What's covered
Key facts
3D printing (additive manufacturing) builds an object by adding material layer by layer from a digital model, with little waste.
Untreated natural materials such as wood and cardboard are among the most biodegradable, unlike plastics, acrylic or steel.
Automation and robotics use machines to carry out repetitive manufacturing tasks quickly, accurately and consistently.
A carbon footprint is the total amount of CO₂ (and other greenhouse gases) a product is responsible for.
The Bauhaus was a German design school (1919–1933) that championed simple, functional design with very little decoration.
Designing products so they can be repaired extends their life and reduces waste.
CAD/CAM links computer-aided design (CAD) directly to computer-aided manufacture (CAM), so a digital design can drive a computer-controlled machine.
Wood from responsibly managed forests carries the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification mark.
James Dyson built thousands of prototypes (around 5,127) before his bagless cyclone vacuum cleaner worked — a famous example of iterative design.
A life cycle assessment looks at a product's environmental impact from raw material extraction all the way to disposal.
Sample questions
A taste of the 15 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What kind of design was the Bauhaus school best known for championing?
- •Hand-painted patterns from nature
- •Highly decorated, ornate styling
- •One-off luxury pieces made by hand
- ✓Simple, functional design with little decoration
What are the 6 Rs of sustainability?
- •Reach, reset, rotate, reshape, reach, reach
- •Read, write, run, rest, repeat, relax
- •Recycle, restart, rebuild, redo, refit, return
- ✓Reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse, repair, rethink
How does 3D printing (additive manufacturing) build an object?
- ✓By adding material layer by layer
- •By bending sheet material into shape
- •By cutting it from a solid block
- •By pressing molten metal into a mould
What does it mean to 'reduce' in sustainability?
- •Make the product as cheap as possible
- •Reduce all packaging to plastic only
- •Shrink the product to a tiny size
- ✓Use less material or energy in the first place
What is a key feature of a smart material?
- •It changes shape once and stays that way
- •It is always cheaper than other materials
- •It is the strongest material available
- ✓It reacts to its environment and the change reverses
Why is local sourcing of materials more sustainable?
- •Cheaper than any imports
- ✓Fewer transport emissions
- •Looks better in marketing
- •Wider variety of materials
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