Design and Technology

Glossary of D&T terms

Only a sample of each letter section is shown on this page, by clicking on each letter you will be taken to a page where useful Design & Technology words and phrases are explained.

If there are words which are missing and you think they should be added, please let your D&T teacher know!

 

A

Abrasive – a material which can wear others away

Actuator – a device which operates something

Aesthetics ………

B

Bacteria – micro-organisms; some can cause food poisoning

Balanced diet – a diet giving all or most of the nutrients needed

Batch production – ………….

C

CAD – computer-aided design

CAM – computer-aided manufacture

cam – ……………

D

data – any information which is in a database or spreadsheet

database – a program which links together information which can then be searched

deciduous – ………….

E

eccentric cam – a circular cam with an offset axis

effort – the force put into a system

elastic limit – …………………

F

fabrication – making up something from materials

fat – found in meat, milk, cheese and butter

feedback – ………….

G

garnish – to decorate food using colours, textures etc

gate – a device which switches depending on its inputs

gear ratio – ………

H

hardwood – wood from a tree that loses its leaves in winter

hazard – a danger

heat bending

I

idler gear – a small gear fitted in between two gears so that they turn in the same direction

implication – what is going to happen as a result of an action taken

ingredients – …………….

J

jig – a device to hold odd shaped work

K

Kilohm – one thousand ohms

knot – a round dark part of timber where a branch starts in a tree

L

lag – the time it takes a system to respond to change

laminating – gluing together thin strips of material to make a thicker one

LDR – ………..

M

machine – a device which does work using moving and fixed components

mass production – making very large quantities of products

mass structure – ………

N

natural – from sources in nature, plants and animals

nutrient – ingredients which are beneficial to life

O

on/off switch – switch with only two states called on or off, sometimes known as 0 or 1

open loop – a system without feedback

open task – ………….

P

packaging – the containers in which products are sold

PCB – printed circuit board

Permanent stitch – ……….

Q

quality assurance – making sure products are up to standard

questionnaire – a list of questions with spaces for answers

R

reconciliation – deciding to do things in a way that may not be your first choice

recycling – reusing waste or unwanted materials

regulator – ……..

S

salting – packing in layers of salt

scale – the size of the model compared to the real thing

seam – …………

T

tack – to join together with a removable stitich

tasting – eating or drinking to find out the texture or taste of food or drink

tease apart – ……

UV

valve – controls the distribution of air in a system

vegan – someone who does not eat any animal products

vegetarian – …………

W

warp – twist or distort

wastage – shaping by removing materials

work hardening – ………

XYZ