Amiria Gale Visual impairments make using ordinary products much more difficult. This article lists ways that products can be modified to be more inclusive of users with blindness, visual impairment, or colour blindness. Globally, 39 million people are blind, and an additional 246 million experience moderate to severe visual impairment (WHO, 2021). These impairments severely affect navigation, … Read more
Thick and thin line technique is a way to enhance the presentation of design drawings. It makes sketches ‘pop out’ from the page and more three-dimensional. This article introduces students to this technique and contains a free printable worksheet to help revise this material. Rules for thick and thin line technique It is sensible to … Read more
High school Design & Technology students often have to be familiar with a range of appropriate timber finishing techniques and surface treatments and understand how to choose between different wood finishing methods. This article summarises this topic and concludes with sample examination questions. What is meant by timber finishing? (A definition) Timber finishing refers to … Read more
Design & Technology students have to know how to build strong structures that will actually function in the real world. This involves a knowledge of common strategies for strengthening joints through the use of triangular trusses, bracing, ribs, flanges, and so on. This article summarises this content and provides sample examination questions to help students … Read more
Cambridge AS / A Level Design & Technology students must understand how emerging technologies, such as 3D printing, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual reality (VR) impact on designing and manufacturing products. This article summarises these ideas. Emerging technologies include: Emerging technologies are often in early stages of adoption and characterised by rapid evolution and … Read more
The working properties, common uses and environmental impact of the following: polylactide (PLA)polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), e.g. BIOPOL®plastic made from corn/potato starch. A biodegradable material is one that will decompose or break down naturally as a result of microbial action.
[coming soon] Note that evaluate does not mean describe. this should include pros and cons, linking to the user needs and specification [Strategies to evaluate how well a manufacturing system has worked. – A2]
This revision guide helps you prepare for the Cambridge AS Level Design & Technology exam (9705/01 Written Paper 1). This material covers the new Cambridge syllabus, examined for the first time in 2025 and acts as a digital textbook. It links to detailed explanations and sample questions to help you learn this material. Examination Format … Read more
Design & Technology students must understand how to mark out, cut, drill, and shape timber. This article summarises basic woodworking tools, methods, and practical techniques. It concludes with sample examination questions from the Cambridge AS/A Level syllabus. How to mark out wood Marking out means to carefully measuring and drawing the required shapes on materials … Read more
A composite material is a material that combines two or more materials with different properties. They are created so that the beneficial properties of both (or many) materials are present in one material. For example, the strength of one material may be combined with the beauty of another. Examples of composite materials Downsides of composite … Read more