tech

• Absorbancy


  how a material draws up water

  
• Alloy


  a mixture of two or more metals designed to improve the quality of the material for a given purpose.

  
• Linear Motion


  Movement in a straight line.

  
• Reciprocating Motion


  a back-and-forth movement, such as the action of a piston in a cylinder

  
• Oscillating Motion


  repetitive motion of an object around its equilibrium (central) position

  
• Rotary Motion


  movement following a circular path, around a fixed point.

  
• Cog Wheel


  single component of a gear train. A gear train must have two of these to work.

  
• Gear Ratio


  How many turns of one gear it takes to turn another gear

  
• Biodegradable


  Able to be broken down naturally

  
• Biopolymers


  Polymers which are made from plant material e.g. corn starch

  
• Casting


  a method of heating metal to a molton state and pouring into a pre-prepared mould.

  
• CAD


  design work created on the computer using software packages

  
• Co-operative


  An organization that is formed to benefit its owners in the form of reduced prices and/or the distribution of surpluses at year-end.

  
• Crowdfunding


  raising money for a project or venture by obtaining many small amounts of money from many people, usually online.

  
• Dyeing


  the use of dye to change the color of something permanently

  
• Ferrous Metals


  Metals that contain iron (ferrite) and carbon.

  
• Fossil Fuels


  Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals.

  
• LED


  an electrical component that is capable of emitting light

  
• Renewable


  A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed

  
• Smart Material


  Materials that have been designed to have one or more properties that can be modified when subject to an external stimuli in a way that the output can be controlled.

  
• Thermal Insulator


  a material that conducts thermal energy poorly

  
• Electrical Conductor


  a material in which charges can move freely

  
• Thermoforming Polymer


  can be formed and shaped repeatedly with heat.

  
• Thermosetting Polymer


  can only be moulded once and will burn when heated

  
• Tolerance


  acceptable difference between the upper and lower of sizes

  
• Air Seasoning


  a natural method of drying out green timber

  
• Batch Production


  when a limited number of the same product is made during a a particular period of time

  
• Bulk Buying


  when materials or products are bought in large quantities they usually cost less per unit than buying in just a few. This is because the costs of setting up the manufacturing are the same no matter how many are made

  
• Cellulose Fibres


  fibres found in trees and plants which can be used to make paper and card

  
• Composite Material


  a material that combines the properties of the materials that were used to make it

  
• Compound Gear


  a number of gears on the same shaft that rotate at the same speed

  
• Continuous Production


  runs constantly and is highly automated

  
• Conversion


  the process of sawing a tree trunk into planks

  
• Cross Filing


  a method of shaping metal

  
• Deforestation


  large areas of trees cut down, often due to mining, drilling, farming or logging

  
• Depth-Stop


  a mechanical means of setting how deep a drill bit will cut

  
• Design Movement


  a style of design particularly popular with a group of people or within a period of time

  
• Dimensional Tolerance


  the difference between the maximum and minimum acceptable size

  
• Down Time


  when a machine has stopped working and no products are being made. This could be due to maintenance, a fault, or changing the set up.

  
• Draw Filing


  a method of smoothing the edge of metal