Hello and welcome to today's design and technology lesson.
My name's Mrs. Fletcher and I'm here to help and guide you through your learning today.
Today's lesson is called Shell Structures, and it's part of the Shell Structures Packaging unit.
In this lesson, we'll get to look at how packaging is designed and made, and we'll be writing a design specification for our own sustainable packaging.
So let's have a look at what we'll be learning about today.
The outcome of today's lesson is, I can understand how packaging designs are structured.
So we're going to be looking at different types of packaging designs and looking at how they're made, how they're put together, how they are constructed, and how that contributes to the way they work to protect and cover the product.
There are some key words that we're going to see in today's lesson, so let's have a look at those together before we start.
So first of all, we've got the word net.
Can you repeat that after me? Net.
Well done.
And a net is a flat or opened-up view or shape of a 3D object.
You might have seen that in your maths lessons.
Then we've got the phrase design specification.
Can you repeat that? Design specification.
Well done.
And that is a list of things that a product must have, or a list of things it must do.
Then we've got the word sustainable.
Can you repeat that? Sustainable.
Well done.
Sustainable means using what we need while protecting the environment so there's enough for the future.
And finally, we've got the word materials.
Can you repeat that? Materials.
Well done.
And materials are what things are made from.
So let's have a look at the lesson today.
Today's lesson is going to be split into two parts.
First of all, we're going to be looking at packaging construction.
So we're going to be looking at how packaging is made, and then we'll move on to looking at a design specification for our own sustainable packaging.
So let's get started with packaging construction.
The way packaging is constructed, which means made or built, depends on the material that it's being made from.
Most glass, metal, and plastic packaging is moulded, which means shaped into one complete piece, and then things like lids and caps or wrinkles are added on later.
Most cardboard packaging, though, is constructed from a 2D net.
So remember that's that flat, opened-out version of the 3D shape, and you might have seen these in maths, where you see the opened-out version of a 3D shape there.
And then those shapes are then folded to create the 3D shape of the packaging.
So here you can see a 2D net, which is then folded into this 3D shape.
So we've got a cube in this case.
So a net is that flat, opened-up shape that shows all the 2D shapes that are needed to make up that 3D shape.
Disassembling, which means opening up and taking apart cardboard packaging, can help us see the net shape that was used to make it.
So if we have a look at this cereal box here, if we were to take it apart, open it up, and lay it out flat, then it would look like that image there.
This can help us with our own designs in the future, because we can see how we could make that same shape of packaging.
Looking for the 2D shapes and the tabs can help us see how it was made.
So the 2D shapes are like the faces of the 3D object that we're looking at, and the tabs are the ways in which those faces have been joined together.
So here you can see this kind of flat cuboid shape's been opened out, so we can see its net, and now we can start to look for the shapes that help to make that shape there.
So first of all, we can see two large square sections.
So these make that what would be the top and bottom of that packaging.
Then we can see five rectangular sections, and these are making the sides of the packaging.
And then we can see the different-shaped tabs, which are sections that are used to join those top, bottom, and side pieces.
The end sections and those tabs can be different shapes, and sometimes they are quite unusual shapes, not ones that you'd expect to see, and that's to enable them to be folded together to close the packaging.
So here, in this long cuboid shape, we can see the net there, flattened out, can see those quite irregular-shaped end sections, and those are made to be able to fold in on each other so they don't need to be glued or taped together.
A quick check then before we move on.
Which of these shapes would have a net like this? So look carefully at that net.
What shape would it make? Pause the video and have a think.
Welcome back.
What did you think? Well done if you spotted it was a cube.
So you can tell that all of the faces are the same square shape, which is one of the features of a cube.
Well done if you spotted that.
Packaging can make products stackable, which means that they can sit on top of each other, and that can be useful for a few reasons.
If we take a example here of the toothpaste tubes, if they were just to remain in the packaging of the tube, then they would be very difficult to pack and display because they don't sit on top of each other in a regular way.
So by putting them into a regular-shaped packaging with those flat surfaces, it means they can be stacked on top of each other, which makes them easier to pack, to move around, and to display in the shop.
