Process
CCEA A-Level Technology and Design 8900
Material Selection and Wood
Metals
Plastics
Composite and Emerging Materials
Processing Materials
Product Analysis and Design Communication
Design for Manufacture, Quality and Safety
Electronic Control SystemsOption A
Topic overviewControl systems, feedback and electronics safetyResistors, Ohm's law and power ratingsCapacitors and RC timingPotential dividers, sensors and comparatorsSwitches, pull-up and pull-down resistorsOutput devices and LEDsTransistors, Darlington pairs and thyristorsLogic gates, truth tables and flip-flops555 monostable and astable timers
Microelectronic Control SystemsOption A
Topic overviewMicrocontroller systems, ADCs and DACsStrain gauges and bridge circuitsOptical switches, encoded discs and Schmitt triggersOp-amp amplifiers and gainZener diodes and voltage regulatorsKarnaugh maps and binary countersSeven-segment, LCD and dot matrix displaysPIC flowcharts and programmingDC motors, stepper motors and driver circuits
Mechanical and Pneumatic ComponentsOption B
Topic overviewOpen and closed loop mechanical and pneumatic controlSafe working with compressed air and mechanismsLevers, linkages and momentsGear types and gear trainsPulleys, belts, chains and shaft fixingsCams, cranks and converting motionCompressed air supply and pneumatic valvesCylinders, shuttle valves, restrictors and reservoirsPneumatic circuits for logic, timing and speed control
Mechanical and Pneumatic SystemsOption B
Topic overviewHydraulics, system limitations and plant safetyTorque, work, power and air consumptionVacuum handling, proximity sensors and 5/3 valvesSequential and cascade pneumatic circuitsCam profiles and follower displacement diagramsGear geometry, pulley blocks and ratchetsToggles, treadles, shafts and couplingsFriction, brakes and clutchesBearings, lubrication and seals
Designing and Manufacturing ProductsOption C
Topic overviewResearch, questionnaires and specificationsIdea generation, critiques and computer simulationManufacturing planning and product evaluationCFRP, GRP, Kevlar and tungsten carbideSmart materials, nanotechnology and biophotovoltaicsIsometric, perspective and assembly drawingLaminating, steam bending, cutting and printing processesRisk assessment and product safety lawScales of production, JIT and cell productionQuality assurance, ISO 9001 and continuous improvementDesign influences and intellectual property rights
Product Design in Industry and SocietyOption C
Topic overviewLife-cycle environmental impact and climate changeThe 6Rs, waste and environmental legislationSustainable metals, plastics and degradable polymersProduct life cycles, consumer types and relaunchesCAD, CAM, 3D scanning and quick-change mouldingMarket pull, technology push and market strategyPrice, place and promotionJigs, fixtures and ICT in quality controlDesign for maintenance, inclusion and scale productionRendering, typography and presentationDyson, Baylis, Memphis and Apple
Product Development
Product and System Design and Manufacture
Designing and Manufacturing Products
- 11 subtopics
- 33 things to know
- AS 1 Paper 2
- Option C, Product Design
What Designing and Manufacturing Products covers
Designing and Manufacturing Products is examined in Unit AS 1, Paper 2: Option C, Product Design, one option of three. It covers research, questionnaires and specifications, idea generation, critiques and computer simulation, manufacturing planning and product evaluation, CFRP, GRP, Kevlar and tungsten carbide, smart materials, nanotechnology and biophotovoltaics, isometric, perspective and assembly drawing, laminating, steam bending, cutting and printing processes, risk assessment and product safety law, scales of production, JIT and cell production, quality assurance, ISO 9001 and continuous improvement and design influences and intellectual property rights.
Where it is assessed
AS 1 Paper 2
Option C, Product Design — a written examination.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 11 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Research, questionnaires and specificationsPrimary and secondary research, patent searches, observation, questionnaires, Likert scales and pilots, survey samples, and engineering, design and manufacturing specifications.Open →
- Idea generation, critiques and computer simulationThought showers, lateral thinking, attribute analysis, SCAMPER and inversion, design critiques, developing and refining ideas, and 2D, 3D and fluid dynamics simulation.Open →
- Manufacturing planning and product evaluationWork orders, flow process charts, critical path analysis and float with worked examples, batch time, choosing processes by scale, and formative and summative evaluation.Open →
- CFRP, GRP, Kevlar and tungsten carbideCFRP lay-up, anisotropy and recycling, GRP hand lay-up and gel coats, health risks of resins, Kevlar in body armour and other products, and tungsten carbide cutting tips.Open →
- Smart materials, nanotechnology and biophotovoltaicsShape memory alloys and superelasticity, piezoelectric materials in lighters and sensors, light-emitting polymers, nanotechnology and self-cleaning glass, and biophotovoltaic devices.Open →
- Isometric, perspective and assembly drawingIsometric and perspective drawing, horizon lines, third angle projection and line types, BS 8888, sectional views, assembly and exploded drawings, block models and rapid prototypes.Open →
- Laminating, steam bending, cutting and printing processesLaminating and steam bending wood, die cutting with a break-even calculation, water jet and laser cutting, CNC routers and lathes, 3D printing and dye sublimation printing.Open →
- Risk assessment and product safety lawThe five steps of risk assessment, the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order and HSENI, notices, COSHH data sheets and ventilation, product safety, trade descriptions, British Standards and CE and UKCA marking.Open →
- Scales of production, JIT and cell productionOne-off, batch, mass and continuous production, cell production and flexible manufacturing, just-in-time and Kanban, quick response manufacturing and concurrent engineering.Open →
- Quality assurance, ISO 9001 and continuous improvementQuality control against quality assurance, ISO 9001, statistical process control and control limits with worked examples, Six Sigma, right first time and kaizen's plan–do–check–act cycle.Open →
- Design influences and intellectual property rightsMiniaturisation, portability, flexibility, social change, social media and scientific advances as design influences, and patents, registered designs, design right, trademarks and copyright.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Process
What are the five steps of a risk assessment?
