Working with materials to make a prototype, including techniques for wastage, addition, deforming and reforming, and the use of tools and equipment to cut, shape, form and join materials safely and accurately.

What this dot point is asking

This is AQA section 3.2.5. AQA wants you to know the four families of shaping process and the tools used to cut, shape, form and join materials safely and accurately. You need to classify a process as wastage, addition, deforming or reforming and pick suitable tools for a job. In Paper 1 this is examined by asking you to classify named processes and to explain accurate, safe working.

The four process families

Classifying a process is a frequent exam task, so the test for each is worth fixing. Wastage: is material cut away and lost? Addition: is material joined on? Deforming: does the shape change while the material stays solid? Reforming: does the material change state (melt) and then re-set?

Wastage and addition

Joins are also classed as permanent (welding, gluing, riveting) or temporary (screws, nuts and bolts, press studs), and the choice depends on whether the product must be taken apart for repair. Accurate marking out, using a rule, try square, gauge and scriber, before any cutting reduces waste and scrapped parts, following the principle "measure twice, cut once".

Deforming and reforming

• Deforming changes the shape while the material stays solid, usually by softening with heat or applying force. Examples include bending acrylic over a line (strip) bender, vacuum forming a heated polymer sheet over a mould, laminating thin layers around a former, and press forming or die cutting sheet metal and card.
• Reforming changes the material's state, melting it to a liquid then re-setting it in a mould. Examples include sand casting and die casting molten metal, and injection moulding and blow moulding molten polymer. Reforming suits complex shapes and high volumes, because once the mould is made each part is identical.

Working safely and accurately

Safe, accurate making rests on a few habits the exam rewards: use the correct tool for each task, clamp the work securely so it cannot slip, wear the right personal protective equipment (goggles, gloves, apron, dust mask), keep machine guards in place and the area tidy, and check measurements before cutting. Templates and jigs help repeat shapes accurately across several parts, and following a clear sequence reduces both error and risk.