AQA A c

AQA A-LEVEL DESIGN &
TECHNOLOGY PAPER 1 UNIT 4
CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
REVISION BOOK QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS 2025/2026
PaperAandAboardAformingAprocessesA-
AcorrectAanswersPapersAandAboardsAareAimportantAmaterialsAinAproductAdesignAandAmanufact


ure.AInAanAeffortAtoAreduceAtheAeffectAonAtheAenvironment,AmoreAandAmoreAproductsAareAbein
gAmadeAfromApaperAandAboard,AreplacingAlessAsustainableAmaterialsAsuchAasApolymers.AYouAne
edAtoAbeAawareAofAhowApaperAandAboardAisAformedAintoA3dAproductsAusingAdieAcuttingAandAcre
asing,AlaserAcuttingAandAbending.

DieAcuttingA-
AcorrectAanswersAAmanualAdieAcutterAworksAbyAcuttingAshapesAthroughApressure.ATheseAtypica


llyAuseAaArollerAmechanismAmanuallyAoperatedAbyAaAhandleAorAcrankAtoAputApressureAbetweenA
diesAandAdieAcuttingAplatesAtoAcutAoutAtheAdesigns.AAAdigitalAdieAcutterAworksAbyAusingAprogra
mmedAbladesAorAevenAlasersAtoAcutAshapes.

BendingA-AcorrectAanswersTheAstamped-
outAnetAisAplaceAontoAaAfoldingAstable.ASomeAdieAcuttingApressesAmightAbeAequippedAwithAmov
ingApartsAthatAhelpAtoAbendAorAfoldApartsAofAaAnetAautomatically.AForAexample,AwhenAmakingAb
oxes,AtheAdieAcutAnetAisAheldAfirmlyAwhileAtheAsidesAofAtheAbentAupAalongAtheAcreaseAlines.ASom
eAofAtheAtrickierAfinishingAmightAbeAdoneAbyAhand.

InAindustry,AlargerAmachinesAmightAcarryAoutAdieAcutting,AcreasingAandAfoldingAinAoneAprocess.

LaserAcuttingA-AcorrectAanswersLaserAcuttersAareAperfectAforAprototypeAconstructionAorAsmall-
scaleAproductionAbecauseAtheyAcanAbeAusedAtoAcut,Aengrave,AperforateAandAcarve.ATheAuseAofAl
asersAinApackagingAproductionAisAbecomingAquiteAcommonAforAprototypesAandAsmallAbatchesA
becauseAofAtheirAspeed,AaccuracyAandAtheAhighAlevelAofAdetailAthatAisApossible.ALasersAareAalsoA
veryAflexible,AbecauseAtheyAareAnotAlimitedAtoAmakingAaAsingleAnetAshapeAorAdesign.A2DAdrawin
gsAcanAbeAquicklyAdownloadedAtoAaAlaserAtoAcut,AwhichAisAmuchAquickerAandAmoreAflexibleAthat
AmakingAaAplywoodAdieAboard.



LaserAcuttingAcanAalsoAbeAusedAtoAprocessApaper,Acardboard,AcorrugatedAcardAandApolymerAfil
m.

PolymerAprocessesA-
AcorrectAanswersPolymersAareAusedAinAaAveryAwideArangeAofAproductsAandAareAoneAofAtheAmost


AimportantAgroupsAofAmaterialsAforAyouAtoAresearch.AAlongAwithAaAwideArangeAofApolymers,Ath


ereAareAaAnumberAofAprocessesAthatAareAusedAtoAformApolymersAintoA3DAproducts.AYouAneedAt

,oAbeAableAtoAselectAtheAcorrectAprocessesAforAproducts,AdescribeAtheAprocessesAusingAnotesAan
dAdiagrams,AandAjustifyAyourAselection.

VacuumAFormingA-
AcorrectAanswersVacuumAformingAisAusedAtoAmakeA3dAproductsAsuchAasAlightweightAtrays,AboxA


insertsAandAliners,AcoffeeAcupsAandAyogurtApots.AVacuumAformingAmachinesAareAoftenAusedAinA
schoolsAandAcollegesAforAaArangeAofAprojectsAbecauseAtheAmouldsAareArelativelyAeasyAtoAmake.A
TheAtechniqueAisAgenerallyAusedAforAmakingAlargerAnumbersAofAitemsAdueAtoAtheAtimeArequire
dAtoAmakeAtheAmouldsAwhichAisAnotAeffectiveAforAone-offAmanufacture.

TheAprocessAisAusedAwithAthermoplasticsAsheetsAsuchAasAHIPS.AAAmouldAinAtheAshapeAofAtheApr
oductAhasAtoAbeAmadeA-
AtypicallyAfromAMDF.AThisAhasAtoAhaveAaAsmallAdraftAangleAtoAallowAmouldsAtoAbeAremovedAfro


mAtheApolymerAsheetAwhenAformedAintoAtheAmoulding.

BecauseAvacuumAformingAisAquiteAaAslowAprocessAwhenAcomparedAtoAotherAmethods,AitAisAnor
mallyAlimitedAtoAsmall-
scaleAbatchAproduction.AHowever,AifAaAlargerAscaleAofAproductionAisArequired,AmouldsAorAforme
rsAcanAbeAmadeAfromAcastAandAmachinedAaluminium.ASuchAmouldsAgiveAconsistentAresultsAwit
hAaAhigh-
qualityAsurfaceAfinish.AVacuumAformingAisAalsoAlimitedAtoAshapingApolymerAsheetsAofAupAtoAabo
utA6mmAinAthickness.

TheAvacuumAformingAprocessAisAdescribedAbelow;

1.ATheAmouldAisAplacedAonAtheAbedAofAtheAmachine,AwhichAisAcalledAtheA'platen'.ATheAplatenAisAl
oweredAtoAtheAbottomAofAtheAmachine.

