Quality assurance when manufacturing: communal areas
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can manufacture accurately and to a high quality.
Key learning points
- Designers and manufacturers use quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC).
- Quality assurance is about checking the planning and processes.
- Quality control is about checking the product to make sure it meets the required standard.
- When QA and QC checks take place, they are ensuring accuracy.
Keywords
Manufacture - the process of making products from raw materials using machines or labour
Quality assurance - ensuring the production process prevents mistakes and maintains quality
Quality control - checks made on a product before, during and after its production so it meets quality and safety standards
Accuracy - being correct and precise
Tolerance - the acceptable range of variation in a product's dimensions
Common misconception
Quality control and quality assurance is the same thing.
Quality control focuses on identifying defects in finished products, while quality assurance is about preventing defects through planned processes and systems during production.
Teacher tip
Defining the difference between these two areas will be the key point of this lesson as these are so often muddled or misunderstood.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which examples are thermopolymers?
Q2.Thermoforming is a __________ process which uses heat and a force to change the shape of polymers.
Q3.Thermopolymers can reach temperatures of over 200°C during thermoforming. Therefore it is important to ...
Q4.Strip heaters are used to heat up a strip or line across a piece of polymer. This is then held in a vice or to cool in the desired shape.
Q5.What is a common thermopolymer use in the thermoforming process?
Q6.What is this mechanical fixing called?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Quality checks the planning and processes.
Q2.Which of these would be quality control checks?
Q3.What is the term used for the acceptable range of variation in a product's dimensions?
Q4.Name this tool.
To help you plan your 10 design and technology lesson on: Quality assurance when manufacturing: communal areas, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 design and technology lesson on: Quality assurance when manufacturing: communal areas, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 design and technology lessons from the Communal areas context unit, dive into the full secondary design and technology curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.