Lesson video

Hello, thank you for joining me for your Design & Technology lesson.

My name is Mrs. Conway, and I will be guiding you through your learning today.

So today's lesson outcome is, I can explain why designers modify designs for manufacture and apply this knowledge when prototyping.

And our keywords are modifications, manufacture, constraints, CAM, and CAD.

I'll go through each one of these in more detail as we work through the lesson.

So the first thing we're going to look at is modify for manufacture.

Now, once a design has been decided upon to take through to the prototyping stage, the manufacturing processes must be considered.

To manufacture is the process of making products from raw materials using machines or labour.

And to be a really effective designer, the manufacturing processes need to be considered just to make sure that the product will actually be possible.

Okay, quick check for understanding on that then.

Why must a designer consider how to manufacture their design?

Is it A, to match the design with their current fashion trends, B, to make the design more aesthetically pleasing, C, to ensure the product is possible, or D, to eliminate the need for user testing?

Feel free to pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

The correct answer, it was C.

So a designer needs to consider how to manufacture the products just to make sure that it's actually going to be possible to make it and their product is going to be feasible.

So when considering manufacturing processes, design modifications may be necessary, and that's due to the constraints imposed by the chosen method.

Modifications are when changes or adjustments are made to improve or alter a design.

So even though you've already got through to that kind of final design stages, even at this point, modifications and changes to your design may still occur.

Constraints are restrictions that can shape or alter a design solution, and your manufacturing process may have some constraints within it.

So manufacturing processes can cause constraints that the designer must consider when designing.

And for this to be possible, the designer needs to have some prior knowledge of the manufacturing processes.

That way, they can then make the best decisions that are available to them.

So for example, if we take the making of a sandwich, something that you probably do quite often, imagine if you're designing a toasted sandwich that will be sold in the school canteen.

And you want it to have thick bread, salad, cheese, and some sort of sauce.

But then you think about how it would be made if it was made in a sandwich press.

As you said, we wanted it to be toasted.

Now, of course, that brings up problems because then the bread takes too long to toast because it's a really thick bread.

The salad that you wanted to include may make the sandwich quite soggy.

And the sauce that you wanted to include could leak out when it's actually in the sandwich press.

So the sandwich design then could and may have to be modified so that it can be properly manufactured using that sandwich press.

And it's the same with product design.

If we look at some examples here from Izzy, Izzy has decided to make a product using lap joints, and you can see an example of a lap joint there, and has planned to make it using hand tools such as a tenon saw and a chisel, something you may have done in your workshop previously.

However, now she's realised that actually, using a laser cutter, or CAD, would be a better option for her product, and she's going to redesign her product to include comb joints instead.

And there's an example of comb joints there.

Now, Izzy has modified her design with the manufacturing process in mind.

And she's just gone to explain why she's done that.

So she's decided to use this comb joint, but why?

"Because I'm using a laser cutter, a comb joint would be easier and quicker to produce than if I was making it using hand tools.

" So yes, using a laser cutter to make a comb joint is definitely easier than making a comb joint using hand tools.

"It would also look more aesthetically pleasing and be stronger than a lap joint, so I've decided to modify my design for manufacture.

" So Izzy's actually done the opposite of being constrained here.

She's actually taken the advantages of using CAD and the laser cutter and actually used that to her advantage to change and improve her design and modify it.

Right, quick check for understanding on modifications then.

Modifications are, A, when a product is thrown away and completely redesigned from scratch, B, when changes or adjustments are made to improve or alter a design, or C, when a product is coloured in to make it look more attractive.

Pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer, it was B.

So modifications are when changes or adjustments are made to improve or alter a design.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, Izzy has mentioned making her product stronger and more aesthetically pleasing with her modifications, but there are other reasons why a designer may modify their design once the method of manufacturing has been decided.

So other reasons may be to reduce the production cost.

So sometimes by actually simplifying complex shapes, production costs can be reduced.

Always think with production, time is money.

Anything that takes longer can cost more.

Also, another reason is to adapt to the machine or the tool limitations.

So for example, the minimum bend radius on sheet metal.

Also to improve the ease of assembly as well.

Also to minimise material waste.

And lastly, to increase the speed of production.

These are all reasons why a designer may modify their design once that production process or manufacturing process has been decided upon.

