Lesson video

Hello, thank you for joining me for your design and technology lesson today.

My name is Mrs. Conway and I will be guiding you through your learning in this lesson.

So today's lesson outcome is: I can explain and compare small-scale and industrial wasting processes.

And our keywords are wasting, small-scale production, industrial, and CNC.

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

So the first thing we're gonna look at then is small-scale wasting processes.

Now, a wasting process is a manufacturing method where material is removed to shape or finish a product.

For papers and boards, this includes various methods of things like cutting, punching, and perforating.

And these processes are commonly used in both small-scale production and also in industrial settings as well.

Now, in small-scale production, such as like the school workshop, for example, we use things such as hand tools for control and precision and power tools for speed and consistency.

So we've got an example there of a hand tool with the hand scissors and a power tool such as the electric scissors being shown there.

Whilst hand scissors are easier to control, electric scissors offer speed.

Now, cutting tools are used as part of the wasting process to remove unwanted areas.

So these small-scale production tools can be operated manually.

So using scissors for paper and clothing cutters for card and boards can aid with cutting.

Using a craft knife or scalpel with a cutting mat and a safety rule can support cutting straight lines accurately in paper and boards.

Okay, quick check for understanding on that then.

Which small-scale production hand tool is best suited for making accurate straight lines cut in paper and boards? Is it A, scissors; B, clothing cutters; C, coping saw; or D, a craft knife? Just pause the video here to take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer was D, a craft knife.

So craft knives are really useful for making accurate straight lines in paper and boards.

Now, small-scale production tools when cutting paper and boards can also include a guillotine.

Now, a guillotine uses a sharp blade to slice the paper or thin card in the position that it has been set up in.

Again, you may have seen one of these in school previously or used one in school as well.

The blade is enclosed within the handle there.

Cutting tools are used to remove unwanted areas, and small-scale production tools can also be operated by power.

So a bandsaw, for example.

A bandsaw has a continuous loop blade, think of it as like a big elastic band, and can quickly cut straight lines and curves only in thicker papers and boards.

If you notice there it has a fence on it, and the fence acts like a guard to ensure straight cuts parallel to the blade.

Also, we have electric scissors, and these can be used to cut lines really quickly.

Punching is a wasting process as well, and this process produces holes or shapes using a punch tool.

And small-scale punching for paper and board can include using a sharp pointed object really carefully like a pencil, and usually you would put something behind the material, such as like Blu Tack, just to make sure that the pencil is going into something solid on the other side.

Or also using hole punches.

These can be single or double.

And also there are things such as a handheld punch with a hammer or a small punch device as well.

Okay, quick check for understanding on that then.

I'd like you to identify the tool that can be used to punch a hole.

Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video here.

Just take a moment to think about your answer.

That's right, it was A.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, holes can also be produced in thicker paper and boards using a hand drill or a power drill with specific sized drill bits.

So this is an example of a hand drill, and this is powered by turning the handle round.

And this is a drill bit that would typically be used with it, and this is an example of a power drill.

Again, you may be familiar with some of these previously.

Now, perforating is another process, and perforating is the process of creating small holes or cuts for easy tearing or folding in materials.

And this is commonly seen in toilet and also kitchen tissues.

Where you kind of tear each piece apart, that will have a perforated line.

So toilet tissue and kitchen tissues are the one you've probably most commonly seen it used in, but it is used in lots of other things as well.

Small-scale perforating can be completed with a handheld wheel, such as shown in the little picture there.

You may have some of these at school or you may not have seen these before.

This is a handheld perforating wheel.

Okay, quick check for understanding then on perforating.

Perforating is the process of creating small something or cuts for easy something or folding in materials.

Just pause the video here to fill in those missing gaps.

And the answers then.

Perforating is the process of creating small holes or cuts for easy tearing or folding in materials.

Well done again if you got those right.

Die-cutting.

So die-cutting is a process more commonly used in industry now, but it can be completed at small-scale production level as well using specialist equipment.

It uses a die, which contains sharp mild steel edges, and is used commonly for things like greeting cards, packaging nets, and labels.

So here are some examples of things that are cut with a die-cutter, such as a packaging net as well, or this label.

So let's have a closer look at small-scale production die-cutting then.

The first thing you need to do is select the design of the die and also the paper or thin card that you wish to use.

You then place the card/paper and the die onto the press.

And then you use the handle to apply pressure to the die, and this cuts the design out of the material.

