: Metal inert gas. Also known as ‘arc welding’. The heat of the arc melts the surface of the material between 3,000- 20,000°C. TIG: Tungsten inert gas. The TIG welder can produce temperatures of up to 20,000C. d) Jointing: Wood Joints: Basic There are a number of traditional joining techniques used for timber and other materials. The main ones are as follows based on complexity from basic to advanced. Butt: two surfaces are butted together usually at a 90° angle. Dowel : butt joint is drilled and the dowel pins used with wood adhesive to join material. Lap: lap joint cut so that wood parts are recessed and supported. Mitre: used widely in picture and door frames- cut at 45° angle. d) Jointing: Medium to Complex Mortice and Tenon: Two components cut with one to fit inside the other to form the strong joint. Finger/box: Skilled process, inherently strong and an aesthetically pleasing technique. Dovetail: this is a very skilled process, no wood adhesive is required to achieve the strongest timber construction joint. Very attractive aesthetic achieved and is used in expensive traditional furniture for drawers. d) Jointing: Knock Down Fittings Knock-Down or KD fittings are used for DIY applications as they are a quick and simple means of joining materials. They are used by companies such as IKEA to assemble flat-pack furniture. You can buy many different types of fitting including the following: Modesty Block Cam lock Barrel nut and bolt 3:5. PTS: Finishes, paper and board finishing processes. a) Finishes: Paints, varnishes, sealants, preservatives, anodising, electro-plating, powder coating, oil coating, galvanisation and cathodic protection a) Paper and board finishing process: Laminating, varnishing, hot foil blocking and embossing a) Finishes: Paints Paints can be used to finish timber, metal, plastic and other materials. Wood: both oil based gloss and water-based paints can be used for timber as they absorb into the surface. Metal: ‘Hammerite’ is a widely used oil-based paint coats non-absorbent surfaces such as metal. Plastic: can be painted as long as the surface is prepared with an acrylic primer. Paper/card: Various paints including water, acrylic and oil based are used. Fabric: specific paints that absorb into the surface and are waterproof. a) Finishes: Varnishes Varnishes are used to seal the surface of timber as they absorb deeply into the grain and create a hard wearing, aesthetically pleasing finish to the material. They are available as clear, various shades of timber and also as coloured tones. They can be applied as a polyurethane, lacquer and shellac. a) Finishes: Sealants There are many sealants that are available to provide tough durable surface finishes to timber based products. eg: furniture and flooring. Most modern finishes are non-toxic timber sealants which contain substances that are healthy to use and will not harm or damage the environment. This is used to create a weatherproof surface as they contain silicon rubber. Other traditional examples are bees wax and Danish oil both which create a beautiful rich aesthetic to the timber. a) Finishes: Preservatives Wood preservatives are used in order to allow timber to last longer and minimise damage from the environment. There are specialist preservatives available that have water-repellent qualities which are known as hydro-scopic. There are also antiseptic wood preservatives which are used to minimise surface deteriation. a) Finishes: Anodising Anodising is a process used to coat the surface of metals. The process works by submerging the product (anode) into an acid electrolyte and then passing an electric current through the liquid. The cathode is made from the metal- eg: aluminium magnesium, titanium and transfers to the anode as the electric current passes through. a) Finishes: Electro-plating Electroplating is an effective technique to protect and add aesthetic value to the surface of a metal. It works by passing a current through an electrotytic liquid with a cathode and anode. Cathode- object being plated. Anode- metal used to plate. The electric current has the effect of displacing the material from the anode and transferring it to coat the surface of the object: eg chrome plating. a) Finishes: Powder Coating Powder coating is used to coat the surface of metal. The material is prepared by being electrostatically charged. This attracts the powder to the surface. It is a quick, effective technique and is used to achieve a vivid colour finish as seen in the examples. The main difference between conventional liquid paint and powder coating is that powder coating doesn’t need a solvent to keep the binder and the filler parts in liquid suspension form. a) Finishes: Oil Coating Oil coating is used to protect the surface of metals and stop them from corroding. The oil is applied to the metal surface and forms a layer. Water and oil do not mix well and so the oil creates a water-repellent barrier therefore preventing rust. a) Finishes: Galvanising Galvanising works by coating the surface of iron or steel with a layer of Zinc. It is used widely in vehicle production when protecting the metal bodies of cars. It involves a complex surface preparation process to be ready to coat the product with a protective layer of Zinc. The Zinc is metallurgically bonded to the surface and forms a protective layer which has a random appearance of flake forms. The main disadvantage is that galvanised components should not be used underground unless they are completely covered. a) Finishes: Cathodic Protection Cathodic Protection is a system used to minimise the potential damage by corrosion to underground pipework and underwater structures such as boat hulls. It works by turning the metallic material into a cathode and using a less reactive metal as the anode. The anode is sacrificed to protect the surface of the metal. 3:5. PTS: Finishes, paper and board finishing processes. b) Paper and board finishing processes: Laminating Varnishing Hot foil blocking Embossing Laminating: Paper and Card Lamination is a process where you create layers of material in order to increase the strength of the existing paper or card. This process is used for business cards to protect the surface and has many uses for packaging food and drink. The ‘Tetrapak is a famous and extremely successful piece of packaging design which was innovative at the time and used laminated card in a novel way. It improved both the strength of the package and it also made it easier to keep drinks for longer. Varnishing Varnish can be applied to paper and card by hand or mechanically to create an attractive surface finish to form a protective coating for outer layer of material. It is used in many commercial applications and to create tough hard-wearing products such as: Business cards and publicity accessories, playing cards and other products for packaging. Embossing Embossing is a process used to add a decorative raised to surface to chosen material paper and card. This can be used for small details on letter heads and business cards or on a larger scale for wall paper. These images below show two hand-operated mechanical embossers and a heavy industrial embossing press. Hot Foil Blocking Hot foil blocking is used to add coloured and metallic surface detailing to both paper and card. It is effective for adding decorative surface details to items of stationary such a: Birthday cards, business cards and packaging to highlight metallic lettering and decoration.