AQA GCSE Design and Technology key terms

The total distance travelled by a product and its materials, from raw material source through manufacture, distribution and the user to final disposal.

A model of a product or system made to test and evaluate its design and performance.

A wheel on an axle, commonly grooved to guide a belt or rope.

A wet mixture containing separated fibres, used in making paper and board.

Checking components or products during or after manufacture against specified standards.

Stitching through an outer fabric, a central layer of wadding and a backing fabric to create a padded textile.

Unwanted material that emits ionising radiation and must be managed safely to protect people and the environment.

A step-shaped recess cut along the edge of a material, often to accommodate another component.

A battery whose chemical energy store can be restored using an external electrical supply, allowing repeated use.

Repeated back-and-forth movement along a straight line.

Processing used materials so that they can be made into new products.

Processing waste material into material that can be used to make new products.

Using fewer materials, less energy or fewer other resources when making and using products.

The removal of impurities from a material to make it suitable for use.

Reshaping existing material into a new form, for example heating and vacuum forming a thermoplastic sheet.

Choosing not to use a material, process or product because it is environmentally harmful or unnecessary.

The accurate alignment of the separate parts or colours of a printed design.

A printed mark outside the finished design used to check the alignment of colours, print layers or cutting operations.

Strengthening a material or structure by adding supporting material or features.

Energy obtained from natural sources that are continually replenished, such as sunlight and wind, or can be replaced through regrowth, such as biomass.

An energy source that is naturally replenished, such as wind, sunlight or tides.

Fixing a damaged or broken product so that it can continue to be used.

The ability to produce components with consistently similar dimensions and quality.

Work carried out to investigate new ideas and develop or improve products and technologies.

Pouring liquid resin into a mould and allowing it to cure into a solid shape.

Reconsidering the need for a product and how it is designed, made, used and disposed of to reduce its environmental impact.

Using a product or material again, for the same purpose or a different purpose, without processing it into a new material.

Using a product or material again without processing it into a new raw material.