Welcome to Design & Technology @ NCB.
To help prepare for some aspects of the course and give you a taster of what's to come you will need to complete the SIL work outlined below. For DT (both Product Design & Design Engineering) you need to complete the following 4 activities:
Please remember you are demonstrating your suitability for the course so should approach the activities with care and effort.
A Level D&T builds on subject knowledge learnt at GCSE. If you didn't study it at GCSE, you will have gaps in knowledge - you should be reviewing the GCSE specification
1: For each of the key terms below you need to:
> Define it (not just state it - e.g. NOT... density is how dense something is). explain what this actually means in as much detail as you can and use examples of where the properties would be useful (products/ applications/ materials etc).
Density
Tensile Strength
Compressive strength
Strength to weight ratio
Hardness
Durability
Thermal conductivity
Electrical conductivity
Corrosive resistance
Stiffness
Elasticity
Plasticity
Impact resistance (toughness)
Brittleness
Malleability
Ductility
Machinability
Flammability
Absorbency
Washability
Biodegradability
Example:
Density is....
An example of a high density material is...... and an example of where it would be used/ suitable is.... because...
An example of a low density materials is..... and an example of where this would be used/ suitable is... because...
If you are able to do so, you can complete these using CAD - if not, on paper is fine.
Extension - recreate the 3D model.
For all drawings assume the main rectangular block is:
100mm x 70mm x 20mm
Make particular note of the layout - this is the main pint of this drawing type. Views should line up.
> An a3 page of sketches to show the different details and components of the product. These should be rendered to represent the materials used.
Watch this >>>>>>>>
> Create a scale model of the product using materials and equipment you have available to you at home. If the product you have looked at and drawn moves in any way, try to replicate this in your model.
Watch this >>>>>>>>
N.B. take photos/ videos of your model and add them to the SIL assessment
If you are looking to study Design engineering your product should function in some way and include a system of somesort. For product design, a static product like a piece of furniture would be fine.
Environmental case study
Focussing on a different product to the one you analysed above (Compulsory SIL No3), create a thorough case study on it.
unlike the product analysis where you focus on the product itself, this case study should focus more on the impact it has on people and the planet. Dig deep and look into all aspects of the product from raw material extraction through to transportation and energy use. your research/ investigations should be layered and instigate further research/ investigations.
You can find support for this here:
This case study should be completed as a written report and is expected to be a minimum of 2 sides of text with additional images.
Any questions, please email me - i will be happy to help
Have a great summer.
GooD luck and I look forward to seeing you all after the summer.
Please note that for the start of the course you will require an A4 notepad or folder to store course notes in.