Design and Technology key terms

A shaped cavity used to form material into a required shape.

The shaped space inside a mould that fills with polymer and determines the form of the moulded component.

A length of material with a shaped cross-section, often used for features such as skirting boards or door frames.

A material with particles or features on the nanometre scale, typically around 1–100 nm, which can have different properties from larger-scale forms of the same material.

A textile fibre obtained from a plant or animal, such as cotton, wool or silk.

The arrangement of cutting patterns close together on stock material to reduce unused space and waste.

A flat, two-dimensional layout that can be folded and assembled into a three-dimensional product.

A recent or developing innovation that changes how products are designed, manufactured or distributed.

The intended or target size stated for a component.

The intended or target measurement stated on a drawing or specification.

A metal that does not contain iron. Examples include aluminium, copper, tin and zinc.

A material or energy source that remains available because it is continuously supplied or replenished quickly enough to match consumption.

An energy source that depends on a finite supply of fuel which is not replaced as quickly as it is used.

An energy resource that is used up much faster than it is replaced naturally, so its supply is finite.

A fabric made by joining fibres directly into a sheet rather than weaving or knitting yarns.

The splitting of an atomic nucleus into smaller nuclei, releasing energy.

A product becoming outdated or no longer suitable because technology, support or users’ expectations have changed; it need not be physically broken.

The contamination of seas and oceans by harmful substances or waste.

A commercial printing process that transfers an inked image from a printing plate to a rubber blanket and then onto paper or board.

The manufacture of a single product, often designed to meet an individual customer’s requirements.

The extent to which a material prevents light passing through it. An opaque sheet hides an image placed underneath.

A naturally occurring rock containing enough metal or metal compound for extraction to be worthwhile.

Repeated back-and-forth movement along an arc around a fixed pivot.

A component that produces a physical response, such as sound or light, when controlled by an electronic system.

A sewing machine that encloses fabric edges in thread to prevent fraying, and can sew, trim and neaten a seam in one operation.

A chemical reaction in which a substance combines with oxygen; metal oxidation can produce a metal oxide.

A coloured coating that protects a surface and usually conceals much of the material beneath it.