How are new technologies changing how products are designed, made and used, and what are the wider impacts?
New and emerging technologies: CAD/CAM and digital manufacture (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC), automation and robotics, smart and modern materials, and the impact of new technologies on industry, society and the environment.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on new and emerging technologies: CAD/CAM and digital manufacture, automation and robotics, smart materials, and their impact on industry, society and the environment.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR J310 expects you to know about new and emerging technologies and, crucially, their impact on industry, society and the environment. The technologies include CAD/CAM and digital manufacture (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC), automation and robotics, and smart and modern materials. In the written exam this is tested by explaining how automation affects a workforce and by discussing the benefits and drawbacks of a technology such as 3D printing.
Digital manufacture: CAD/CAM
These technologies make parts accurately and repeatably from a digital file, with fast and cheap one-offs (no tooling) and the ability to make complex shapes. 3D printing is ideal for prototyping and low-volume or complex parts, though it is slow for large quantities, where moulding still wins.
Automation and robotics
The impact on a workforce is the classic exam theme, and a good answer is balanced:
- Job losses: robots do routine tasks faster and more consistently, so some manual jobs disappear, and workers may need to retrain.
- New roles: skilled jobs are created to program, maintain and supervise the machines.
- Safety and quality: automation removes people from dangerous or repetitive tasks and improves consistency.
Smart and modern materials
These let designers add new functions, such as a kettle that changes colour when hot or a self-adjusting component.
Weighing the impact
OCR wants the impact considered across three areas:
- Industry: cost, speed, flexibility and jobs.
- Society: employment, access to products, and changes to how people live and work.
- Environment: energy use, waste, and whether products and materials can be recycled.
Try this
Q1. Name one digital manufacturing technology and state what it does. [2 marks]
- Cue. For example a 3D printer (builds parts layer by layer) or a laser cutter (cuts and engraves sheet).
Q2. Give one example of a smart material and the change it responds to. [2 marks]
- Cue. Thermochromic pigment (temperature), photochromic pigment (light), or shape-memory alloy (heat).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J310/01 20194 marksExplain two ways that the use of automation and robotics in manufacturing affects a workforce.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Explain wants two developed effects, ideally one positive and one negative.
Effect 1, fewer routine jobs. Robots and automated machines do repetitive tasks faster and more consistently than people, so some manual and routine jobs are lost, which can cause unemployment and require workers to retrain.
Effect 2, new and safer roles. Automation creates demand for skilled roles to program, maintain and supervise the machines, and removes people from dangerous or repetitive tasks, improving safety and the type of work available.
Markers reward two developed effects, each with a consequence for the workforce. A strong answer balances job losses against new skilled roles and safety. Two bare statements cap the mark at two.
OCR J310/01 20226 marksDiscuss the benefits and drawbacks of using 3D printing to manufacture a new product.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark Discuss wants both sides with a judgement.
Benefits: 3D printing builds parts directly from a CAD model, so prototypes and one-off or low-volume parts are made quickly and cheaply without tooling, complex shapes are possible that other methods cannot make, and designs can be changed and reprinted easily, ideal for iteration.
Drawbacks: it is slow for large quantities compared with moulding, the material choice and strength can be limited, the surface finish often needs work, and the machines and materials can be costly per part at volume.
A strong answer weighs these and concludes, for example, that 3D printing is excellent for prototyping and low-volume or complex parts but not yet for high-volume mass production. Markers reward benefits, drawbacks and a balanced judgement. A one-sided answer caps the mark.
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- Computer-aided design (CAD): using software to model, refine, test and present designs, the advantages and disadvantages of CAD, and how it links to computer-aided manufacture (CAM).
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on computer-aided design: using software to model, refine, test and present designs, the advantages and drawbacks of CAD, and how it links to CAM.
- Scales of production: one-off (bespoke), batch, mass and continuous production, the features and trade-offs of each, and how the scale influences process choice, cost and the use of CAM.
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- The implications of wider issues for design: social, moral, ethical and environmental impacts, the 6 Rs of sustainability, life-cycle thinking, and how designers reduce a product's footprint.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on the wider issues in design: social, moral, ethical and environmental impacts, the 6 Rs of sustainability, life-cycle thinking, and reducing a product's footprint.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Design and Technology (J310) specification — OCR (2017)