GCSE Design & Technology Key Terms & Vocabulary

Acrylic (PMMA)

a rigid, shiny thermoplastic used for signs, displays and light units; it scratches fairly easily.

Alloy

a mixture of two or more metals, or a metal and another element, combined to improve properties such as strength or corrosion resistance.

Aluminium

extracted from the ore bauxite by electrolysis, a very energy-intensive process.

Aluminium

a lightweight, corrosion-resistant non-ferrous metal used for drinks cans and aircraft parts.

Balsa

the lightest commercially used timber, chosen for model-making and prototypes.

Beech

a hard, close-grained hardwood used for school furniture, toys and workbenches because it resists wear.

Manufactured boards

usually cheaper than solid hardwood, come in large flat sheets and are free of natural defects such as knots.

Brass

an alloy of copper and zinc, used for decorative fittings and musical instruments.

Brittleness

a material's tendency to fracture without significant plastic deformation; it is the opposite of plasticity / toughness.

Bronze

an alloy of copper and tin, used for bearings, statues and coins.

Capacitor

an electronic component that stores energy in an electric field between two plates and can release it very quickly when discharged.

Carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP)

very strong and light, used for bicycle frames, racing cars and aircraft parts.

Cartridge paper

a thick, slightly textured general-purpose drawing paper, used for sketching, drawing and painting in design work.

Cast iron

a hard, brittle ferrous metal that is strong in compression, used for machine bases and vices.

Chipboard

a cheap board of compressed wood chips and resin, usually veneered or laminated for kitchen units and flat-pack furniture.

Composite

made from two or more different materials combined so the result has better properties than either material on its own.

Cooperatives

enterprises owned and democratically run by their members (workers, consumers, or producers) rather than by external shareholders.

Copper

a non-ferrous metal that conducts heat and electricity well and is easily bent, used for wiring and pipes.

Corn-starch polymers

modern biodegradable materials made from a renewable crop instead of crude oil.

Corrugated board

used for protective packaging because the hollow fluted layer absorbs impact and cushions fragile goods while staying lightweight.

Corrugated board

made of a fluted (wavy) inner layer sandwiched between two flat liner layers.

Cotton

an absorbent, breathable, cool-to-wear natural fibre that creases easily.

DC motor

an output device that converts an electrical signal (DC current) into rotary motion.

Density

mass per unit volume, measured in kg/m³.

Ductility

a material's ability to be drawn out into thin wires under tensile load without breaking.

Elastane (Lycra)

a synthetic fibre that adds stretch and recovery to a fabric.

Elasticity

a material's ability to return to its original size and shape after a deforming force is removed.

Embossing

a finishing process that presses a design into card to create a raised (relief) area you can see and feel.

Epoxy resin

a strong thermosetting polymer used as an adhesive and as the matrix in composites.

Formula 1 monocoque chassis

built primarily from carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) — chosen for combined stiffness, low mass, and energy absorption in crashes.

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Alessi

an Italian company associated with playful, designer-led kitchen products (kettles, utensils, the Juicy Salif).

Aluminium

chosen over mild steel for aircraft body panels because it is lighter and naturally corrosion-resistant (forms a passive oxide layer), reducing fuel burn and maintenance.

Anthropometric data

the systematic measurement of human body sizes (height, reach, grip width, seated height, etc.). Not cultural preferences, not material costs.

Bandsaw

not the safest tool for cutting internal curves — the blade runs continuously between two wheels and can't enter a hole; a coping saw or scroll saw is used for internal cut-outs.

Bauhaus design movement

founded in Weimar, Germany in 1919 by Walter Gropius; it emphasised functional, geometric forms with no unnecessary ornament.

Bench plane

a hand tool designed to plane wood to a flat, smooth surface — removing thin shavings with a controlled blade.

BS 8888

the British Standard specifying technical product documentation conventions (drawing standards) in the UK.

Carbon-fibre composite bicycle frames

lighter and stiffer than aluminium but cost more and are harder to repair after damage — the cost / repairability trade-off is the GCSE-tested point.

Compression moulding

best suited to shaping thermosetting polymers like melamine and urea-formaldehyde — heat and pressure cure the polymer in a matched mould; the polymer cannot be re-melted.

Design fixation

the tendency to stick with the first idea and ignore alternatives; avoiding fixation means deliberately staying open to other solutions.

Ergonomics

the discipline studying how people interact with products and systems, covering both physical (anatomical, biomechanical) and cognitive (perception, memory) interactions.

Galvanised steel

significantly cheaper per kilogram than stainless steel, making it preferred for budget outdoor applications like garden gates — although it needs the zinc coating to remain intact for corrosion protection.

G-code

a programming language used to tell CNC machines what to do — specifying tool movements, feed rates, and spindle controls.

Safety goggles

the PPE item that protects the eyes when grinding or drilling metal.

Greenwashing

overstating a product's environmental credentials in marketing to mislead consumers into believing it is more sustainable than it really is.

High-fidelity working prototype

best for stress-testing how the product behaves in real use — using the actual or representative materials and assembly methods.

Interference fit

achieved when the shaft is larger than the hole, requiring force (a press or thermal shrink-fit) to assemble.

Iterative design

not a fixed single pass from brief to final product — that's the linear / waterfall model. Iteration deliberately re-enters earlier stages.

