AQA GCSE Design and Technology key terms

Applying a lubricant between moving surfaces to reduce friction, wear, heat and noise.

Powered equipment used to carry out operations such as cutting, drilling, shaping or sewing.

The ability of a material to be shaped by compressive forces, such as hammering or rolling, without cracking.

A sheet material made by bonding wood fibres, particles or layers together with adhesive.

A board made by bonding wood layers, particles or fibres together, rather than cutting a solid board directly from a log.

Technical details and instructions explaining how a developed design is to be made accurately, including relevant materials, dimensions, processes and checks.

The potential for a product or system to attract buyers in its intended market.

The development or improvement of a product driven by customers’ needs or desires.

Investigation of potential customers, their needs and preferences, and competing products to inform design decisions.

Transferring dimensions, shapes and positions onto material before cutting, drilling, shaping or joining.

The manufacture of very large quantities of standardised products, usually using automated production lines.

A characteristic of a material, such as strength or resistance to corrosion, that affects its suitability for a task.

Representing an aspect of a design using quantities, relationships and calculations to explore or predict its behaviour.

The material that surrounds and binds the reinforcement in a composite. In GRP and CRP, the matrix is a plastic resin that hardens.

The largest acceptable measurement for a component.

The ratio of output load force to input effort force: $\text{MA}=\frac{\text{load}}{\text{effort}}$. It has no unit.

A component or arrangement of moving parts that transmits or changes movement and forces to perform a task.

A characteristic describing how a material behaves under forces, such as its strength, toughness or elasticity.

A device or arrangement of moving parts that transmits or changes force and movement.

A metal containing many gas-filled spaces, giving it a lightweight, cellular structure.

A programmable integrated circuit used to control an electronic system.

The incorporation of tiny capsules containing a substance into a material, allowing that substance to be released during use.

A very fine synthetic fibre used to make fabrics such as lightweight sportswear and absorbent cleaning cloths.

A machining process that removes material from a workpiece using a rotating cutter with several cutting edges.

The smallest acceptable measurement for a component.

The extraction of raw materials, such as metal ores, from the ground.

A textile made by combining yarns of different fibre types during fabric production, after the yarns have been spun.