Manufacturing
Tools and Processes
Manufacturing workshops provide access to a wide range of tools and machines to manufacture products. Workshop tools and machines, used safely, can be used to mark, cut, shape, form and finish materials to a high standard.
Tools for woodwork - marking out, cutting, shaping
300mm Steel rule
Used for general measuring and marking out.
Try Square
Used for marking lines at right angles to an edge on wood. Can also be used to check for 鈥榮quareness鈥
Bench Hook
Used with the woodworking vice and the tenon saw when cutting wood. A bench hook enables a piece of wood to be held firmly in position during cutting.
Marking Gauge
Used to mark lines parallel to an edge on wood.
Tenon Saw
Used for cutting straight lines in wood, also used for cutting wood joints.
Coping Saw
Used for cutting curves in wood and plastic.
Tools for Metalwork - marking out, cutting, shaping
300mm Steel rule
Used for general measuring and marking out.
Scriber
Used for marking out on metal, sometimes used with 鈥榤arking blue鈥 to make the marks easier to see. Marking blue coats the metal and is scratched off with the scriber
Centre punch
Used on metal to mark the position of a hole to be drilled. This then prevents the drill from slipping.
Files
Used for shaping and removing waste material on metals and plastics. Available in a variety of shapes.
Hacksaw
Used for cutting straight lines in metal.
Junior hacksaw
A smaller version of a hacksaw, used in enclosed spaces, precise cuts and for smaller pieces of metal.
Workshop machines
Bandfacer
Pillar drill
Polisher
Vacuum Forming
- Lower mould into vacuum former.
- Heat the plastic until soft.
- Bring the mould up into the plastic using the lever.
- Switch on the vacuum to suck out all the air.
- Switch off vacuum and remove the plastic.
- Remove moulds 鈥 cut away excess plastic.
Sometimes talc can be dusted on the to help it drop out with ease. A good vacuum-formed product will only be possible if a good mould has first been made. The mould must have a draft angle, so it doesn鈥檛 get stuck in the plastic. A draft angle is a slant that on each side of a vacuum moulded part. This helps with releasing the part from the mould.
Line Bending
A line bender has a heated wire that provides heat, concentrated to just a few millimetres wide. The wire heats plastics along a line so they can be bent. Once the plastic softens, it can be bent easily into shape around a formerA solid shape that is often used to make a mould before being left to cool.
Metal Folding
Sheet metal can be easily bent using a manual folding machine also known as a 鈥楤ox Pan Folder鈥. The piece of sheet metal is first clamped into position. The user then pushes the handle upwards, and the sheet metal is shaped to the required angle.
Soldering
How to solder
Soldering is a way to join metal parts, often electrical components, by heating a filler metal called solder until it melts. When the solder cools, it fuses the components together.
- All components must be clean and grease free.
- Heat both parts of the joint to 200掳C with a hot soldering iron - for at least 10 seconds.
- Apply the solder, allowing it to run into the joint.
- Allow it to cool without movement of the joint.
- Use a heat sink when soldering diodes and transistors.
Safe soldering
- Never touch the tip of the soldering iron. They are very hot and will give you a nasty burn
- Take great care to avoid touching the mains flex with the tip of the iron. An ordinary plastic flex will melt immediately if touched by a hot iron and there is a serious risk of burns and electric shock.
- Always return the soldering iron to its stand when not in use. Never put it down on your workbench, even for a moment!
- Work in a well-ventilated area. The smoke formed as you melt solder is mostly from the fluxa chemical that helps clean the surfaces to be soldered and helps the molten solder flow and can be quite irritating.
Finishing materials
Finishes are usually applied to products for two reasons, firstly to protect them (e.g. from rusting/rotting), secondly to make them look more aestheticallyRefers to the way a product looks and feels, especially in a pleasing manner. pleasing.
The table below outlines the different finishes that can be applied to each type of material.
听 | Wood | metal | plastic |
---|---|---|---|
paint | 鉁 | 鉁 | |
polish | 鉁 | 鉁 | |
plastic dip coat Heated metal is dipped into powdered or a liquid plastic so that a coating of this plastic is bonded to the metal | 鉁 | ||
galvanising | 鉁 | ||
varnish | 鉁 | ||
oil | 鉁 |
Test yourself
More on Manufacturing
Find out more by working through a topic
- count2 of 4
- count3 of 4
- count4 of 4