Jig

a device that guides a tool to make identical operations on multiple parts — fundamental to batch production.

Knock-down (KD) fittings

used in flat-pack furniture because customers assemble parts at home, saving on shipping volume and cost.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

a Scottish architect-designer central to the Glasgow School and to the wider Art Nouveau movement at the turn of the 20th century.

Dust extraction system

used when machining MDF because MDF dust contains formaldehyde-based resin binders and harms the lungs if inhaled.

Memphis Group

an Italian design collective founded in 1980 (active until 1987) known for bold colour and playful, asymmetrical forms.

Memphis Group

founded in 1980 — six decades after the Bauhaus (1919). Memphis did not pre-date Bauhaus.

Modernism

captured by the phrase "form follows function" — a product's appearance should be driven by its purpose, not by decorative tradition.

William Morris

the leading figure of the late-19th-century Arts and Crafts movement, which championed hand craftsmanship against industrial mass production.

Marc Newson

an Australian designer famous for the Lockheed Lounge (1988–90), a riveted aluminium chaise that sold for £2.4 million in 2015.

Packaging

part of the product's marketing — it attracts buyers on shelf, communicates brand identity, and conveys regulatory information; not just protection.

Pillar drill

designed specifically to create accurate, repeatable holes in metal (or any stock) — with controlled feed rate, depth, and a clamped workpiece.

Planned obsolescence

designing a product so it deliberately becomes outdated, breaks, or stops being supported within a short time, forcing the user to buy a replacement.

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A4 paper

half the area of A3, not twice it. Folding an A3 sheet in half along its long edge produces two A4 sheets.

ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)

used to make LEGO bricks because of its toughness and impact resistance; "Lego bricks have primarily been made from ABS since 1963."

Acrylic

a synthetic fibre often used as a cheaper alternative that mimics the warmth, bulk and soft feel of wool.

Acrylic sheet

sold in nominal thicknesses including 3, 5 and 8 mm (also 2, 4, 6, 10 mm).

Aluminium

the standard drinks-can metal because its low density and natural oxide layer give a lightweight, corrosion-resistant container.

Aluminium

extracted from an ore called bauxite by the Bayer process (refining to alumina) followed by electrolytic reduction (Hall–Héroult process).

Anodising aluminium

an electrolytic process that thickens the natural oxide layer on the metal surface, increasing corrosion resistance and wear resistance. It can also hold dye for coloured finishes.

Balsa

the lightest commercially used timber, with a density around 100–200 kg/m³ — often used for model-making. (Classified as a hardwood botanically despite being softer than most softwoods.)

Bamboo

promoted as a sustainable alternative to traditional hardwoods because it regrows rapidly after cutting without replanting — bamboo is a grass, so the cut stems regenerate from the existing root system, and some species grow up to around 1 m per day.

Beech

a hardwood traditionally used for school furniture and tool handles because of its even grain, toughness, and resistance to shock loading.

Bending

a force that varies across the cross section of a beam — outer face in tension, inner face in compression.

Brass

an alloy of copper and zinc.

Carbon footprint

the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product's full life cycle — including raw material extraction, manufacture, transport, use and disposal — not just the emissions at the factory.

Cast iron

brittle under impact loading, which makes it unsuitable for a portable gym dumbbell handle (impact-loaded). The cast-iron dumbbell weight is fine because the loading is static; the handle takes shock loads on drop.

Cast iron

harder than mild steel but more brittle, making it unsuitable for impact-loaded parts.

Cedar

a softwood widely used for external cladding because of its natural durability and resistance to rot and insects.

Compression

a pushing force that shortens a material along its axis (tries to crush along its length).

Copper

not extracted from bauxite — copper comes from copper-bearing ores such as chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂) and malachite. Bauxite is exclusively used for aluminium.

Cotton

a natural fibre harvested from the seed boll (protective case around the seeds) of the cotton plant.

Cotton

a natural plant-based (cellulose) fibre — distinct from synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon and acrylic which are made from oil-based polymers.

Cracking

breaking long-chain hydrocarbons in crude oil into shorter, more useful chains (used as polymer feedstock or as fuel components).

Danish oil

a penetrating timber finish that soaks into the wood fibres, hardens, repels water and shows the grain — without forming a hard surface film like varnish.

Deforestation

the cutting down of forest without replanting at the rate of harvest, leading to net loss of forest cover. It contributes to habitat loss, carbon release, and soil erosion.

Density

calculated by dividing mass by volume (ρ = m / V), measured in g/cm³ or kg/m³.

Diode

an electronic component that allows current to flow in one direction only (from anode to cathode in the forward-bias direction).

Dovetail joint

traditionally used for drawer corners — the interlocking pins and tails resist the pull of opening the drawer.

Dowel

a long, thin cylindrical timber stock form, commonly used for handles, joinery pegs and furniture rails.

Ferrous metal

one that contains iron and is therefore magnetic (steel, cast iron). Non-ferrous metals (aluminium, copper, brass) do not contain iron and are not magnetic.

Fixture

a device that holds a workpiece securely in position while it is machined or assembled — it does not guide the tool.

Flame-retardant finish

applied to children's nightwear fabric to reduce the risk of ignition and slow the spread of flames if the garment catches fire.

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