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ScotlandDesign and ManufactureQuick questions
Materials and Manufacture
Quick questions on Scales of production and manufacturing systems - SQA Higher Design and Manufacture
6short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is one-off production?Show answer
A single product is made to order, often by skilled workers using general tools, for example a bespoke kitchen or a prototype. It is flexible and suits unique or custom work, but it is slow and the cost per item is high.
What is batch production?Show answer
A set quantity of the same product is made, then the line or machine is reset to make a different product or variant, for example a run of a particular bookcase. It balances cost and flexibility, suiting medium volumes and products that come in variants or change over time.
What is mass and continuous production?Show answer
Very large numbers of identical products are made on highly automated lines, for example drinks bottles, cars and fasteners. Tooling cost is high but the cost per item is very low because the run is huge and the process is automated. Continuous production is the extreme case: the plant runs non-stop, day and night, for materials such as steel, chemicals and petrol, where stopping is costly.
What is q1?Show answer
Explain when one-off production is the most suitable scale, with an example. [3 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Explain how a jig or template improves batch production. [3 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Explain why CAD/CAM is widely used in modern manufacture. [4 marks]
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