Question 1

What does the Eduqas processes and manufacture theme cover?

Accepted Answer

It covers how materials become products: shaping and forming processes (injection, blow, vacuum and rotational moulding, extrusion, casting, forging, laminating and steam bending), wasting and addition processes (sawing, drilling, milling, turning, laser and water-jet cutting, and welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, mechanical fixings and 3D printing), the scales of production (one-off, batch, mass and continuous) with just-in-time and lean manufacturing, digital design and manufacture (CAD, CAM, CNC, automation and robotics), quality control and tolerances, and finishing processes. It is examined in Component 1.

Question 2

Why is injection moulding suited to mass production but not one-offs?

Accepted Answer

Injection moulding forces molten thermoplastic into a steel mould under pressure, producing solid detailed parts in seconds, identically and with little waste. The mould (tooling) is very expensive, so for a one-off the cost per part would be enormous, but spread over thousands or millions of parts the tooling cost becomes tiny and the unit cost very low. That tooling-versus-volume trade-off is why injection moulding suits high volume and is wrong for a single prototype, which would use a low-tooling process such as 3D printing or vacuum forming.

Question 3

What is the difference between a permanent and a temporary join?

Accepted Answer

A permanent join cannot be undone without damaging the parts or the joint, and is used for strength: welding (fusing metals), brazing and soldering (a molten filler), and strong adhesives such as epoxy. A temporary join can be undone and remade without damage, allowing assembly, maintenance, repair and recycling: nuts and bolts, screws, snap fits and other mechanical fixings. The choice depends on whether the joint must ever come apart, which links manufacture to serviceability and sustainable end-of-life separation of materials.

Question 4

What is a tolerance, and how are upper and lower limits found?

Accepted Answer

A tolerance is the permitted variation in a dimension, expressed as an upper and a lower limit. For a size of 25 mm with a tolerance of plus or minus 0.1 mm, the upper limit is 25.1 mm and the lower limit is 24.9 mm, and any part between them is acceptable; the tolerance (the range) is 0.2 mm. Tolerances exist because no process is perfectly exact, so a controlled range lets parts be made economically and still fit. They make parts interchangeable, so any part fits in assembly and any can replace another in repair, which is essential for mass production and spares.

Question 5

What do CAD, CAM and CNC mean, and how do they link?

Accepted Answer

CAD (computer-aided design) is software used to create an accurate 2D or 3D virtual model. CAM (computer-aided manufacture) is the use of computer-controlled machines to make the product. CNC (computer numerical control) machines follow instructions, a tool path often written as G-code, generated from the CAD model. So the workflow is design the model in CAD, generate the tool path for CAM, and run it on a CNC machine, which cuts, mills, turns, routes or prints the part automatically, accurately and repeatably. Automation and robotics extend this to whole production lines.

Question 6

How should I revise the processes and manufacture theme for Eduqas Product Design?

Accepted Answer

Learn each shaping process with the form it makes and the material it suits (injection moulding for solid parts, blow moulding for hollow bottles, vacuum forming for shells, extrusion for long sections). Learn the wasting and joining processes and the permanent versus temporary distinction. Master the scales of production and the tooling-versus-volume relationship that sets unit cost. Know the CAD, CAM, CNC workflow and the pros and cons of automation. Drill tolerances and limits, and the role of jigs, fixtures and gauges. Learn the finishes for each material and the reasons for finishing. Work through the six dot-point pages, then attempt the quiz.

Eduqas A-Level Product Design processes and manufacture: a complete overview

What this theme demands

Shaping, forming, wasting and joining

Scales of production

Digital manufacture, quality and finishing

How to revise this theme

Sources & how we know this