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Design and Technology
Key terms
Guillotine

GCSE Design and Technology · key term

Guillotine

Definition

A cutting machine with a blade that makes straight cuts through paper or board within its rated capacity.

Used by Edexcel

How each exam board covers it

Edexcel GCSE Design and Technology · 1DT0

Specification 3.6.1, 3.7.1 · Paper 1

A guillotine is suitable for straight cuts through paper, layers of material or thicker card, provided these are within the machine’s capacity. It is useful for trimming rectangular sheets to size: the sheet can be aligned before the blade cuts across it.
Revise: Manufacturing Processes
A cutting device with a blade that cuts straight across paper or board.
Revise: Tools and Equipment

Edexcel Design and Technology past papers

Exam tips

1
Distinguish a guillotine’s straight cuts from a die’s repeated shaped cuts.
2
Give a specific limitation as well as an advantage: a guillotine produces straight cuts but cannot cut a curved outline.

Related key terms

CAD
Craft knife
Cutting die
Laser cutter
CAM

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Guillotine — Edexcel GCSE Design and Technology Definition

Digital printing

Frame modelling

Intermediate modelling