Part e

• The fifth part of question 1 e) is always to ‘draw the full solution to the problem, including construction details and important dimensions’ for one of your design ideas for ‘the product’ from 1 c) that meets the problem set. This part of the question is worth 12 marks (24%) of the total marks for this exam. This is often the part of the exam that takes the most amount of time, and can be challenging, however you should try and complete it in less than 25 minutes.

• It is important that your measurements are added in millimeters mm and NOT cm. You can use a mixture of 2D and 3D sketching, although 3D is best. You should try to include an exploded or separated sketch to show the construction details / information.

• If you always imagine that you will use timber / wood / manufactured boards for this part of the question then just think of joining methods that utilise wood. These could be: wood joints; knock down fittings (think IKEA); screws; dowel; nails / panel pins. You could also use plastics such as Acrylic (laser cut) / HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene Sheet - vacuum formed) / ABS (3D printed or Injection Moulded) for some or even all parts.

•  It is important to quickly annotate the sketch. If you do not annotate then you will NOT gain all marks. 

• You should spend no longer than 25 minutes, ideally 18 minutes, in total on this part e) of the question

Using Exploded drawings

Knock down fittings:

So what are Knock Down Fittings? KD fittings are standard components, manufactured in millions, that can be fitted to a wide range of furniture items (particularly timber based ones) that replace traditional wood joints as they are faster to assemble flat pack furniture - usually made from manufactured boards - MDF; Block board; Chipboard; Plywood; and cheaper as everything can be standardised - standard sizes.

IKEA has utilized KD fittings immensely in the production of many of the furniture ranges that it sells as, with simple instructions, most people can put together their items using just an Allen key or Screwdriver and NO glue!

All of the images below are examples of KD Fittings. Many use a Cam lock nut, which you turn 90 degrees with a screwdriver to tighten, or they use Screws and a ‘block’ of either natural wood or a plastic such as Nylon.

Any of these fittings would be a great way to join any panels that you may have as part of your design solution to the problem. So remember some of them and see if you can sketch one or two.

Question 1 e) Condiments example- portable storage solution

Practice time...