Unit 1 - Manufacturing Engineered Products

In 2024, candidates have been provided with the following brief (which is different every year): 

"Mobile phones have made considerable advances over recent years with devices incorporating sophisticated and high-quality cameras capable of a range of shooting modes including macro photography.

Exploiting the capability of these newest devices, an established manufacturer of mobile phone accessories is keen to develop a low-cost phone rig, to allow detailed close-up photographs to be taken without camera shake or the need for a cumbersome tripod.

The company has commissioned a prototype to evaluate the function of the proposed phone rig design prior to going into full-scale production.

As an employee of a small engineering company, you have been provided with detailed engineering drawings of their design solution to produce a working prototype to test for function and usability. The company has also provided technical information to assist in the manufacture of the prototype."

Your role as engineer is to:

1. interpret the engineering drawings and data sheets.

2. plan the stages of production including the selection of the necessary tools, equipment, and materials.

3. produce each of the required component parts based on the facilities and equipment available to you.

4. evaluate the completed engineering product and make suggestions for improvements.

Manufacturing Specification

• Produce the prototype using appropriate engineering processes to allow testing of the phone rig to be undertaken.

• Use a range of suitable materials to manufacture the component parts of the phone rig.

• Ensure that a high level of finish is applied to the final prototype.

• Produce the prototype to the dimensions stated and within the given tolerances.