Edexcel GCSE Design and Technology key terms

Removing small particles from a surface by rubbing it with an abrasive material.

The ability of a material to withstand rubbing without being damaged or worn away.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a polymer made using chemical starting materials obtained from crude oil.

The ability of a material to take up moisture.

How closely a manufactured feature matches its intended dimension, position or shape.

A warm, wool-like synthetic fibre used in knitwear, blankets, fake fur and furnishings.

A manufacturing approach that builds up a product by adding material or joining components.

A substance incorporated into a polymer to alter its properties or performance.

A manufacturing process, such as 3D printing, that builds an object by adding material layer by layer.

Manufacture in which material is added to build a part, usually layer by layer; 3D printing is an example.

A substance used to bond surfaces together.

A characteristic affecting how a material or product looks or feels, such as its form, colour or texture.

The qualities of a product that affect how it looks and feels.

A textile used in agriculture, horticulture or forestry, including growing crops and rearing animals.

Drying timber naturally by allowing air to circulate around stacked boards.

The potential of a material to cause an allergic reaction in a susceptible person.

A mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, made to obtain useful properties.

A thin sheet of aluminium used in packaging laminates as a barrier against oxygen and light.

An electrical signal whose value varies continuously, rather than having only two states.

A device or part of a microcontroller that converts an analogue voltage into a digital number that a program can process.

A logical operation that is true only when all the conditions being combined are true.

The amount of turn between two lines meeting at a point, measured here in degrees.

A drawing with notes and labels that explain particular features, materials, dimensions or functions.

A short note attached to a drawing to explain a feature, dimension, material or design decision.

A ring of growth added to a tree trunk each year, visible in a cross-section through the trunk.

An electrochemical treatment that thickens the oxide layer on aluminium to improve surface hardness and corrosion resistance; the layer can also be dyed.

Measurements of human body sizes and dimensions used to help products fit their intended users.