Design Technology KS3 Vocab
Year 7
Soft Wood
A coniferous tree that is fast growing and keeps it’s needles all year round. E.g. pine, spruce
Hard wood
A tree that is slow growing and loses it’s leaves in winter. E.g. Oak or birch
Manufactured Board
A board made from pieces of wood and resin to create stronger material. E.g. MDF, Plywood
MDF
Medium Density fibreboard — Made from fine particles of woods mixed with resin and compressed with heat.
Grain
Darken lines on a piece of wood where sap once travelled.
Knot
A circular marking where a branch once grew
Art Nouveau
1890-1910 Based on nature, whiplash curves, female form
Art Deco
1920 Based on geometric shapes, Egypt, symmetry
De Stijl
1917-31 Based on straight lines, primary colours, black, white
Pop art
1950-60s Based on popular culture, comics, vibrant colours
Memphis group
1980s Based on unusual shapes, patterns, bright colours
Design Movement
A style of design that was popular for several years
Brief
What the project is about
Specification
A list of bulletin points used to describe future design
Designing
Drawing ideas using 2D or 3D sketches
Annotation
Adding notes to your work to explain your thoughts
Evaluation
A review of how well you worked and what could be improved
Tension
A stretching force
Compression
A pushing force
Torsion
A force that twists
Truss (bridge)
A structure made from triangular elements
Suspension (bridge)
A structure that is supported by cables
Beam (bridge)
A simple horizonal structure spanning a gap
Year 8
Ferrous metal
A metal that contains iron and is magnetic
Non ferrous metal
A metal that does NOT contain iron so NOT magnetic
Alloy
A mixture of more than one metal or element
Mild steel
A ferrous metal that is malleable and
Plywood
A manufactured board made up of layers of thin wood
Thermoplastic
Plastic which can be heated and moulded more than once (also known as thermoforming)
Thermosetting
Plastics that can be only be heated and moulded once
Acrylic
A thermoplastic that is brittle but easy to shape
CAD
Computer Aided design E.g. 2D design
Laser cutter
A machine that takes a computer drawing and cuts it out on flat sheet material (normally acrylic) or plywood
Soldering
The process of joining metals with a low melting point
Resistor
A component in a circuit that controls the flow of current
LED
Light emitting diode. An output used in electronic circuits
Year 9
Ferrous metal
A metal that contain iron and is magnetic
Non ferrous metal
A metal that does NOT contain iron so NOT magnetic
Alloy
A mixture of more than one metal or element
Brass
Made from copper and zinc, used to join metal
Mild steel
A ferrous metal used for bug body
Spelter
Another name for brazing rod – used to join metals
Brazing
Joining two metals with heat and filler rod
Flux
Applied to prevent oxidation in the brazing joint
Hearth
The area where brazing take place
Dip coating
A plastic finish applied to metal
Isometric
3D drawing drawn at 30 degree angles
Orthographic
2D drawing showing 3 views of a 3D object
CAD
Computer aided design. E.g. solid works
CAM
Computer aided manufacture. E.g. Laser cutter
Specification
A list of bulletin points used to describe future design
Extrude
To form something by forcing or pushing it out
Fillet
To round edges
Plane
A surface to work on
Dimensions
Measurements of an object (Length, width, height)
Render
To add colour or texture
