Cambridge Design & Technology students often have to produce diagrams illustrating a particular production process. This typically involves sketches and annotations organised in sequence, showing steps involved, such as: gathering materials, marking out, cutting, shaping/forming, joining, fitting, assembling and finishing. Here we offer key guidelines for answering these questions and provide several examples, illustrating possible ways of formatting answers.
Attaching a transparent window in a package
Don’t forget to include the process of scoring lines
- Scoring means to make an indentation in the surface of a material that acts as a fold line
- Helps make clean, straight, precise fold lines
- Prevents cracking or tearing of the material when folded
- Made using a scoring tool (often a dull scalpel blade, back of a knife, or wheel) is pressed into the material.
- This creates a shallow depression without cutting through the material
- The depth and width of the score line can be adjusted based on the material thickness and desired fold
- Can be manual or by machine for large-scale production of packaging etc
Cutting a net from cardboard (by hand)
Making a model from styrofoam
Making a stencil using CAD/CAM
Other production processes (AS/A2 students only)
Amiria has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. She is a CIE Accredited Art & Design and Design & Technology Coursework Assessor. Amiria now teaches Art, Design & Technology at ACG Parnell College.