Transcript Question 1 Revision

Revision:
Production processes
Production processes
You need to look at the following production methods or processes. You
can go onto the WJEC website and click on:
National Grid for Learning Cymru
If you click on the link it will take you to ‘HWB’, which is a Welsh
assembly government learning website.
You then need to click onto Find and Use, followed by Key stage 4.
From here you will be able to access many revision topics for GCSE
subjects including Resistant Materials.
Have a look around and try out the exercises.
One off production
This is the oldest form of production. With this type of
manufacturing, we are concerned with individual products, which will
probably not have a large number of pre-manufactured components
(many different parts) in them.
Most of the time no two products will be the same and as the units are
manufactured to customers' requirements, each unit can be expensive.
Because very small numbers are made, the manufacturer would have to
reset the equipment for each individual job. The manufacturer may
even have to use different materials for each individual product. All
this adds to the production costs for the company. We say that each
one of these one-off products has a high unit cost.
The image below is of a child's handmade rocking horse. It may have
taken months to make. The horse would be quite expensive to buy
because it is a one-off and takes such a long time to make.
Batch production
This form of manufacturing deals with larger production runs rather than
one-off products like the rocking horse before. Batches of a product may
be increased or decreased according to the demands of the customers.
This form of manufacturing may involve some line production (use of a
production line and a conveyor belt) and some stand-alone job production
(people working at individual workstations).
This storage unit is produced in batches of 100s over short periods. Jigs,
formers and templates create storage units of exactly the same shape
and size.
There are economies of scale because each product looks the same and is
made of the same types of components. This is called standardisation.
Economy of scale means that the greater numbers of units made, the less
each one costs. The scale of production is greater than one-off production
but less than mass production.
Mass Production
The manufacturer may make thousands or hundreds of thousands of
identical products each day.
Because of the large quantities of products made, there is significant
economy of scale. Remember that economy of scale means that the
greater numbers of units made, the less each one costs.
With mass production, a high level of standardisation results in low unit
costs and each individual unit drops dramatically.
The children's bath toy shown here has been made by a process called
injection moulding. This is a particular type of manufacturing process used
to produce identical plastic items in large quantities.
Flow or continuous production
Products continually produced are usually sold in very high quantities every
day. The production line does not stop, as it would prove to be
expensive to switch the assembly line on and off every day.
Computer-controlled robotics systems, which are initially very expensive to
purchase, keep production rates extremely high.
This brings the unit costs down because so many are made in such a short
time. You may compare this to the rocking horse (one-off production),
which was expensive to buy because it took such a long time to make
and required a skilled craftsperson to make it.
The term 24/7 refers to a production line run 24 hours per day for seven
days per week. It is more economical to keep it running all the time.
Glass, bin liners and plastic shopping bags are good examples of continuous
production.
Scale of production
The term scale of production refers to the quantity or numbers of a
product made. The quantity of products made will depend upon the
needs of the customers. The company making the products will choose
the appropriate manufacturing process.
Its decisions will be influenced by the:
• volume or quantities of products required
• types of materials used to make the products
• type of product being manufactured
For example, for a company to manufacture a product such as a child's
activity centre a variety of factors need to be considered, e.g.:
• staff
• materials
• resources
• finance
• customers
• correct information
Injection moulding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=
bit-D1NnfjI
Blow moulding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hAARHqezo
eM
Plastic manufacturing processes
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=play
er_embedded&v=jYkKBUFORco
Metal forging
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player
_embedded&v=-bp4doDjGFE
Sand casting metal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BI4v0Gqc7k&feature=player_embedded
Die casting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzSSfBgkWfc&feature=player_embedded