How are products made by removing material (wasting) and by joining or adding material (addition)?
Wasting processes (sawing, drilling, milling, turning, laser and water-jet cutting) that remove material, and addition and joining processes (welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, mechanical fixings, 3D printing) that join or build up material, with their uses and trade-offs.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on wasting and addition processes: sawing, drilling, milling, turning and laser and water-jet cutting that remove material, and welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, mechanical fixings and 3D printing that join or build up material, with their uses and trade-offs.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to know the wasting processes that shape a product by removing material and the addition and joining processes that join or build up material, with their uses and trade-offs. Together with shaping and forming, these are how parts are made and assembled, and they are examined as recall and as comparisons (which process, and why).
Wasting: removing material
Permanent joining
Temporary joining and addition
Choosing a wasting or joining process
The choice of process turns on the material, the form, the strength needed, the production scale and whether parts must be separated. Wasting suits accurate parts and is flexible but wastes material; laser and water-jet cutting add accuracy and low waste for flat parts. Permanent joins (welding, brazing, adhesives) give strength and neatness; temporary joins (bolts, screws, snap fits) give serviceability and recyclability. Additive manufacture suits complex one-offs and prototypes. A strong answer names the process and justifies it against these factors, and often weighs a permanent against a temporary join in terms of strength versus repairability.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20204 marksExplain the difference between a permanent and a temporary method of joining two parts, and give one example of each used in product manufacture.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 short-answer question. Marks for the contrast and for each example.
A permanent join cannot be undone without damaging or destroying the parts or the joint: examples are welding (fusing metals together), brazing or soldering, and gluing with a strong adhesive (epoxy). A temporary join can be undone and remade without damage, allowing assembly, maintenance and disassembly: examples are nuts and bolts, screws, snap fits and other mechanical fixings.
Award marks for the contrast (cannot be undone versus can be undone and remade) and a valid example of each. A common dropped mark is calling a screw permanent or a weld temporary. Temporary fixings also aid repair and recycling.
Eduqas 20226 marksDiscuss the advantages of laser cutting compared with traditional sawing and drilling for producing flat parts. Refer to accuracy, waste and production in your answer.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 extended question marked by levels of response. Reward a comparison across accuracy, waste and production.
Laser cutting follows a CAD file to cut and engrave flat sheet with a focused beam, giving very high accuracy and repeatability, clean edges, intricate detail and the ability to nest parts to minimise waste, all with no contact and little setup between jobs. Traditional sawing and drilling are slower, less precise on complex shapes, harder to repeat exactly, and produce more waste and rougher edges, though they need no CAD file and lower equipment cost.
A top answer weighs accuracy and repeatability (laser wins), waste (laser nests to reduce it), and production speed and flexibility (laser is faster and CAD-driven), but notes the laser's higher capital cost and material limits, reaching a clear conclusion that laser cutting suits accurate, repeatable, low-waste flat parts.
Related dot points
- The shaping and forming processes for polymers (injection moulding, blow moulding, vacuum forming, extrusion, rotational moulding), metals (casting, forging, die casting) and timber (laminating, steam bending), and how the process suits the material, the form and the scale of production.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on shaping and forming processes: injection moulding, blow moulding, vacuum forming, extrusion and rotational moulding for polymers, casting and forging for metals, and laminating and steam bending for timber, with the material and scale each suits.
- The scales of production (one-off or bespoke, batch, mass and continuous), just-in-time and lean manufacturing, the relationship between volume, tooling cost and unit cost, and how the chosen scale shapes the manufacturing method.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on the scales of production: one-off or bespoke, batch, mass and continuous production, just-in-time and lean manufacturing, and how production volume sets the relationship between tooling cost, unit cost and the manufacturing method.
- Digital design and manufacture: CAD, CAM and CNC machining, additive manufacture (3D printing), the role of automation, robotics and flexible manufacturing systems, and the benefits and drawbacks of computer-integrated manufacture.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on digital design and manufacture: CAD, CAM and CNC machining, additive manufacture by 3D printing, automation, robotics and flexible manufacturing systems, and the benefits and drawbacks of computer-integrated manufacture.
- Finishing processes for metals (painting, powder coating, anodising, galvanising, plating), timber (varnish, oil, wax, stain, paint) and polymers (self-finishing, printing), the reasons for finishing (protection, function, aesthetics), and how the finish suits the material and environment.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on finishing processes: painting, powder coating, anodising, galvanising and plating for metals, varnish, oil, wax, stain and paint for timber, and the self-finishing nature of polymers, with the reasons for finishing and how a finish suits the material and environment.
- Quality control and quality assurance, tolerances and upper and lower limits, the use of gauges, jigs, fixtures and templates, statistical process control and Six Sigma, and how tolerances enable interchangeable parts and consistent quality.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on quality control and tolerances: the difference between quality control and quality assurance, upper and lower limits and tolerance, gauges, jigs, fixtures and templates, statistical process control and Six Sigma, and how tolerances allow interchangeable parts.
Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas A Level Design and Technology specification (Product Design) — Eduqas (2017)