AS 2: Coursework – Product Development: Making
Welcome to your study notes for the Making (Realisation) component of CCEA AS Unit 2: Coursework – Product Development. This unit is worth 50% of your AS Level and 20% of your total A Level (A2) qualification. In this stage, you take the concepts developed in your portfolio and bring them to life as a high-quality, functional prototype that improves or develops an existing commercial product.
Don't worry if practical workshop manufacturing seems daunting at first! Making is simply about careful planning, following safe working practices, choosing the right tools, and documenting your journey step-by-step.
---1. Production Planning: Before You Touch a Tool
Before cutting any material or firing up a machine, you need a clear manufacturing roadmap. In your portfolio (which has a strict limit of 10 A3 pages for the entire AS 2 project), you must demonstrate organized production planning.
Key Planning Tools
• Gantt Charts: A visual timeline displaying the sequence, duration, and milestones of every manufacturing task from start to finish.
• Flow Charts: A step-by-step schematic showing the sequence of operations, including quality checks and decision points (e.g., "Is the joint flush? If no, sand down; if yes, proceed").
• Working Drawings (BS 8888): All technical drawings, orthographic projections, and exploded diagrams used during manufacturing must adhere to the BS 8888 standard (the British Standard for technical product documentation).
Understanding Tolerances
No manufacturing process is 100% exact. A tolerance defines the acceptable range of variation in a physical dimension. For example, a part may have a dimension specified as:
\( \text{Dimension} = 50.0\text{ mm} \pm 0.5\text{ mm} \)
This means any manufactured part measuring between \( 49.5\text{ mm} \) and \( 50.5\text{ mm} \) is acceptable. Tight tolerances ensure that moving components align smoothly and separate parts fit securely together.
Key Takeaway: Plan every step using Gantt or flow charts, apply BS 8888 drawing conventions, and use tolerances (e.g. \( \pm 0.5\text{ mm} \)) to guarantee precise fit.
---2. Workshop Health and Safety Regulations
Safety is not just workshop common sense—it is an assessed element of professional practice. Your practical work must strictly adhere to statutory health and safety standards.
Crucial Legislation and Regulations
• Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978: The overarching legal framework requiring a safe working environment, proper machine guarding, and the use of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as eye protection, apron/lab coat, and secure footwear.
• COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health): Regulations controlling exposure to hazardous workshop substances. Key examples include:
- Dust extraction when cutting or routing Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF) to prevent inhalation of fine particles and resin binder dust.
- Fume extraction during soldering or applying solvent-based adhesives to eliminate toxic chemical vapour inhalation.
Top Tip: Whenever you take photos of your manufacturing process, always ensure you are visibly wearing full PPE (e.g., safety glasses). Examiners check for safe practices!
Key Takeaway: Comply with the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978 and COSHH requirements (like MDF dust extraction and soldering fume extraction).
---3. Manufacturing Processes in the Workshop
To achieve top marks, you must select appropriate tools and processes for your specific materials. Workshop processes generally fall into four main categories:
Memory Trick: Remember the phrase "Workers Form Just Fine" to recall the 4 core process groups: Wasting, Forming, Joining, Finishing.
A. Wasting Processes (Material Removal)
Wasting involves cutting away unwanted material to achieve a desired shape or dimension:
• Sawing: Cutting stock to rough or precise lengths (e.g., tenon saw for timber, junior hacksaw for metals, or bandsaw/scroll saw for curves).
• Drilling: Creating holes using pillar drills or hand drills with twist bits, countersink bits, or hole saws.
• Turning (Lathe): Rotating a workpiece against a stationary cutting tool to produce cylindrical and symmetrical profiles in timber, metal, or engineering plastics.
B. Forming Processes (Reshaping without Material Loss)
Forming reshapes material by bending, stretching, or melting and solidifying:
• Vacuum Forming: Heating a thermoplastic sheet until pliable, then draping it over a mould and applying a vacuum to pull the plastic tightly onto the shape (ideal for casings and trays).
• Strip Folding (Line Bending): Using a localized heating wire to soften thermoplastics along a single line to make clean, sharp bends.
• Casting: Pouring molten metal or liquid resin into a cavity mould where it cools and solidifies into the finished shape.
