Abrasive (paper)

A material which smooths and removes marks from wood, plastics and metals by scraping and grinding

Acrylic

A thermoplastic material

Adhesives

Substances (glues) used to stick (bond) materials together

Aesthetics

Aspects of a product concerned with beauty or style.

The area of design concerned with making products look attractive

Alloy

A mixture of metals, esp a metal of low value mixed with a metal of higher value

Aluminium

A non-ferrous metal (a metal not containing iron)

Analyse

Analysis

To look at something critically and gather information from observations made

Annotate

Add brief notes to your design sketches to make things clearer or to give more detail

Assembly

The way the parts of a product are fitted together

Bench hook

An aid to hold work firmly while cutting

Bending jig

An aid to help getting a number of bends the same

Butt joint

A type of box joint

CAD (computer aided design)

Using a computer to design a product or part of a product by drawing it on-screen

CAM (computer aided manufacture)

Using a computer to control the machine tools that make a design

Chosen ideas

Refining initials ideas

Components

Electronic components are the ‘building blocks’ that go together to build an electronic circuit

Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Design done on the computer

Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM)

Manufacturing done by machines that are controlled by computers

Coping saw

A saw used for cutting curves in wood

Countersunk

To enlarge the top of a hole to enable a bolt or screw head to sit below the surface of the material

Cramp

An adjustable tool for holding materials steady while you work on them or while adhesives set

Criteria

Statements on a specification which your product should satisfy

Cross filing

A way of removing waste when shaping metal

Design Brief

A clear description of the task you intend to design and make

Design Processes

The processes for designing and making a product - brainstorming; exploration; need, design brief and specification; research; initial ideas, develop a solution; appraisal; plan for realisation; realisation; modification; evaluation

Design Specifications

A list of criteria that a product should meet

Drilling

Used to make a circular hole in wood, metal and plastics

Elasticity

The ability to stretch or bend and return to the original form. Elastomers are forms of synthetic materials which possess this ability

Environment

Your surroundings, or the surroundings in a particular place.

A place or surrounding in which people live and work.

Epoxy

Thermosetting resin which cures to a hard surface with excellent adhesive ability

Equipment

Tools and machinery

Evaluation

Assessing the success of something

Feedback

The sensory information received in reply to an action

Hacksaw

A saw used for cutting straight lines in metal

Hardwood

Hardwoods comes from broad-leafed deciduous trees (which lose their leaves in autumn/winter)

Initial ideas

A variety of possible solutions with notes / annotations

Jig

A mechanism for holding the object you are working and guiding a tool used to carry out the process of producing a number of identical articles

Manufacture

The process of making the designed object

Materials

In Design and Technology these include food, textiles, wood, metal, plastic, paper and card

Metals

A class of mineral substances

mm (millimetre)

A unit for measuring length. 10mm = 1 centimetre.

Modelling

Making a model of your design

Modification

Making changes during the process of making

Mould

A hollow shape into which a liquid is poured and left to set solid to produce a product in the shape of the mould

Need

Looking at the needs of different people in different situations will highlight problems which have to be solved

Non-ferrous metals

These are metals and alloys which do not contain iron

Orthographic projection

A series of flat views of an object showing it exactly as it is in shape and size; a system of drawings that shows a product from different angles so that every detail of the design can be seen

Pine

A type of softwood

Plan

An orthographic view of an object from above

Planning

Planning the order of the tasks to be done

Plastic memory

The characteristic property found in thermoplastics to return to their original shape when reheated

Plywood

A manufactured board made from thin layers of wood called veneers.

Presentation drawing/model

A well-finished drawing/model of your design idea to show the client how it will look or work

Primary source

Collecting information first-hand by you

Product analysis

An evaluation of existing products

Rendering

Using pens or pencils on a drawing to show the sorts of materials that will be used to make the product. Making a line drawing more realistic by applying texture, tone or colour shading

Research

Learning as much as possible about existing products

Safety testing

Testing a product, or part of a product, to make sure that it is safe

Saw

A tool used for cutting materials

Scroll saw

(Vibro saw, Hegner saw)

A machine for cutting curved lines in wood, metal and plastics

Shading

A method of colouring a drawing

Sketch

A quick drawing using an economy of lines

Specification

A list of the important factors which must be considered for a product; a list of criteria that a product should satisfy

Thermoplastics

A fairly soft material that cannot he used in situations where they will get hot because they would be re-shaped by the heat

Thermoset

A synthetic material which after curing is unable to be resoftened or reshaped by heat

Thermosetting plastics

Generally strong and heat resistant materials. Once formed into a shape they cannot be re-shaped

Vacuum forming

A way of forming thermoplastic sheets by sucking out air from under a heated plastic sheet, so pulling it down onto a former