Practice IB Design Technology (DT) Topic 4.4 Manufacturing Processes with authentic exam-style questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank focuses on the exact syllabus content for 4.4 Manufacturing Processes and mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 style where relevant.
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Which manufacturing technique involves clamping a thermoplastic sheet over a mould, heating it until it is pliable, and then removing the air from the cavity to shape the material?
Which of the following production systems is characterized by producing large quantities of standardized products, often using assembly lines?
(e) one physiological factor considered in shoe sole design.
(f) the maximum and minimum percentiles that Greenfeet would use when manufacturing the Climeate shoe.
(g) how the EVA rubber sole of the Greenfeet Climeate shoe could be moulded.
(h) two consequences of a manufacturing process that uses large quantities of raw materials.
(i) one characteristic that the retro-styled Greenfeet Climeate shoe (2019) shares with the original Greenfeet Climeate shoe (2004).
A child's garden slide is a large, hollow plastic product.
Which manufacturing process is predominantly used to produce this type of product?
Which production system is characterized by the manufacture of a specific quantity of identical components, followed by the reconfiguration of tools and machinery to produce a different item?
Greenfeet publishes a sustainability progress report every year which summarizes the total environmental impact of the products it produces, see Figure 1.
Figure 1: Greenfeet Sustainability Progress Report 2019
| Area of Impact | % |
|---|---|
| CO2 footprint | 39% |
| Land use | 4% |
| Pollution (air) | 28% |
| Pollution (water) | 6% |
| Water consumption | 23% |
Value Chain
In 2018, Greenfeet introduced the Vertue shoe, featuring an upper made entirely from ocean-recovered plastic. By 2019, the company aimed to produce 1.5 million pairs of Vertue shoes using 200 tons of recovered plastic, with each shoe incorporating around 13 plastic bottles.
In 2019 Greenfeet updated its original Climeate shoe, with yarns made from recycled plastic waste collected from beaches. The 2019 Climeate uses an EVA rubber sole.
For comparison, the original Greenfeet Climeate shoe (2004) featured two diagonal side stripes, a similar panel pattern on the upper, an EVA rubber sole, and a comparable colour scheme.
(a) the percentage of pollution caused by water pollution.
(b) how the Greenfeet Vertue shoe serves as an example of waste mitigation.
(c) one driver for cleaning up manufacturing.
(d) why sketches would be used in the development of the Greenfeet Vertue shoe.
Compression moulding
Vacuum forming
Injection moulding
Rotational moulding
Craft production
Mass production
Mass customization
Lean production
| Category | Subcategory | % |
|---|
| Manufacturing | Raw materials | 46% |
| Production sites | 4% | |
| Supply | Supplier (tier 2) | 12% |
| Supplier (tier 1) | 7% | |
| Distribution | Wholesale | 2% |
| Retail | 3% | |
| Direct | 2% | |
| Administration | Staff | 14% |
| Offices | 6% | |
| End of Sale | 4% |