Irregular-shaped products can be packaged in different ways to make them easier to transport and display.
So if you think about apples, here, can be arranged onto cardboard trays, which keeps them in in individual space so they're not on top of each other.
And they can also be packaged into plastic bags, which can house any kind of irregular shape quite easily because it's quite flexible.
Some packaging options are more sustainable than others.
So that word sustainable means that we are able to keep using that product, and we're looking after the environment.
So some packaging materials are better at that than others.
A quick check then.
What did that word stackable mean? Does it mean sit on top of others? Does it mean put into a box? Or does it mean irregular-shaped products? Pause the video and have a think.
Welcome back.
What did you think? Well done if you said it was that they sit on top of others.
So being stackable means it can sit on top of another product, usually, ' cause it has a flat side.
Time for a task now in this first part of the lesson.
So you're going to have a look at a range of cardboard packaging.
So that is different types of packaging that have been made from a cardboard material that are used for different types of products.
And you're going to choose one example, something you like the look of.
And you're going to very carefully disassemble it.
So that means take it apart and flatten it out into its 2D net so you can see all those different shapes that were used to make it.
You're going to look carefully for the 2D shapes and for the tabs that are used to join those shapes together.
It might be useful to label them with the shape that you found, or whether it's one of the shapes or on one of the tabs.
Pause the video while you have a go at that, and come back when you're done.
Welcome back.
Time for the second part of your task now.
So I want you to look very carefully at that net that you've opened up from that piece of packaging, and I want you to sketch the shapes that you found.
Sketch them in the right place where you found them, including the tabs that you found that joined those pieces together as well.
Make sure you label the shapes that you found and the tabs as well, so it looks a little bit like this image here, so we can see how your piece of packaging was constructed.
Once you've finished that, I would like you to discuss the uses of that type of packaging that you looked at.
So discuss with someone, your partner or your table, what might you use that type of packaging for? Pause the video while you complete those tasks, and come back when you're done.
Welcome back.
How did you get on? Well, Jun has been looking at some packaging as well, and he has been looking at a cereal box, and this is what he had to say: "When I opened the box, I could see two large rectangles that form the front and back of the box.
There were two smaller rectangles that form the sides.
The tabs were also rectangular-shaped.
This size of box is usually used with a bag to protect food that could be crushed easily." So he has been thinking about those shapes that he found when he opened out his packaging.
He drew that net that he could see and labelled those shapes he could see as well, and he was thinking about how that type of packaging might be used.
Well done if you managed to do that with your type of packaging, and it's time to move on to the next part of the lesson.
In the second part of the lesson we're going to be looking at writing our own design specification, so that's a list of things that a product must have or must do, for a piece of sustainable packaging that we are going to design.
A letter has arrived from a local biscuit company, and they have a problem with their packaging.
So let's read the letter that we've received.
It says, "Dear Design Pupils,.
Our biscuits are often broken on the way to the shop.
The shop also complains that the biscuits are difficult to stack on the shelves.
Customers complain that they cannot recycle the wrapper at home.
Can you help us design new sustainable packaging for our biscuits? Yours sincerely, Mr. Oak." So they have a problem with their packaging.
You can see here the current style of packaging that they use is a plastic wrapper, and they need our help to make that work better for their product.
So first of all, can you discuss on your table or with a partner the problems with the current packaging design? What's wrong with that current packaging that needs to be fixed or could be improved? Pause the video while you do that and come back when you're done.
Welcome back.
Hopefully you've had a good discussion about the problems with this current packaging.
Let's see what our pupils have been discussing.
So Jun has said that the biscuits are round, and that's causing a problem because when you wrap them in the cylinder shape like that, it causes the product to roll, which would make it difficult to stack, which was one of the things that Mr. Oak was complaining about.
Izzy is saying that the wrapper is made from a very thin type of plastic, so she's seen a problem with the material that's been used, and that doesn't protect the biscuits from breaking.
So one of the complaints was that the biscuits ended up getting broken on the way to the shop.
