Scales of Production and Quality Control

• Scales of Production


  • Mass production
  • Batch production
  • One off production
• Mass production


  • Factories produce millions of the same product all year round
  • Highly automated
  • Can afford to invest in robots to speed up production
  • Stages of production can be broken down into small repetitive tasks, often done by robots or unskilled employees
  • Products such as bottles, socks, toothbrushes, beans and anything that changes very little and is very popular
• Continuous production


  • Factories run all day and night
  • Particularly necessary in the production of frozen food, tin foil and chemicals where a pause in production may harm the product
• Batch production


  • Products are made in large numbers but only seasonally or change often
  • Factories need more skilled workers to enable them to switch between tasks
  • Tools and machinery tend to be a little more manual
  • Each stage of production would take place on a production line
  • Allows for changes in fashion where products can be adapted and changed easily
• One off production


  • Manufactured as single items
  • Can be small (e.g. jewellery) or large (e.g. bridges)
  • Specialist companies employ skilled staff to work with a client to design their brief
  • Expensive way to make things as it is labour intensive and takes a lot of time
  • In the fashion industry one off products are called couture, in furniture it is called bespoke
  • Other examples include prototypes, specialist engineering or handmade items
• Quality control is vital for every product leaving a factory
• Quality control checks


  1. Check the quality of the raw materials

  2. Ensure lines are cut accurately to allow pieces to fit together well

  3. Ensure images are printed clearly

  4. Test periodic samples of products to ensure consistency across the production line
• Quality control techniques


  • Measure and control drilling depth with a depth stop
  • Balance and focus laser cutter beams before cutting to ensure pin point accuracy
  • Measure and check ink in printers throughout the process to keep colour bright
  • Ensure exposure times in PCBs are the same for each one
  • Sample clothing to check shape, size, loose threads or components
• Tolerance


  The amount of difference there can be between each stage of production, e.g. the distance between buttons on a shirt or where a hole is drilled