C. Joining Processes (Assembling Components)
Joining connects separate parts together and is categorized as permanent or temporary:
• Permanent Joining: Cannot be taken apart without damaging the components.
- Welding: Melting parent metal parts together with high heat.
- Brazing: Joining metal parts using a filler brass rod at temperatures above \( 450^\circ\text{C} \).
- Adhesives: PVA (wood), Tensol cement (acrylic), epoxy resin (multi-material), or contact adhesive.
• Temporary (Demountable) Joining: Allows disassembly for maintenance, repair, or battery replacement.
- Nuts and bolts: Threaded mechanical fasteners used with washers.
- Machine screws & wood screws: Driven directly into threaded inserts or pilot holes.
D. Finishing Processes (Surface Protection and Aesthetics)
Surface finishing protects materials from environmental degradation and delivers a commercial-grade look:
• Sanding: Progressively moving from coarse to fine grit abrasive paper to remove blemishes.
• Priming: Applying an undercoat to seal the surface and improve paint adhesion.
• Painting & Lacquering: Applying protective coloured or clear polyurethane/acrylic coats for gloss, satin, or matte protection.
• Polishing: Using a buffing wheel with polishing compound (such as rouge) to achieve a mirror finish on metals and acrylics.
Key Takeaway: Combine wasting, forming, joining, and finishing techniques appropriate for each material to manufacture durable, precise parts.
---4. Achieving Level 3 Quality: What the Examiner Looks For
To reach the highest mark band (Level 3) in the AS 2 Making criteria, your prototype must reflect high-level craftsmanship:
• Skill and Accuracy: Flawless execution of joints, clean cuts, minimal gaps, and precise component alignment.
• Complexity: Your product should not just be a simple box. Integrate multiple materials (e.g., combining timber, polymers, or sheet metal with electronic circuits or mechanical drive systems).
• Commercial Quality Finish: The final item should look like a marketable product ready for sale, free from stray glue marks, rough edges, or uneven paint.
• Comprehensive Photographic Evidence: Documenting the physical making process with clear, well-lit photos showing both intermediate assembly stages and the final completed product.
Key Takeaway: Top marks require multi-material complexity, high accuracy, commercial surface finishes, and full photographic proof.
---5. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Examiners regularly note recurring errors in AS 2 coursework submissions. Review this checklist to safeguard your marks:
Pitfall 1: Lack of Intermediate Photos
The Error: Only photographing the finished outcome.
The Fix: Take photos at every single manufacturing step! Show internal joints, PCB soldering, routing, and vacuum forming before enclosing them inside casings. Examiners must see the internal craftsmanship.
Pitfall 2: Over-reliance on 3D Printing / CAD-CAM Alone
The Error: 3D printing the entire casing in one piece without demonstrating workshop skills.
The Fix: While CAD/CAM is welcome, combine 3D-printed parts with hand tools, machine processes (lathe, strip heater, brazing), and manual finishing techniques to prove a wide range of practical skills.
Pitfall 3: The "Development-to-Making" Disconnect
The Error: Changing your final design during manufacture without explaining why in your portfolio.
The Fix: If a joint or dimension needs adjustment during making (e.g., changing from a mechanical screw to an adhesive joint due to space constraints), document the modification and justify your reasoning clearly on your portfolio page.
Pitfall 4: Missing Safety Documentation
The Error: Photos showing students without PPE or ignoring COSHH safety measures.
The Fix: Clearly demonstrate safe working practices—wear safety glasses, tie back hair, and annotate safety precautions (e.g., mentioning dust/fume extraction systems) alongside your process descriptions.
Quick Chapter Summary
• AS 2 Portfolio: Maximum 10 A3 pages covering the entire product development project.
• Planning: Sequence work using Gantt charts or flow charts and produce drawings to BS 8888 standards.
• Regulations: Comply with the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978 and COSHH (MDF dust extraction, soldering fume extraction).
• Processes: Master Wasting (sawing, drilling, turning), Forming (vacuum forming, strip folding, casting), Joining (permanent vs. temporary), and Finishing (sanding, priming, painting, polishing).
• Evidence: Take intermediate and final photographs demonstrating accuracy, multi-material complexity, and safe workshop practice.