Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Taylor, and I'm really glad you can be here to join me for our lesson today.

Our lesson today is Design for Manufacture: communal areas, and this is part of the Iterative design: Student Living unit.

We have five keywords in this lesson.

Modifications, which is making changes or adjustments to improve or alter a design.

Manufacture, which is the process of making products from raw materials using machines or labour.

Constraints, which are restrictions that shape a design solution.

CAM is the abbreviation for computer-aided manufacture, and CAD is the abbreviation for computer-aided design.

The outcome.

I can explain why designers modify designs for manufacture and apply this knowledge when prototyping.

There are two parts to the lesson, Modify for manufacture and Modifications for manufacture.

Let's begin with Modify for manufacture.

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.

To be an effective designer, the manufacturing processes need to be considered to ensure the product will be possible.

Here we have a check for understanding.

Why must a designer consider how to manufacture their design? Is it A, to match the design with 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? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful.

Let's check.

That's right, it's C, to ensure the product is possible.

Well done.

When considering manufacturing processes, design modifications may be necessary due to the constraints imposed by the chosen method.

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

Constraints are restrictions that can shape and alter a design solution.

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

For this to be possible, the designer needs to have prior knowledge of manufacturing processes so they can make the best decisions available to them.

For example, imagine you're designing a toasted sandwich to be sold in the school canteen.

You want it to have thick bread, salad, cheese, and a sauce, but then you think about how it would be made in a sandwich press.

The problems are the bread takes too long to toast, the salad makes a sandwich soggy, and the sauce leaks out when in the sandwich press.

The sandwich design has to be modified so that it can be properly manufactured, and we can see here a picture of a modified sandwich design using different bread and less fillings.

It is the same with product design.

Alex has decided to make a product using sheet aluminium and workshop tools and equipment for cutting and shaping this, and we can see a picture of a piece of sheet aluminium.

However, he has now realised that using a 3D printer, an example of CAM, computer-aided manufacture, would be a better option for his product, so he's going to redesign his product to make it suitable for 3D printing instead, and we can see an image here of a 3D CAD drawing of Alex's design.

There are a wide variety of 3D printing technologies available.

Fused filament fabrication, FFF, works by melting polymer filament and then depositing it onto the print bed in layers, building the part Stereolithography, SLA, works by directing a light source onto a photopolymer resin, which hardens layer by layer, building the part.

Selective laser sintering, SLS, works by directing a laser beam across the surface of powdered polymer, which hardens.

Another layer of powder is added, and the process is repeated, building the part layer by layer.

Here we have a table which summarises the three different printing technologies just outlined.

the printing technology FFF uses the print materials, PLA, ABS, or TPU.

The benefits include low cost and ease of use.

The limitations include part quality, parts can be weak, and supports needed for complex parts.

SLA uses the print material resin, and the benefits include part quality and surface finish.

The limitations of SLA are parts degrade over time, handling of resins, and the post print processing, which is often required.

SLS uses the print materials nylon, PP, and TPU.

The benefits include part quality and part strength, and no supports are needed.

The limitations include surface finish, high cost, and post print processing is often required.

Here we have a check for understanding.

Which 3D printer works by melting polymer filament and depositing it onto the print bed in layers? Is it A, fused filament fabrication, or FFF, or B, stereolithography, abbreviated to SLA, or C, selective laser sintering, SLS? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful, let's check.

That's right, it's A, fused filament fabrication.

Well done.

Alex has decided to use FFF printing technology because it is available in his school and lower cost than other technologies.

His material choice is PLA because it is low in cost and biodegradable, which makes it suitable for prototyping.

Alex has modified his design with the manufacturing process in mind.

"I am using FFF 3D printing technology, so I need to modify the design to fit on the printer bed.

I checked the print bed size of my school's printer and it is 180 by 180 by 180 millimetres.

I have decided to create a modular design that fits together so it can fit on the print bed.

This can then be assembled when complete." Alex has modified his design with the manufacturing process in mind, and we can see an image of his modified design drawn using a 3D CAD application.

This is a modular design that slots together, so each part fits onto the printer bed.

Fillets have been added to the edges to increase print quality, and all compartments reach the base, so no support structures are needed.

