Year 11 Design & Technology

Last term, our Year 11 Design and Technology students embarked on an exciting challenge of designing and creating their own flat-pack furniture.

Flat-pack, or "ready-to-assemble" furniture, is a growing trend in our society, and for good reason! Its space efficiency, reduced shipping and storage costs, and the convenience of assembly and disassembly make it a popular choice for both manufacturers and consumers. Understanding these real-world applications was a key part of our brief.

The students were tasked with a clear Design Brief: To demonstrate an understanding of commercial production processes by designing and assembling a flat-pack furniture piece. This wasn't just about crafting a piece of furniture; it was about immersing themselves in the modern design and manufacturing workflow.

A crucial aspect of this unit involved leveraging computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. Our students embraced Onshape software to develop their initial ideas, meticulously planning every joint and component. This digital design phase is where their creativity flourished, as they translated abstract concepts into detailed, workable plans.

Once their designs were finalised in Onshape, the next exciting step was bringing them to life. Using furniture-grade ply, the students utilised a computer numerical control (CNC) machine to precisely cut each component of their designs. This hands-on experience with advanced manufacturing technology provided invaluable insight into how products are mass-produced today.

The students have all created unique, functional, and aesthetically pleasing designs. The variety and quality of their finished pieces—ranging from a clever basketball storage solution( Miguel Quitola) and a desktop table ( Alex English) to a jersey stand ( Angus Stevens), motorbike stands ( Cameron Shaw), a laptop stand ( Blake Smith), and even a functional dog house (Cooper Creasy) —are a testament to their hard work, problem-solving skills, and newfound understanding of design and technology principles. They truly deserve immense praise for their accomplishments!

Bridget McMeekin & Jenny Watt | Design & Technology Teachers/ TAS Coordinators