So if we just look at an example of this, here we've got an example of the injection moulding process.

Now, if a product originally had several separate components that were to be glued, but then it was decided it will be made using injection moulding, the designer might modify it to just be one piece.

Now, that's a really beneficial thing to do because actually, that's going to improve the ease of assembly, it's going to improve production time, and it's gonna minimise material waste.

So this makes it quicker to make and doesn't need glueing , so it saves time and money.

Okay, over to you to have a go at a task now.

The first thing I'd like you to do is give two reasons why a designer might modify their design once the method of manufacturing has been decided upon.

The second thing I'd then like you to do is to explain, using an example, how understanding the manufacturing process can lead to more efficient or more cost-effective design.

Okay, it's gonna be over to you now, so pause the video here, and good luck.

Okay, hope you got on okay with these tasks, but let's look at some example answers of things that you may have included.

So the first thing I asked you then was to give two reasons why a designer might modify their design once the method of manufacturing has been decided upon.

So things that you could have included were increasing the speed of production and also improve the ease of assembly.

There were other examples as well.

Those were just two things that you may have included.

The second question then, I asked you to explain, using an example, how understanding the manufacturing process can lead to a more efficient or cost-effective design.

Now, I gave you an example of the injection moulding part before, but let's look at a different kind of answer as well.

So here it says: If a product was first designed to be made out of wooden pieces screwed together, but then the manufacturer decides to use a CNC machine, the designer might modify it so that the pieces slot together instead.

This means you don't need as many screws, and it's faster to put together.

It also makes the parts more accurate because the machine cuts them really precisely.

This saves time and money when making the product.

So this answer compared to the first question, question number one, this one actually asked you to explain it, so this needed a little bit more detail.

Now, you could have used any example, and that's absolutely fine as long as you have got quite a bit of detail into there to really explain how that understanding of the manufacturing process can lead to a more efficient or more cost-effective design.

Okay, next we're gonna look at modifications for manufacture.

Now, CAD, or computer-aided design, is software that's used to create detailed 2D and 3D drawings of products and parts of products.

And CAD can be used with CAM to create physical outcomes and prototypes.

CAM, or computer-aided manufacture, allows CAD drawings to be manufactured by machines.

And here's an example of a 3D printer in the image.

The benefits of using CAM are that we get faster and more precise manufacturing, usually with reduced wastage of materials.

Okay, quick check for understanding on CAD/CAM then.

What does CAD/CAM stand for?

A, computer-applied design and computer-applied machines, B, computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture, or C, computer-applied design and computer-applied manufacture.

Pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer, it was B.

So CAD/CAM, CAD is computer-aided design, and CAM is computer-aided manufacture.

Now, there are various different CAM processes that can be used to manufacture products, and you may have some of these in your classroom at school.

So some examples are laser cutting and engraving, 3D printing, and CNC, which stands for computer numerical control, machining.

So let's have a look at each of these then.

So one example of CAM is a laser cutter.

Now, a laser cutter uses a high-powered laser beam to precisely cut or engrave materials like board, timber, metal, some polymers, and even fabric.

This is an example of a laser cutter.

As I said, you may have one in your classroom or your workshop at school, and it may look slightly different.

There's loads of different brands or types of laser cutter, just like there's loads of different brands and types of vacuums.

And here is a laser cutter working.

Now, another example of CAM is a 3D printer, and a 3D printer is a machine that manufactures physical objects by adding material layer by layer.

Kind of builds up on top of each other.

And this uses a digital 3D model as a guide, and here's an example of a 3D printer.

Again, you may have one of these in your workshop at school.

And again, there's lots of different types and brands of 3D printers, so it won't necessarily look like the one in the image.

Now, it's commonly used to really quickly manufacture prototypes or custom parts from materials like polymers.

It does other materials as well, but the ones you're probably most familiar with if you have got any in schools are usually using polymers.

You can, however, even get ones that do or use concrete, on a much bigger scale.

So here's an example of a 3D printer component.

Now, another example of CAM is a CNC router, and here's an example of one in the picture there.

Now again, you may have one of these in your workshop at school.

A CNC router is a computer-controlled machine that cuts and shapes materials like timber, polymer, or metal.

Now, it follows digital instructions to make accurate designs.

And you can see there's like a little tiny blade in there that's kind of whizzing round, and it's engraving and cutting from above.