He doesn't need to have a stand for the unit now.

Here we can see some more detailed pictures of Alex's modified design.

The modular design that slots together and fits on the printer bed.

You can see here the hooks and slots to fix the parts together.

The parts have been shelled to reduce material, and a wall attachment is included so the stand can be removed.

Here we have a check for understanding.

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 and have a go.

Wonderful, let's check.

That's right, it's B, when changes or adjustments are made to improve or alter a design.

Well done.

Alex has mentioned making his product more efficient with less materials and more aesthetically pleasing with his modifications, but there are other reasons why a designer may modify their design once the method of manufacturing is decided, including reduce production costs, for example, simplifying complex shapes, adapt to machine or tool limitations, for example, minimum bend radius on sheet metal, and to improve ease of assembly.

Minimise material waste and increase speed of production.

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

We can see three diagrams here detailing the injection moulding process.

This means it is quicker to make and doesn't need glueing , so it saves time and money.

We now move to Task A.

Part one.

Give two reasons why a designer might modify their design once the method of manufacturing is decided.

Part two, explain using an example how understanding the manufacturing process can lead to a more efficient or cost-effective design.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic.

Let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

For part one, you may have said increase speed of production or improve ease of assembly.

For part two, you may have said, "If a product was first designed to be made outta sheet metal, cut and folded by hand, but then the manufacturer decides to use a 3D printer, the designer might modify it so the pieces are solid instead.

This means you don't need as much time to mark out, cut, or assemble the product, as it is faster to put together.

It also makes the product more accurate because the machine prints them really precisely.

This saves time and money when making the product." Well done.

We now move to the second part of the lesson, Modifications for manufacture.

Computer-aided design, or CAD, is software used to create detailed 2D and 3D drawings of products and parts of products.

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.

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

Here we can see a picture of a 3D printer, which is an example of CAM.

Here we have a check for understanding.

What does CAD/CAM stand for? Is it A, computer-applied design, computer-applied machines, B, computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacture, or C, computer-applied design, computer-applied manufacture? Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, it's B, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacture.

Well done.

There are various different CAM processes that can be used to manufacture products.

Laser cutting and engraving, 3D printing, and CNC machining, which stands for computer numerical control.

One example of CAM is a laser cutter.

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

Here is a picture of a laser cutter, and here is a GIF showing the laser cutter cutting out pieces of corrugated cardboard.

Another example of CAM is a 3D printer.

A 3D printer is a machine that manufactures physical objects by adding material layer by layer using a digital 3D model as a guide.

It's commonly used to quickly manufacture prototypes or custom parts for materials like polymers, and we can see here an example of a 3D-printed component.

Another example of CAM is A CNC router.

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

It follows digital instructions to make accurate designs.

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

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

Here we have a check for understanding.

Which of these images shows a CNC router? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video and have a go.

Brilliant.

Let's check.

That's right, it's B.

Well done.

We now move to Task B.

Part one.

Consider the CAM manufacturing methods that you could use when making your own prototype.

Part two, modify your designs based on your decision of how you will manufacture your prototype.

Consider the constraints and benefits of your chosen manufacturing process.

Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful.

Let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

For part one, Alex said, "I have decided that a 3D printer would be a useful CAM machine to help me manufacture my prototype.

I could also use a laser cutter for some of the smaller components, such as the hooks." And for part two, Alex has modified his design, considering the constraints of a 3D printer.

Here's a picture of Alex's final design and then his modified design.

He explains, "I am using a 3D printer to manufacture my prototype, so I have modified it to remove the stand.

I have included a small fillet on the edges to improve print quality and shelled the parts to reduce material use.

I also increased the depth of the compartments to ensure they are suitable for all types of cookery.

Because we have a small bed 3D printer, I was limited in the size of the product, so I modified the design to be modular.

Each part could be printed separately and assembled when printed." Well done.

We now have a summary of our learning today.

To be an effective designer, the manufacturing processes need to be considered to ensure the product will be possible.

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.

There are various different CAM processes that can be used to manufacture products, such as laser cutting, 3D printing, and CNC routing.

I'm really pleased that you could join me for our lesson today.

Thank you, and well done.