Production Methods

Question 1

What are jigs used?

Answer 1

Jigs help manufacture repetitive components.
A jig guides the tools, e.g. Drills, that are working on a component
• jigs come in many different shapes and sizes and can be specifically made for a particular job
• they’re designed to speed up production and simplify the making process
• they also help cut down on errors, and make sure every component is identical

Question 2

What are moulds used to reproduce shapes?

Answer 2

Moulds are used to reproduce shapes.
• moulds are most commonly used when manufacturing plastic products in processes such as vacuum forming and blow moulding
• once an accurate mould has been made, detailed plastic shapes can be formed with it over and over again
• industrial moulds can be expensive to produce (especially if they’re made out of metal), so a manufacturer needs to be certain of the design. It’s only cost- effective to make a mould if large numbers of a product are needed

Question 3

What does wasting materials mean?

Answer 3

Wasting materials means losing money.
• any material that manufacturers waste means a loss of money
• so when they’re making products, they have to make the best use of the materials
• if manufacturers can make their product for less money, it means they can afford to sell it to us more cheaply too
* it’s important to reduce waste for environmental reasons too

Question 4

What does tessellating shapes do?

Answer 4

Tessellate shapes to reduce waste
• when you’re making a batch of the same product, you can reduce waste by making as many products as possible from the least amount of material
• for example, manufacturers can try to cut as many shapes from one sheet of material as possible
• to do this they try to use shapes that tessellate- this means that repeats of the shape fit together without any gaps or overlapping pieces

Question 5

If your asked to make a batch of products what production methods could you use?

Answer 5

• templates - used to make repetitive shapes
• jigs - help manufacture repetitive components
• moulds - are used to reproduce shapes
• tessellate - shapes to reduce waste
* when wasting materials you lose money

Question 6

What are templates used for?

Answer 6

Templates are used to make repetitive shapes.
To draw, scribe or cut around. They’re very easy to make and simple to use.
• you can use them to reproduce any number of identical shapes from one original pattern (template)
• templates need to be strong and hard-wearing - so that they can be used repeatedly without getting damaged or worn
• afterwards, the components can be checked against the templates for accuracy