A polymer is a long-chain molecule made by joining many small monomer molecules together. Most plastics are synthetic polymers made from crude oil or natural gas.

What is a thermosetting plastic?

A thermosetting plastic sets permanently when it is first heated or cured. A thermosetting plastic cannot be softened again and chars if strongly reheated.

Explain why a thermosetting plastic does not soften when reheated.

The curing reaction forms strong covalent cross-links between the polymer chains, locking them into a rigid network. The chains cannot slide, so the material stays rigid until it decomposes.

Explain why thermosetting plastics tend to be more brittle than thermoplastics.

Cross-links lock thermosetting chains rigidly, so they cannot slide to absorb energy. A thermosetting plastic therefore cracks rather than bends under a sharp blow.

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

Topic overview Thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics HDPE, LDPE and PET Polystyrene and PVC Acrylic, nylon and ABS Melamine-formaldehyde and epoxy resins

Composite and Emerging Materials

Topic overview Thermochromic and photochromic materials Phosphorescent pigments, reflective films and holograms Liquid crystal displays PEEK, PPSU and graphene

Processing Materials

Topic overview Wasting with hand tools Manual and CNC machine tools Rolling, blanking, press forming and forging Injection and blow moulding Rotational moulding and vacuum forming Sand casting, die casting and extrusion

Product Analysis and Design Communication

Topic overview Form, function, performance and aesthetics Cost, materials, manufacture and environmental issues Target audience, anthropometrics, culture and safety Design briefs, research and specifications Creativity, innovation and sustainability in design Freehand sketching and mixed media

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

Topic overview Microcontroller systems, ADCs and DACs Strain gauges and bridge circuits Optical switches, encoded discs and Schmitt triggers Op-amp amplifiers and gain Zener diodes and voltage regulators Karnaugh maps and binary counters Seven-segment, LCD and dot matrix displays PIC flowcharts and programming DC motors, stepper motors and driver circuits

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

Topic overview Hydraulics, system limitations and plant safety Torque, work, power and air consumption Vacuum handling, proximity sensors and 5/3 valves Sequential and cascade pneumatic circuits Cam profiles and follower displacement diagrams Gear geometry, pulley blocks and ratchets Toggles, treadles, shafts and couplings Friction, brakes and clutches Bearings, lubrication and seals

Designing and Manufacturing ProductsOption C

Topic overview 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 Design influences and intellectual property rights

Product Design in Industry and SocietyOption C

Topic overview Life-cycle environmental impact and climate change The 6Rs, waste and environmental legislation Sustainable metals, plastics and degradable polymers Product life cycles, consumer types and relaunches CAD, CAM, 3D scanning and quick-change moulding Market pull, technology push and market strategy Price, place and promotion Jigs, fixtures and ICT in quality control Design for maintenance, inclusion and scale production Rendering, typography and presentation Dyson, Baylis, Memphis and Apple

Product Development

Topic overview Choosing a product to redesign Analysing the function and fitness for purpose of existing products Materials, manufacture and sustainability of existing products Ergonomic and aesthetic analysis Redesign modifications, sketching and viability Modelling, testing and evaluating a redesign

Product and System Design and Manufacture

Topic overview Clients, end users and design briefs Researching existing solutions and writing a specification Generating and appraising design proposals Developing a concept with numerical analysis, ergonomics and aesthetics Working drawings and planning manufacture Testing and evaluating a prototype

Plastics

5 subtopics
15 things to know
AS 1 Paper 1

What Plastics covers

Plastics is examined in Unit AS 1, Paper 1: Design and Materials, the compulsory core. It covers thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics, HDPE, LDPE and PET, polystyrene and PVC, acrylic, nylon and ABS and melamine-formaldehyde and epoxy resins.

Where it is assessed

AS 1 Paper 1

Design and Materials, the compulsory core — a written examination.

Check the CCEA specification ↗

The 5 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What are the properties of rigid uPVC, and why is it used for window frames and guttering?

Key term

What are the properties of melamine-formaldehyde, and why is it used for picnic and children's tableware?

Key term

What is a polymer?

Key term

Describe the properties of HDPE.

Key term

Describe the properties of acrylic.

Key term

What is a thermoplastic?

Key term

Give typical uses of HDPE.

Key term

Describe the properties of general-purpose polystyrene.

Key term

Why is acrylic used instead of glass for many signs and display stands?

Key term

What type of polymer is melamine-formaldehyde?

Key term

Explain, in terms of molecular structure, why thermoplastics soften when heated.

Key term

Why is HDPE suitable for a bottle of bleach?

Key term

What is high impact polystyrene, and why is it used for vacuum forming?

Key term

Give typical uses of acrylic.

Key term

Describe the properties of melamine-formaldehyde.

Take Plastics further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

Thermoplastic vs Thermosetting plastic
Thermoplastic: a polymer that softens on heating and can be reshaped repeatedly. Thermosetting plastic: a polymer that cures permanently into a rigid cross-linked network.
HDPE vs LDPE
HDPE: a stiff, tough polyethylene with closely packed, lightly branched chains. LDPE: a soft, flexible polyethylene with widely spaced, highly branched chains.
Rigid uPVC vs Flexible PVC
Rigid uPVC: an unplasticised vinyl polymer used for window frames and gutters. Flexible PVC: a vinyl polymer softened with plasticisers for cable insulation.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is a polymer?
Model answer
A polymer is a long-chain molecule made by joining many small monomer molecules together. Most plastics are synthetic polymers made from crude oil or natural gas.
2
What is a thermoplastic?
Model answer
A thermoplastic is a polymer that softens when heated and can be reshaped many times. A thermoplastic hardens again on cooling without any chemical change.
3
Explain, in terms of molecular structure, why thermoplastics soften when heated.
Model answer
Thermoplastic chains are held together by weak forces between the chains, with few or no cross-links. Heat overcomes these weak forces, so the chains slide past each other.
4
What is a thermosetting plastic?
Model answer
A thermosetting plastic sets permanently when it is first heated or cured. A thermosetting plastic cannot be softened again and chars if strongly reheated.
5
Explain why a thermosetting plastic does not soften when reheated.
Model answer
The curing reaction forms strong covalent cross-links between the polymer chains, locking them into a rigid network. The chains cannot slide, so the material stays rigid until it decomposes.
6
Explain why thermosetting plastics tend to be more brittle than thermoplastics.
Model answer
Cross-links lock thermosetting chains rigidly, so they cannot slide to absorb energy. A thermosetting plastic therefore cracks rather than bends under a sharp blow.

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Material Selection and Wood

Metals

Plastics

Composite and Emerging Materials

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

The output voltage is V.

356

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe total resistance is 2 kΩ.

BThe parallel pair gives (2 × 2) ÷ (2 + 2) = 1 kΩ.

CThe series resistor adds another 1 kΩ.

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Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Hazard means anything with the potential to cause harm.

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Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

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Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Plastics revision questions

What does Plastics cover in CCEA A-Level Technology and Design?: 5 subtopics: thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics, hdpe, ldpe and pet, polystyrene and pvc, acrylic, nylon and abs and melamine-formaldehyde and epoxy resins. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Plastics organised?: By the CCEA 8900 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

Every question in Plastics, 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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