Process
Apply the five steps of risk assessment to a new laser cutter in a school workshop.
Key term
What is Kanban?
Key term
What is quick response manufacturing (QRM)?
Key term
What is Six Sigma?
Key term
Name three primary research methods a product designer might use.
Key term
What rules make a thought shower productive?
Key term
What is carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP)?
Key term
What is a shape memory alloy?
Key term
What is a pictorial drawing?
Key term
Describe how a curved chair back is made by laminating.
Key term
How has miniaturisation changed product design?
Key term
Give three secondary sources that are useful when designing a product.
Numbers
What is lateral thinking?
Key term
What is a work order in manufacturing?
Key term
Describe the properties of CFRP.
Key term
Explain how the shape memory effect works.
Key term
How is an isometric drawing constructed?
Key term
Why does a laminated curve hold its shape so well?
Key term
What is quality control?
Numbers
Give an example of portability shaping a product.
Key term
Why should a designer search a patent database during research?
Key term
Give an example of lateral thinking applied to a kettle.
Process
What does a flow process chart record that a simple flow chart does not?
Key term
Why is CFRP described as anisotropic?
Key term
How is a shape programmed into a shape memory alloy?
Key term
Why do circles appear as ellipses in an isometric drawing?
Process
Describe the steam bending process.
Key term
Why must a risk assessment be reviewed?
Key term
What is one-off production?
Key term
What is quality assurance?
Key term
What does flexibility mean as a fashion influence on product design?
Take Designing and Manufacturing Products further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Shape memory alloy vs Piezoelectric material
Shape memory alloy: a nickel–titanium metal that regains a set form when heated. Piezoelectric material: a crystal or ceramic that produces a voltage when squeezed.
CFRP vs GRP
CFRP: carbon strands set in epoxy resin for very light, stiff parts. GRP: glass strands or matting set in polyester resin, known as fibreglass.
Patent vs Registered design
Patent: legal protection for how a new invention works, lasting up to 20 years. Registered design: legal protection for a product's appearance, renewable every five years up to 25.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Name three primary research methods a product designer might use.
Model answer
Three primary methods are observing users, interviewing users and testing existing products. Each method gathers new data directly rather than relying on published work.
- 2
Give three secondary sources that are useful when designing a product.
Model answer
Useful secondary sources are published anthropometric tables, patent databases and market research reports. Existing sources save time but may be dated or written for another purpose.
- 3
Why should a designer search a patent database during research?
Model answer
A patent search shows whether a similar solution is already legally protected. The designer can avoid infringement and learn from existing technical ideas.
- 4
How can the reliability of a secondary source be judged?
Model answer
A reliable source is recent, comes from a named expert or organisation and is backed by evidence. Commercial claims, such as a manufacturer's own brochure, should be cross-checked.
- 5
What is observational research, and why is it valuable to a designer?
Model answer
Observational research is watching people use products in their real setting. Users often adapt or struggle in ways they would never report in a questionnaire.
- 6
What is the difference between a questionnaire and a survey?
Model answer
A questionnaire is the set of written questions itself. A survey is the wider exercise of collecting and analysing responses from a sample of people.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Designing and Manufacturing Products revision questions
- What does Designing and Manufacturing Products cover in CCEA A-Level Technology and Design?
- 11 subtopics: research, questionnaires and specifications, idea generation, critiques and computer simulation, manufacturing planning and product evaluation, cfrp, grp, kevlar and tungsten carbide, smart materials, nanotechnology and biophotovoltaics, isometric, perspective and assembly drawing, laminating, steam bending, cutting and printing processes, risk assessment and product safety law, scales of production, jit and cell production, quality assurance, iso 9001 and continuous improvement and design influences and intellectual property rights. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Designing and Manufacturing Products organised?
- By the CCEA 8900 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Designing and Manufacturing Products, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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