At which three stages of production are inspections normally made?

Incoming materials and components are inspected on arrival. Parts are checked during manufacture, and finished products are inspected before dispatch.

Why is it cheaper to find a fault early in production?

A fault found early affects only one part and wastes little work. The same fault found after assembly or sale means scrapped products, recalls and a damaged reputation.

What is destructive testing?

Destructive testing loads or damages a sample until it fails, to measure properties such as strength. The tested item cannot be used afterwards, so only samples from a batch are tested.

Name two non-destructive testing methods and what each detects.

Dye penetrant testing reveals surface cracks by drawing coloured dye into them. Ultrasonic testing sends sound pulses into a part to find hidden internal flaws.

CCEA A-Level Technology and Design 8900

Material Selection and Wood

Topic overview Material selection criteria Physical and mechanical properties Hardwoods, softwoods and timber stock sizes Pine, ash, beech, oak and mahogany Manufactured boards Wood finishes, veneers and laminates

Metals

Topic overview Ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys Metal stock forms and sizes Aluminium, copper, brass and zinc Carbon steels and stainless steel Finishes for metals

Plastics

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Composite and Emerging Materials

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Processing Materials

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Product Analysis and Design Communication

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Design for Manufacture, Quality and Safety

Topic overview CAD modelling, virtual imaging and rapid prototyping CAM and CIM Factor of safety and tolerances Testing and inspection of products Risks in workshop and manufacturing processes

Electronic Control SystemsOption A

Topic overview Control systems, feedback and electronics safety Resistors, Ohm's law and power ratings Capacitors and RC timing Potential dividers, sensors and comparators Switches, pull-up and pull-down resistors Output devices and LEDs Transistors, Darlington pairs and thyristors Logic gates, truth tables and flip-flops 555 monostable and astable timers

Microelectronic Control SystemsOption A

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Mechanical and Pneumatic ComponentsOption B

Topic overview Open and closed loop mechanical and pneumatic control Safe working with compressed air and mechanisms Levers, linkages and moments Gear types and gear trains Pulleys, belts, chains and shaft fixings Cams, cranks and converting motion Compressed air supply and pneumatic valves Cylinders, shuttle valves, restrictors and reservoirs Pneumatic circuits for logic, timing and speed control

Mechanical and Pneumatic SystemsOption B

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Designing and Manufacturing ProductsOption C

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Product Design in Industry and SocietyOption C

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Design for Manufacture, Quality and Safety

Testing and inspection of products

3 things to know
AS 1 Paper 1

Overview

Inspection against testing, stages of inspection, destructive and non-destructive testing, go/no-go gauges and micrometers, sampling, proof load and fatigue tests, and camera inspection.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What is a proof load test?

Key term

What is the purpose of testing and inspecting components and products?

Key term

What is the difference between inspection and testing?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is the purpose of testing and inspecting components and products?
Model answer
Testing and inspection confirm that parts meet their specification and are safe to use. Faults are found before products reach customers, protecting users and the maker’s reputation.
2
What is the difference between inspection and testing?
Model answer
Inspection examines or measures a part to check that it conforms, such as checking a dimension. A test makes the part perform or bear a load to check how it behaves.
3
At which three stages of production are inspections normally made?
Model answer
Incoming materials and components are inspected on arrival. Parts are checked during manufacture, and finished products are inspected before dispatch.
4
Why is it cheaper to find a fault early in production?
Model answer
A fault found early affects only one part and wastes little work. The same fault found after assembly or sale means scrapped products, recalls and a damaged reputation.
5
What is destructive testing?
Model answer
Destructive testing loads or damages a sample until it fails, to measure properties such as strength. The tested item cannot be used afterwards, so only samples from a batch are tested.
6
Name two non-destructive testing methods and what each detects.
Model answer
Dye penetrant testing reveals surface cracks by drawing coloured dye into them. Ultrasonic testing sends sound pulses into a part to find hidden internal flaws.

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Material Selection and Wood

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