AQA A-Level Design and Technology: Product Design (3D Design)

1. High Storrs School 6th Form Information Evening 2013 AQA A-Level Design and Technology: Product Design (3D Design) Mrs Tiffin & Mr Vickers 6th November 2013

2. AQA GCE AS Level Examination Unit 2 – PROD2 Learning through Designing and Making • Coursework 50 hours • 80 Marks • Electronic Portfolio and Manufactures outcome(s) • 50% of AS Level, 25% of A level • Information: • Initially design tasks are set by the school at AS level in order to satisfy criteria set by the examination board. Students can choose to submit one focused task or a portfolio of work from a number of projects. • Project Examples: • Pre-school toy • Designer influenced appliance • Illuminating lamps • Jewellery Unit 1 – PROD1 Materials Components and Application 2Hour written paper 80 Marks 50% of AS Level, 25% of A level S Tiffin High Storrs School, Sheffield.

3. AQA GCE A Level Examination Unit 4 – PROD4 • Designing and Making Practice • Coursework 60 hours • 85 Marks • Electronic Portfolio and Manufactured outcome • 25% of ALevel • Information: • Students are to choose their own design and manufacture activity • Free Choice Project Examples: • Jewellery storage • Electronic piano stool • Heat exchanger and wind shield • Outdoor furniture Unit 3 – PROD3 Design and Manufacture 2Hour written paper 84 Marks 25% of A level S Tiffin High Storrs School, Sheffield.

4. Final Idea Plywood sanded and varnished to create good quality finish. Constructed from layers of 1.5mm plywood glued and curved using a Jig and then held into place Worm and worm wheel mechanism. Constructed from steel rod and screw thread, attached to this is a DC motor which will adjust the height of the stool Within the centre of the stool will be a hole drilled and a metal steel bar, to allow the product to pivot, to create a hinge.

5. Testing of the hinge and angle of the stool To enable me to test the joint movement of my developed idea. I decided to create a model of the hinge of the piano stool. By using card, paper and paper fasteners I was able to recreate the movement of the legs to see what angle I will need to create between the legs and the seat of the stool. I moved the legs to four separate positions on the card surface and measured the angle at which the seat moved. I then colour coded this information. Conclusion This testing was useful in enabling me to find the measurement for the height and angle at which I need to manufacture my piano stool. This is important because I need to know the surface area of the seat in degrees, when the legs were adjusted to an angle where stability is still possible. I also need to insure that the steeper motor is set the right setting to allow the client to sit on the stool at the minimum and maximum setting. The maxium degree will be 100° and lowest being 150°.

6. Figure 1 CAD Drawing of stool Figure 4 The Computer Aided Design allowed me to workout the precise measurements of the final product, it has also allowed me to show a realistic and accurate representation of the design. Figure four shows one side of the design which will then slot into place with an identical section. A 6 mm hole will be drilled in place in order to slot a steel rod in place in order to act as a hinge. Using Pro/DESKTOP, I created the CAD drawing of my finished design. I used this software not only to reproduce the design and to show a clear accurate representation, but it also allows me to experiment and test the height adjustment. By changing the width of the curved sides, as you can see by figure 2 and 3, substantially reduces and increases the height of the stool. Therefore showing that my design would work. Figure 5 As well as using CAD as a principle that shows the lowering and raising of the piano stool. The CAD drawings also helped me to think about the curved design and angle of the piano stool . The curved design at the top of the product I will also implement into the design of my finished product. Figure 2 Figure 3

7. Finished product As you can see from the photographs above, my finished product consists of two 1:2 scale models. One model was constructed to show the aesthetics of my design, I used plywood to create a curved, smooth unique design piano stool. I varnished my final product to give a good quality finish. My second model, which I created from MDF, was intended to show the workings of the electronics. To show how the electronics of the height adjustment feature. As you can see from the photographs, I have wired up all the electronics and created the worm and worm wheel mechanism which will drive my product up and down. I am extremely happy with the quality of my final product.

8. Manufacturing Process Once all my materials are bought, I start my process of manufacture by making the mould for the thin 0.5mm aluminium (see right). It is made up of 11 bars altogether, with 2 wider bars to create the spaces in the corrugation where the eyelets will be fastened in place. With the gap in the mould 80mm wide, (identical to the aluminium strips) it holds the strip in place while I push the shorter bars into the gaps to create the oscillations. It was made from several blocks of 20mm thick MDF and plywood, glued and screwed together. Once the mould is finished, and my aluminium strips are cut to size, I begin to corrugate them by sliding them slowly through the mould, pushing in the metal bars one at a time (see left). The straight sides of the mould mean that the aluminium does not bend at all and every corrugation is perpendicular to the edges of the strip. The idea for this mould came about after a lengthy testing and development process which saw me trying rectangular corrugations, and even felt-tip pens to get a result. Eventually I realised I had to find a way to keep the whole strip straight while oscillating it, which required a mould. With the two strips of thin corrugated aluminium completed, (see right) I then cut off the excess metal that I didn’t need (the un-corrugated part at the end of each strip) and then drilled (see below) 5.5mm holes in the metal that would later hold the eyelets.

9. Manufacturing Process cont. Once all holes were drilled in both the 1mm and the corrugated 0.5mm strips of aluminium, I cut out and bent into shape the smaller section of metal that would house the screw thread for the wheel to run on (see right). I then drilled four holes into that, and the bent end of the 1mm outer aluminium strip. These would also hold eyelets. Once the piece of aluminium to hold the hook and the wheel was made, I had to manufacture them next. I cut a length of 15mm thick metal bar, and used a lathe to knurl the end of it (see left). I then drilled a hole down the very centre of it and tapped the hole, so it would run on the screw thread. (see right) Now I had all my aluminium cut and drilled, and the components for my hook and screw completed, I went on to spray everything with primer to give it an even undercoat, and then with paint (see bottom right for one of the paints I used). Once everything was finished with several coats of either green or silver paint, it was finally time to hammer in the eyelets to fasten the whole product together. I attached the 5mm eyelets (left) by using the eyelet tool and a mallet (bottom left and right) until every one was in place. Then it was just a matter of inserting the hook and wheel to complete the whole product.

10. Finished Product