Izzy thinks that might be to do with the type of material that's used for the packaging, and she's also noticed a problem with plastic as a material for packaging in that some plastics cannot be recycled at home.
So this type of plastic that's used on the biscuits here cannot be recycled by the shoppers at home.
There are some benefits of using this type of packaging for biscuits, though, which is why it is quite widely used for biscuits.
The biscuits are packed quite close together in this type of packaging, which stops them from banging into each other, which would cause them to break.
The plastic that's used does help to keep the biscuits dry and therefore keeps them fresh as well.
And that type of packaging reduces the amount of material that's being used so it costs less for the company to package that type of product.
So there's not a lot of packaging being used there.
So there are some benefits and some reasons to use that type of packaging.
There are other ways that you can package biscuits, though.
So here's some other popular biscuit packaging style.
So we sometimes get a cardboard box which has a plastic bag inside, and the biscuits are inside the plastic bag, which is the part that keeps them fresh and dry.
You sometimes get a plastic tray which fits inside a plastic packet, and that again keeps the biscuits close together so that they don't bang into each other.
You sometimes get a plastic wrapper that's supported inside by a cardboard tray that keeps the biscuits in place.
And you sometimes get a cardboard box again with a plastic tray inside.
So there's lots of combinations there of plastic and paper or cardboard being used to package the biscuits.
The key feature of all of those packaging designs, though, is that the biscuits must sit close together to stop them from moving, which will stop them from breaking.
If the biscuits can freely move about in the packaging, then they're very easily going to get broken.
So we are going to be writing a design specification.
So that's a list of things that a product like packaging for biscuits must have or a list of things it must do.
So we're going to outline the problem that the biscuit company has, and we're going to think about how we can solve that problem with a design solution.
So the problem from Mr. Oak that we've got is with the packaging.
And the packaging doesn't protect the biscuits, it doesn't stack very well, and it isn't made from a sustainable material that's easy for the public to recycle.
Therefore, the solution that we need to come up with is a new packaging that does protect the biscuits, that does stack well, and is made from a sustainable material that could be easier to recycle.
A design specification can include other details.
Details on the function, so that's what the product must do; the user, so that's who is going to use the product; the performance, that's exactly how it's going to work to protect the product inside; the appearance, so what it's going to look like; the materials used to make it; and the environmental impact that that type of packaging will have.
And that can be linked to the materials that have been used as well.
If we're going to be making a sustainable product, then we need to make sure we consider the materials and the environment as our main key important features to look at and consider.
Quick check before we move on, then.
What is a sustainable material? Is it something that will run out? Is it something that can be replaced? Or is it something that will harm nature? Pause the video and have a think.
Welcome back.
What did you think? Well done if you said it's something that can be replaced.
So a sustainable material is something we can keep using because we can replace and renew that material so it never runs out.
Well done if you got that.
The purpose of our packaging then is to cover and protect the product during transport.
It's to allow the product to be displayed, and that will include stacking easily.
And to provide a sustainable solution to the packaging problem that the biscuit company has.
The user in our case will be the manufacturers.
That's the person and people who make the biscuits.
The design solution that we make, then, our packaging design must make sure that the packaging is made from a sustainable material, is a shape that allows the biscuits to be stacked, and is made from a material and a shape that protects the biscuits from breakage.
The key features of our design will be the shape of the packaging and the material that is used to make it.
So here is an example of a design specification that has been written for a sustainable packaging solution.
So the product that we're writing about is a biscuit packaging product, so a way to package biscuits.
The function that we're looking at, so what it needs to do, it needs to protect the biscuits and prevent breakage, 'cause that's the key problem we're having with the existing packaging.
The user in this case is going to be the biscuit manufacturer, the people who make the biscuits.
They're the people who need this packaging solution.
How is it going to work? So the performance of the product.
It needs to be stackable.
So we need to think about the shape that will stack.
So, shapes that stack typically have flat surfaces, so thinking about cubes or cuboid shapes.
So if we take that cuboid shape and we use a tray insert which can hold the biscuits in place, which was one of the things we saw in the existing biscuit packaging ideas earlier up, that will make sure it keeps that shape that's stackable.