Now, designers use CAD software to create shapes, and the CNC router cuts them out automatically.

It's a very fast and precise way to turn ideas into real objects.

Okay, quick check for understanding on those three different types of CAM then.

Which of these images shows a CNC router?

Is it A, B, or C?

Pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

That's correct, the answer was B.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, it's going to be over to you now then.

The first thing I'd like you to do is I'd like you to consider the CAM manufacturing methods that you could use when making your own prototype.

So have a little think about these, look into them, maybe do a little bit of research, or talk to your teacher about the different manufacturing methods that are available.

And have a little think about which ones would be most suitable for your prototype.

You may need to look back at your design ideas just to remind you and really think this through thoroughly.

The second task then I'd like you to do is to then look at modifying your designs based on your decision of how you will manufacture your prototype.

I'd like you to really consider the constraints but also the benefits of your chosen manufacturing process to be able to make really effective modifications to your design.

So think really carefully, and plan them out carefully as well.

Okay, it's gonna be over to you then, so pause the video here to have a go at this task, and good luck.

Let's just look at Andeep's ideas here then as an example.

Now, of course, you're gonna have very different answers.

That's absolutely fine.

Just compare your answers to Andeep's.

So the first thing I asked you to do is to consider the CAM manufacturing methods that you could use when making your own prototype.

And Andeep's done that.

He explains, "I have decided that a laser cutter would be a useful CAM machine to help me manufacture my prototype.

I could also use a 3D printer for some of the smaller components such as the latch or the handle.

" Now, you may have come up with different ideas, or you may have come up with similar kind of manufacturing processes but for different reasons.

That's absolutely fine.

So the second task I asked you to do was to modify your designs based on your decision of how you'll manufacture your prototype.

And I asked you to consider the constraints but also the benefits of your chosen manufacturing process.

So let's have a little look at Andeep's final design here.

Now, Andeep has suggested he may use a laser cutter and a 3D printer.

And with that in mind, he has gone on to modify his design, and he's done a quick sketch of this modified version.

And you can see there's some changes here.

If you have a quick look, you can see there's some definite kind of patterns are added onto here.

There's some difference to the joints as well.

And actually, there's quite a few bits that are more rounded, such as the handles in the drawer and the handle on top as well.

So he's gone on to explain this a little bit.

"As I'm using a laser cutter to manufacture my prototype, I have modified it to include comb joints for all the joints.

" So that's that detail along the edges that we can see.

"These will be more aesthetically pleasing, but also stronger, which, as it has to carry a lot of weight, is a good thing.

" He also explains that "I have also rounded some of the design to make it more organic in style, such as the holes for the drawers," which is what we picked out before, "the handle, and also the front latch is more rounded at the top as well.

" He explains that "this is easier to achieve on the laser cutter than cutting by hand, and it will suit my client.

I have also decided to engrave a pattern on the top of the product.

" And we can see that on the very top by the handle.

And also, on the front latch, he's suggested he's going to cut out that pattern, and he says, "That suits the organic theme and takes out some of the weight of the product.

" So he's decided to cut that out rather than engrave it, and he's explained that, and that's good that he's explained it 'cause it's not clear in the picture.

But he's gonna cut that out to take out some of the weight as it is a product that is meant to be able to be carried around.

So Andeep hasn't so much worked with the constraints of the laser cutter here.

Instead, actually, he's really worked with the benefits of what can be added by using the laser cutter, which is a really clever idea.

Of course, you're gonna have different suggestions, so just look at your design and think, have you really modified it to the best advantage, but also considering the constraints of your chosen manufacturing CAM process?

Again, Andeep's just explained here, "I think this will appeal to my client.

" Always thinking of the client is a really good practise to get into throughout your whole design process.

Okay, so let's summarise today's lesson.

Today, we've been looking at design for manufacture.

Now, to be an effective designer, the manufacturing processes must be considered to ensure that the product will be possible.

And when manufacturing processes are being considered, modifications to the design may be necessary.

Modifications are when changes or adjustments are made to improve or alter a design.

And lastly, there are various different CAM processes that we can consider and that can be used to manufacture products.

And the examples that we looked at were laser cutting, 3D printing, and CNC routing.

Thank you so much for joining me for the lesson today, and thank you so much for all of your hard work.

I will see you soon.