2.APolymerAsheetAisAclampedAoverAtheAmouldAandAaAheaterAisApulledAoverAtheApolymerAsheet.

3.AWhenAtheApolymerAsheetAhasAsoftened,AtheAplatenAisAraisedAintoAtheApolymerAandAtheAheatA
isAremoved.

4.ATheAvacuumApumpAisAswitchedAon,AwhichAsucksAtheApolymerAontoAtheAmould.

5.AOnceAtheApolymerAhasAcooledAandAreturnedAtoAaAsolidifiedAstate,AtheAplatenAisAloweredAandA
vacuumAswitchedAoff.

6.ATheAmouldAisAremovedAfromAtheAmoulding.AExcessApolymerAisAthenAtrimmedAoff.

ThermoformingA-
AcorrectAanswersTypically,AthermoformingAisAusedAtoAmouldAadditionalAdetailAintoAtheAsurfaceA


ofApolymerAorAtoAmouldAthickApolymerAsheetAsuchAasA6AmmAacrylic.AAAbathAisAaAtypicalAproduct
AthatAmightAbeAthermoformed.AAlternatively,AfoodApackagingAsuchAasApolymerAfruitApunnets,Ac


akeAboxesAandAsandwichAboxesAcanAbeAthermoformed,AespeciallyAwhereAlogosAorAproductAna
mesAmightAneedAtoAbeAmouldedAintoAtheApolymer.

, ThermoformingAisAtypicallyAonlyAusedAinAindustrialAproduction.AAsAwithAvacuumAforming,AitAisA
quiteAaAslowAprocess,AbutAfineAdetailAsuchAasAembossedAlogosAandAletteringAcanAbeAachieved.

ThermoformingAisAaAveryAsimilarAprocessAtoAvacuumAforming,AexceptAthereAisAanAadditionalAm
ouldAthatAisApressedAontoAtheAsurfaceAofAtheApolymerAsheetAatAtheAsameAtimeAasAtheAvacuumAi
sAapplied,AsuckingAtheApolymerAdownAonAtoAtheAmouldAbelow.ATheAtwoAmouldsAtrapAtheAsofte
nedApolymerAinAbetweenAthem,AgivingAextraAdetailAtoAtheAmoulding.

CalenderingA-
AcorrectAanswersCalenderingAisAaAsmoothingAandArollingAprocessAusedAtowardsAtheAendAofAma


nufacturingApaper.AItAisAalsoAusedAinAmakingAthinApolymerAsheetAandAfilmAasAstockAmaterialAfor
AfurtherAprocessingAintoAproductsAlaterAinAtheAproductionAcycle.ACalenderingAworksAbyAheating


ApelletsAofAthermoplasticAsoAthatAitAmeltsAintoAaAdough-


likeAconsistency.AItAisAthenAextrudedAbetweenAaAseriesAofAheatedArollersAsoAthatAitAbecomesAsq
uashedAandAstretchedAtoAmakeAitAthinner.AItAisAthenAfinishedAonAcoolingArollers,AbeforeAbeingAc
hoppedAintoAstandardAstockAsheetAsizes,AorAinAtheAcaseAofApolymerAfilm,AitAisArolledAupAforAstor
ageAandAdistribution.ACalenderingAisApurelyAanAindustrialAproductionAmethod,AcarriedAoutAbyAs
pecialistAmanufacturers.ATypically,AthisAprocessAisAusedAforAcontinuousAproduction.

LineABendingA-
AcorrectAanswersLineAbendingAisAtheAprocessAusedAtoAproduceAbendsAinAsheetAthermoplasticAs


uchAasAacrylic.ATheAlineAbendingAprocessAusesAanAelectricallyAheatedAelementAthatAprovidesAhe
atAalongAaAline.ATypically,AlineAbendingAmightAbeAusedAtoAmakeAproductsAsuchAasAacrylicAboxes,
AshelvesAorApointAofAsaleAdisplays.A



ThisAprocessAisAsuitableAforAone-
offAorAlimitedAbatchAproductionAbecauseAitAisAquiteAaAslowAandAlabourAintensiveAprocess.AScho
olAorAcollegeAworkshopsAmightAbeAequippedAwithAaAstripAheaterAforAlineAbendingAbecauseAitAisA
idealAforAmakingApolymerAprototypes.

LaminationA(lay-up)A-AcorrectAanswersTheAlay-
upAlaminationAprocessAisAusedAtoAmakeA3DAproductsAfromAfibre-
basedAcompositesAsuchAasAGRPAorACFRP.AExamplesAofAproductsAthatAareAmadeAwithAtheAlay-
upAprocessAinclude:AboatsAandAyachts,Akayaks,Atrains,AsceneryAorApropsAforAtheatreAandAfilms,A
asAwellAasAcarsAforAthemeAparkArides.

TheAlay-upAprocessAforAmouldingAGRPAisAdescribedAbelow.

1.AAmouldAorAformerAinAtheAshapeAofAtheAproductAorAcomponentAisAprepared.AThisAmightAbeAm
adeAfromAtimber,AmanufacturedAboardsAsuchAasAplywoodAorAhighAdensityAfoam.

2.ATheAmouldAorAformerAisAcoatedAwithAaAreleaseAagentAsuchAasAwaxAorAPVA,AorAisAcoveredAwit
hAparcelAtape.

3.AAAtopAlayerAofAgelAcoatAisAapplied.ATheAgelAcoatAisAaAcoatingAofApolyesterAresinAoftenAmixedAw
ithAaApigmentAtoAgiveAaAcolourAtoAtheAmoulding.ATheAresinAmightAalsoAhaveAadditivesAincludedA