The easiest way I kind of think about a die is think about it almost like a big, large cookie cutter coming from above.

So if you've ever done any cooking where you've made like biscuits or things like that and you've kind of cut those out, it's very similar in that sense, but much more complicated in the layout of those pieces of steel.

Okay, quick check for understanding on this then.

Name this paper and boards wasting process.

Is it A, dye-cutting spelt D-Y-E; B, die-punching; C, die-cutting spelt D-I-E; or D, die-stamping spelt D-I-E.

Pause the video here.

Just take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer was die-cutting, C.

So that was spelled D-I-E.

So small-scale wasting processes for papers and boards can also use CNC machinery.

Now, CNC stands for computer numerical control in which designs are drawn on a computer and then sent to a machine to produce them.

Examples of small-scale production using CNC machines for paper and boards include: die-cutting machines for paper, thin cards, and vinyl decal material, and also laser cutters.

Now, cutting machines use a sharp blade to cut through paper, thin card, or also adhesive vinyl backed with paper.

And vinyl decals are commonly used in shop windows.

So you may have seen some of these out and about.

Because they are adhesive, they can stick up really easily.

And this is an example of a cutting machine cutting some adhesive vinyl backed with paper.

Okay, and this is an example of a cut-out design as well.

The vinyl backed with paper comes in kind of rolls or sheets and can be easily used with this machine.

Laser cutters can also be used to cut paper and boards.

So this is an example of a laser cutter cutting corrugated cardboard.

Okay, it's going to be over to you now to have a go at a few tasks.

The first thing I'd like you to do then is to define the term wasting process in the context of manufacturing.

Your second task is to describe the difference between a pair of scissors and a craft knife when using them with paper and boards.

Your third task is to explain one advantage and one disadvantage of using a power tool instead of a hand tool.

And lastly, I'd like you to explain why both hand and power tools are used in small-scale production.

Pause the video here to have a go at this task, and good luck! Okay, let's look at each one of these questions then.

The first one was to define the term wasting process in the context of manufacturing.

So let's have a look at an example answer.

A wasting process is a method of shaping or finishing material by removing parts of it, such as cutting, drilling, or punching.

Compare your answer to mine and just see if you've got all the key points of that answer there.

The second question then was to describe the difference between a pair of scissors and a craft knife when using them with paper and boards.

Again, let's have a look at an example answer.

Scissors are used for paper and thin cards, unless you have a pair of clothing cutters for thicker cards.

They are really good at cutting curves.

A craft knife is used for accurate straight lines and can be used on many papers and boards depending on the thickness.

Again, just compare your answer to the example answer there and see if you've got the real key points that are needed.

The third question then was to explain one advantage and one disadvantage of using a power tool instead of a hand tool.

Again, let's just look at an example answer.

Power tools are faster and require less manual effort.

However, they can be more dangerous and require a power source.

Again, compare your answer to that one and just check that you've got the key points there.

And lastly, I asked you to explain why both hand and power tools are used in small-scale production.

Hand and power tools are both used in small-scale production because they each have different strengths.

Hand tools allow for greater control, precision, and detail, while power tools help speed up tasks, cut through material more efficiently, and reduce physical effort.

Again, just compare your answer to that example and just make sure you've got all the key points.

So next we're going to look at the industrial wasting processes.

Now, industrial wasting processes require more heavy-duty machinery, and this is because speed, accuracy, and consistency are required for larger production runs.

Now, CNC stands for computer numerical control, which means that some machinery can be controlled by a computer using code.

Now, CNC machinery is often used in industry because it can cut complex and precise shapes repeatedly with minimal human intervention, which can be really good for speed and efficiency, and also to keep costs down as well once it's up and running.

Quick check for understanding on that then.

What is the key advantage of industrial CNC wasting processes? Is it A, higher production speed; B, less control over dimensions; C, higher power consumption; or D, lower accuracy? Pause the video here.

Just take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer was A, higher production speed is an advantage of industrial wasting processes.

Now, guillotines can range from small paper-based ones such as the one we looked at for the small-scale production, but also to large sheet material guillotines.

This looks very different to the one I showed you in the first half of the lesson.

This is an example of an industrial guillotine and folding machine.

Now, this has a large sharp blade, which is used with high pressure to separate the material.

They can be operated manually or also by CNC.

And often, industrial guillotine machines can also perform other functions, like folding and bending of the material as well.

