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Manufacturing

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Manufacturing
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Course description

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How are designs turned into products? What resources, materials and methods are used and what set of activities goes under the heading of 'manufacturing'? This free course will introduce manufacturing as a system and will describe some of the many different ways of making products. We will illustrate how the required properties of the materials in a product influence the choice of manufacturing process used.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:


  • explain the difference between industrial and engineering design with reference to familiar products; and for specific products explain whether it is the product’s form or its function that enhances its value in the marketplace
  • understand the concept of a product design specification (PDS), and be able to indicate some to the factors which should be included in producing one
  • describe the role of marketing in developing the PDS for a product
  • classify products simply in terms of their basic shape
  • describe the difference between the hot and cold working of metals and give the advantages of each.

First Published: 10/08/2012

Updated: 17/07/2019

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