Eduqas A-Level Product Design processes and manufacture overview quiz quiz

Injection moulding

Blow moulding

Vacuum forming

Extrusion

Long products of constant cross-section such as pipe, guttering and curtain track

Solid, highly detailed components produced in very high volumes with fine features

Shallow shells such as trays and packaging from heated sheet

Large seamless hollow items such as water storage tanks and traffic cones

Welding

Galvanising

Injection moulding

Milling

A nut and bolt

Welding

Brazing

An epoxy adhesive

Batch production is always fully automated, whereas mass production is always carried out by hand

Batch makes a set quantity then resets; mass makes very high volumes continuously on a dedicated line

There is no real difference; batch and mass production are simply two names for the same method

Batch production makes only one single bespoke item, while mass production makes a small set quantity

Because the raw polymer material itself becomes much cheaper per kilogram once it is bought in bulk

Because the individual moulded parts simply become noticeably stronger when more of them are produced

Because the expensive mould cost is spread over many parts, so cost per part falls as volume rises

Because the tooling and the mould for injection moulding are supplied to the manufacturer free of charge

Hold very large buffer stocks of raw materials and components in the warehouse at all times

Increase the number of defects so that more reworking and inspection is needed on the line

Deliberately slow down the speed of the production line to give workers more time per item

Have materials arrive exactly when needed, reducing stock and waste

A tool path (often G-code) generated from the model that tells the machine how to move

Nothing at all; the CAD model and the CNC machine are completely unrelated and never linked

A freehand hand sketch of the part that the machine operator reads and follows by eye

A printed photograph of the finished component pinned beside the CNC machine for reference

24.0 mm and 26.0 mm

24.9 mm and 25.1 mm

25.0 mm exactly only

24.99 mm and 25.01 mm

They are identical terms describing the same single inspection activity carried out at the end of the line

Quality assurance simply means checking and inspecting the final finished product on its own just before it is despatched to the customer

Quality control detects faults by inspecting products; quality assurance prevents faults by building quality into the whole system

Quality control prevents every possible fault from ever occurring anywhere in the manufacturing process

Clamps and holds the workpiece firmly in place while it is being machined or assembled

Checks a finished part against its upper and lower tolerance limits after manufacture

Applies a coloured protective finish to the surface of the completed component

Guides the tool to the correct position so every part is made the same

It thickens aluminium's oxide layer into a hard, corrosion-resistant surface that can be dyed

It coats ordinary steel with a sacrificial layer of zinc to protect it against rusting

It is a clear protective varnish applied to timber to seal the grain and protect the wooden surface

It fully melts the aluminium so that it can be poured and cast into a new product shape

They must always be carefully painted and lacquered by hand after they come out of the mould

The surface formed in the mould, with pigment in the material, is the final finish, so little or no finishing is needed

They corrode and rust very quickly indeed unless a separate protective coating is carefully applied straight after they are moulded

They cannot be coloured in any way, so a separate decorative finish must always be added later