DT in our world

Question 1

What is Technology Push?

Answer 1

development of new or improved products which come from advances in materials, components or manufacturing methods
eg tablets and smart phones, development of graphene as a material

Question 2

What is Market Pull?

Answer 2

development of new products in response to user demand

eg the mobile phone

Question 3

Consumer choice - What is the difference between Customer Needs and Wants?

Answer 3

Needs - cannot do without or essential safety features

Wants - something we would like - make customers feel wanted or gives them status eg designer labels

Question 4

What is Market Research?

Answer 4

asking the target audience about their needs and wants. A successful product listens and provides for these needs and wants

Question 5

What are Market Trends?

Answer 5

eg fashion, eco, lifestyle, technological trends.

Question 6

What is a Mass Market and a Niche Market?

Answer 6

mass market - lots of people will buy

niche market - specific group of people interested int he product. eg gardeners for new gardening tool

Question 7

What is a unique selling point?

Answer 7

makes a product different from similar ones
eg the original iMac stood out due to its shape and style
Dyson vacuum cleaner - no bag for dust

Question 8

What are the 4 stages of a Product Life Cycle?

Answer 8

Introduction - launch product
Growth - sales grow as people become aware
Maturity - sales reach peak
Decline - sales fall as people have already bought it

Question 9

Name some products which have been re-designed because of environmental issues?

Answer 9

wind up radios
electric cars
solar panels on calculators and garden lamps

Question 10

What is Global Warming and Climate Change?

Answer 10

Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect (caused by greenhouse gases like CO2)
Contributed to by burning fossil fuels, deforestation,

Question 11

Give some examples of effects of government policies and legislation?

Answer 11

Eco labels
Low Sulphur Fuel
Unleaded petrol
CFC free aerosols
5p charge of plastic carrier bags
2040 ban on petrol and diesel cars

If products don’t conform then companies will be fined

Question 12

What are the standards associated with Design and Manufacture?

Answer 12

ISO international standards. eg threads on screws, sizes of batteries
BSI - British Standards Institution - technical standards
Kite Mark - comply with safety regulations
CE marking - conforms to European standards

Question 13

What is Quality Control?

Answer 13

carried out through the manufacturing process to test to see if it works, is within tolerances for size or assembled correctly.
eg some products tested at random, (for matches)
for electrical items every product is tested for safety

Question 14

What is Quality Assurance?

Answer 14

Involves the whole company not just the finished product.
Companies would consider:
happy work force paid fairly and developed
Safe working environment
Uses recycled materials
No harm to environment
Customer satisfaction

Question 15

Factors to consider when thinking about Build Quality?

Answer 15

price
competition
reliability
meets consumer expectation
brand loyalty
how long will it last

Question 16

What is Planned Obsolescence? also called built in obsolescence

Answer 16

built in a limited useful life
eg mobile phones and light bulbs
Encourages demand but what about the environment?

Question 17

What is the definition of sustainability?

Answer 17

Meeting today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations.
Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.

Question 18

Renewable vs non renewable resources?

List some facts.

Answer 18

non renewable are finite and include fossil fuels (coal oil gas). Cannot be manmade . We are using them faster than they are naturally produced.

Question 19

List some factors to consider for Responsible Design?

Answer 19

using renewable energy sources
no toxic by-products
low CO2 emission of the product
transportation distances
repair costs
welfare of workers in material supply chain
recyclable at end of product life

Question 20

What is CAD?

Answer 20

computer aided design
using software to accurately draw products
advantages:
edit drawings,
3D views,
Aesthetic visual tests - change finishes to see how it looks,
Performance Tests - test virtual models for strength etc, walk through/tour
send to CAM machines

Question 21

Name the types of Industrial Process?

Answer 21

Mass Production - hundreds of identical products made on a production line. eg cars
Continuous Production - 24/7 eg oil refinery, drink cans, used when demand is high and not many components
Batch Production - eg batch of 100 bricks
Unit or one-off - made one at a time eg bridge, cruise ship

Question 22

What is CAM?

Answer 22

Computer Aided Manufacture
eg CNC (computer numerical control) machines
CNC router
CNC lathe
CNC miller
3D printers
laser cutter

Question 23

Name 4 cutting systems.

Answer 23

Laser cutting - uses high intensity light beam, burns through or engraves
Plasma cutting - uses an electric arc and air jet blows away molten metal
Water jet cutting - high pressure water mixed with abrasive
Milling cutter - rotating cutter

Question 24

What is a 3D prototype ?

Answer 24

model which can get answers on:
feedback from clients
functionality
aesthetics
will it work
tested

Question 25

What is Just In Time Manufacturing?

Answer 25

Japanese concept from the 60s and 70s (Toyota)
only buy enough stock and materials for immediate use
saves money on storage
no need for large warehouses
capital not tied up in stock sitting around doing nothing
no obsolete stock if product changes design slightly
less wasted stock

Question 26

Ecological and social footprint

Answer 26

The impact a material’s production and consumption has on the planet

Question 27

Morals, Ethics and the environment

Answer 27

sustainability
ethical production methods
looking after workers 
reducing waste
recycling
end of life disposal

Question 28

What is Life Cycle Analysis LCA?

Answer 28

determines the environmental impact of a product
Stages to consider:
1. Resource extraction
2 Production
3. Distribution
4. Use
5. Recycling

Question 29

Fair trade?

Answer 29

policies which mean paying a reasonable rate for materials

Question 30

Carbon footprint ?

Answer 30

CO2 emission and its effect

Question 31

What is the difference between Pneumatics and Hydraulics?

Answer 31

Pneumatics uses compressed air or gas to move something eg drills, on automated production lines
Hydraulics use liquids which give a more powerful system. eg lifting systems, car brakes

Question 32

What is Global Production?

Answer 32

Lots of country involved in resourcing and producing products and materials.

Question 33

Ecological footprint?

Answer 33

effect on the environment?

Question 34

Factors to consider when evaluating design?

Answer 34

social, economic, environmental, cultural

Question 35

What is The Consumer Rights Act 2015

Answer 35

Law that protects consumers when things go wrong.

It covers faulty goods, counterfeit goods, poor services and problems with workmen.

Question 36

What are the good and bad effects of global production on culture and people?

Answer 36

good effects - internet means we can buy and sell to the whole world, greater competition, lower prices
bad effects - job losses from cheaper Imports and automated production, people isolated from each other , threat to traditional industries

Question 37

What is sustainability?

Answer 37

producing goods ad services without impacting on the needs of future populations

Question 38

Advantages of CAD are….

Answer 38

higher quality presentation
edited easily
shared and worked on with other people

Question 39

Disadvantages of CAD are …

Answer 39

needs powerful computers
trained staff and high level of expertise
expensive to update software
slower to generate initial ideas

Question 40

Advantages of CAM are …

Answer 40

faster manufacture
accurate
consistent and repeatable
less waste

Question 41

Disadvantages of CAM are…

Answer 41

expensive machinery
needs regular maintenance
loss of traditional skills
too expensive for small scale manufacture