Edexcel GCSE Design and Technology key terms

A signal or action produced by a control system, such as switching an LED on.

A component that converts electrical energy into a physical response, such as light, sound or movement.

Machine stitching that wraps threads around a fabric edge, usually while trimming it; suitable setups can also join fabric layers.

A chemical change involving loss of electrons; reaction with oxygen is an important example in material finishing and corrosion.

A bonded, multilayer packaging material whose constituent materials provide different properties, such as stiffness, moisture resistance and barriers to light or oxygen.

A stiff, paper-based sheet material used to give packaging strength and maintain its shape.

Using the arrangement of cuts, folds and joints in paper or card to create structures or moving features.

Timber planed smooth on all four long faces. Planing removes material, so the finished cross-section is smaller than the original sawn cross-section.

An arrangement in which components are connected between the same two points, providing separate current paths.

The original metal parts being joined, rather than any added filler metal.

A hollow tube of hot, softened thermoplastic inflated inside a mould during blow moulding.

A structured record of the components, materials and quantities needed to assemble a product; also called a bill of materials.

Joining smaller fabric pieces edge to edge to make a larger textile surface.

A collection of templates used to make some or all of a product.

A full-size shape used to mark out and cut a fabric piece accurately, including any required seam allowance and assembly markings.

The process of fitting electronic components onto a printed circuit board.

A finish that soaks into the surface fibres of timber rather than mainly forming a coating on top, such as a penetrating oil.

A proportion expressed out of 100. For example, $25\%=\frac{25}{100}=0.25$.

A requirement stating how well a product must work under particular conditions, such as its strength, durability or reliability.

A lasting change in a material’s shape that remains after the shaping force is removed.

Able to allow a substance, such as water, to pass through.

The distance measured at right angles from a chosen base to the opposite vertex or edge.

A drawing that represents depth by making objects appear smaller with distance and directing receding parallel edges towards vanishing points.

A pigment that absorbs light energy and continues to glow for a time after the light source is removed.

A material that changes colour in response to light, commonly ultraviolet light.

Reproducing an existing document or design onto suitable sheets using a copying machine.

A manufacturing process that uses a light-sensitive coating, patterned light exposure and chemical etching to create a pattern in metal, such as copper tracks on a PCB.