Here we have an example of industrial die-cutting.

Now, this involves dies and pressure like small-scale production, so the same in that sense.

However, the dies can be much larger and more complex and the pressure is applied evenly by the machine to ensure quality cutting, and you can see by the picture how much bigger this is.

It can produce large volumes of products very quickly.

Now, in industry, efficiency is very important.

During an industrial die-cutting process, automated perforating will also be completed at the same time.

So for example, when a packaging net is die-cut, any perforations that are required on the net will be built into the die as well, and this speeds up the process by completing two manufacturing tasks in one.

So just to remind you what those perforating lines are and what they would typically look like.

Okay, quick check for understanding on that then.

In industry, automated machines can produce something volumes of products very something.

Pause the video here.

Just take a moment to work out what those missing words are.

Okay, so the missing words were, in industry, automated machines can produce large volumes of products very quickly.

Well done if you got both of those right.

Now, industrial laser cutters for paper and boards accurately replicate designs from a CAD, which is computer-aided design, file.

So settings such as power and speed can be adjusted to produce cuts, scoring, and engraving on a range of paper and boards.

However, this method isn't as quick as die-cutting and is reserved for more complex pieces.

So here's an example of an industrial laser cutting.

Industrial CNC cutting machines are highly precise and can cut intricate designs from paper and thin card.

Now, like laser cutting, machines work from a CAD file.

Remember, that's computer-aided design.

Rather than using a laser beam, however, a sharp blade moves along the machine bed to cut or score a design, and this leads to a cleaner finish, as laser cutting can create burnt edges sometimes.

So this example of an industrial CNC cutting machine.

I showed you before an example of a small-scale one with vinyl decals being cut.

This one is much bigger in size.

It's over to you guys now to have a go at some more tasks.

The first thing I'd like you to do is to explain one advantage of using CNC machines in industrial production.

I'd then like you to name two industrial wasting processes and describe their main function.

And then I'd like you to look at this question, why are industrial processes more suitable for high-volume production? And lastly, I'd like you to compare a small-scale production process to its industrial counterpart.

Give one example and explain the main differences between them.

Okay, pause the video here to have a go at these four tasks, and good luck! Okay, let's look at each one of these in turn then.

So the first thing I asked you to do was to explain one advantage of using CNC machines in industrial production.

So the example answer then.

CNC machines can cut and shape materials with high precision and consistency, allowing large batches of identical components to be manufactured efficiently.

Okay, so we've got one advantage of using a CNC machine.

Just compare your answer to this one and check you've got the key pieces of information there.

The next thing I asked you to do is to name two industrial wasting processes and describe their main function.

Again, let's look at an example answer.

An industrial die cutter: this process involves large dies and evenly applied pressure to push the shape out of the material.

It could quickly produce large volumes of products.

Now, your answer may be slightly different to that 'cause it will depend on which industrial wasting process you've chosen.

Now, I did ask you to name two, so here's the other one.

Industrial guillotine: a large sharp blade is used with high pressure to separate the material.

They can also perform other functions like folding and bending.

So if you chose the same industrial wasting process, compare your answer to that one.

If you've chosen a different one, just maybe get someone else in the classroom or a teacher to check your answer.

Third question then was why are industrial processes more suitable for higher-volume production? The example answer then was industrial machines and those that are controlled by CNC can produce large numbers of parts quickly, accurately, and with very little variation between them, which is ideal for higher-volume production.

Again, just compare your answer to that one.

And lastly, I asked you to compare a small-scale production process to its industrial counterpart and give one example and explain the main difference.

So, in this example, we've looked at the craft knife versus the industrial CNC cutter.

Now, a craft knife is handheld and less accurate, while a CNC laser cutter is computer-controlled, faster, more precise, and can produce large batches efficiently.

Again, your answer could be very different to that depending on what examples you chose to focus on.

So if you didn't choose that particular or those two particular examples, please get someone else in the classroom or a teacher just to check your answer.

Right, let's summarise today's lesson then.

Today we've been looking at wasting manufacturing processes for papers and boards.

Now, wasting involves removing material to shape or size a product.

And tools and small machines remove material in small-scale production.

CNC stands for computer numerical control, which means that some machinery can be controlled by a computer.

And larger machines remove material quickly, more accurately, and consistently at scale.

Well done for all of your hard work today.

Thank you so much for joining me and I will see you soon.