When we're thinking about the materials we can use, we need to use something that's sustainable.
So cardboard is a good choice, because it's much more sustainable than plastic, and we saw both of those materials used for packaging biscuits.
But if we are thinking about making it more sustainable, cardboard would be a better choice.
And we're thinking about the environment, which means we can use recycled card, and we can make sure it is recyclable so it can go on to be recycled and used again.
A quick check then before we move on.
Which packaging material do you think each of these pupils is talking about? So if we are going to be considering different types of materials to use, we need to make sure we know the features of those types of materials.
So let's see if you can guess which ones they are talking about.
So Jun is saying, "It's made from chemicals which can harm the environment, and it takes a very long time to break down." What type of material is he thinking about there? Izzy's thinking of a different type of material, and she says, "It's a natural material that can be recycled, or if not, it rots away easily.
New trees can be grown to replace those that have been used." What type of packaging is she thinking about? And finally, Sam is talking about another type of packaging material.
She said, "It is solid but breakable.
It's very easy to reuse.
It can be recycled again and again, and it's made from sand." Which type of material is she thinking about? Pause the video while you have a think and come back when you're done.
Welcome back.
Did you manage to work out which material each of our pupils was talking about? Let's see if you got it right.
So Jun was thinking about plastic.
Of course, that is a type of material that is made from chemicals.
Izzy was thinking about paper or cardboard, and the clue that she gave us was that it's natural and we can grow more trees to replace it.
And Sam was thinking about glass.
That's a very solid but breakable product, and it's made from sand.
Well done if you managed to get those right.
So time for your task then in the second part of the lesson.
It's time for you to write your own design specification now.
So you're going to write your design specification for a sustainable packaging solution for the biscuit factory.
So you're going to think about all those things that we've looked at in the example earlier on.
You're going to think about the product, what it is that we are making this for, the function, so what it needs to do, who's going to use it, how it's going to work, what materials you're going to make it from, and how we can make sure we protect the environment with our design.
Pause the video while you fill in your details for your design specification and come back when you're done.
Welcome back.
How did you get on? Well, Izzy has had a go at writing her design specification.
She's also writing one for the biscuit company.
So her product, just like yours, is the biscuit packaging that we are designing for.
The function, so what it needs to do.
She's decided that she needs to design packaging that will hold 10 biscuits and it will stop them from breaking.
So she's thinking specifically about how many biscuits we might need to get inside this packaging.
The user, the person who's going to use it, is the people at the biscuit factory who wrote us the letter.
The performance, so how it's going to work.
She's chosen to use a tray as well to hold the biscuits in place, and a wrapper on the outside to protect those biscuits in the tray.
When she's thinking about the material she's going to use, she's chosen a cardboard tray and a paper wrapper.
So she's looked at the designs that we saw earlier on and she's chosen a style but from a material that is a little bit more sustainable.
And by thinking about that material, she's considering the environment.
So by using a paper and card, they're much easier to recycle at home.
So that will satisfy the customers who were complaining that they couldn't recycle the materials at home.
So well done Izzy, and well done if you managed to fill in your design specification as well.
Well, we are nearly at the end of the lesson now, so we've lots of learning today about shell structure.
So that's those packaging designs that are made specifically for biscuits, in this case, we've been looking very closely at.
And we've learned that packaging designs can be disassembled, so taken apart to see how the folded-out net has been made.
So we can take apart those packages so that we can see how they're made.
Critiquing, so talking about and discussing one product.
So by choosing one and talking about it can give us lots of information, details, about future designs that we might make.
Packaging designs consider how to stack multiple units on a shelf.
So it's very important to be able to stack and display products that have been packaged.
So thinking about the design means that we can think about how they will stack as well.
And the design specifications that we written in today's lesson include, for new products, such as we've looked at today, a sustainable packaging prototype for biscuits.
So that's what we've been specifically looking at today, how we can solve that problem.
I hope you've had fun learning about shell structures and packaging design, and hope to see you again in another lesson.
Let's go bye for now.