Scales of production
- One-off (prototype or bespoke): a single product made to order, such as a wedding dress. High quality and unique, but expensive and slow.
- Batch production: a set number of identical products, such as 500 chairs. Jigs and templates speed it up, and the line can be changed for the next batch.
- Mass production: large numbers of identical products on a production line, such as cars. Cheap per product, but costly to set up and less flexible.
- Continuous production: non-stop production 24 hours a day, such as oil refining or making drinks cans, because stopping is too costly.
Specialist processes
- Wasting processes remove material: cutting, sawing, drilling, milling, turning and laser cutting.
- Addition processes join or add material: welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, sewing, and 3D printing.
- Deforming and reforming change shape: bending, vacuum forming, injection moulding, casting, pressing and steam bending.
Accuracy and quality
- Jigs hold and guide work so that holes and cuts are in the same place every time. Templates are shapes to draw round.
- Quality control checks products against a specification, such as measuring with gauges.
- Printing uses registration marks to line up colours, and tolerances set how much a size can vary.
Key terms
- One-off production
- Making a single, unique product.
- Batch production
- Making a set number of identical products.
- Mass production
- Making large numbers of identical products on a production line.
- Continuous production
- Production that runs non-stop.
- Jig
- A device that holds and guides work so it is made the same each time.
- Template
- A shape used to mark out identical parts.
- Wasting
- A process that removes material, such as drilling.
- Injection moulding
- Forcing molten plastic into a mould.
Practise Scales of production and specialist techniques: 10 questions