WACE MDT ATAR case studies
WACE MDT ATAR · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Materials Design and Technology ATAR is a Western Australian senior-secondary course for Year 11 and Year 12 students who want a practical, design-led pathway into working with metal, textiles or wood. As described by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority, it is a course about ideas, innovation and creativity as much as about making: students research and test the characteristics of materials, develop a clear understanding of the elements and fundamentals of design, and apply a learned design process to develop a product. They also apply skills of management in planning and implementing a process while manipulating tools and machines to produce high-quality products. Assessment combines a written examination, organised in Sections 1, 2 and 3, with a practical (portfolio) examination supported by a marking key and a declaration of authenticity. The WACE MDT ATAR case studies are 5 cases and about 3,148 words.
1The Warped Chair Frame
A small furniture workshop produces a batch of 40 dining chairs from a laminated timber frame. The frames are glued from five 4 mm veneers using a two-part epoxy, then pressed in a cold press for 90 minutes.
706 words, about 4 min2The Overweight Electronics Enclosure
A design team is developing a handheld field instrument. The enclosure is currently injection-moulded ABS, 2.5 mm nominal wall, mass 180 g.
512 words, about 3 min3The Welded Bracket Failure
A fabricator produces steel mounting brackets from 6 mm mild steel plate. The process is: laser cut, bend on a press brake, then MIG weld two tabs to the base.
532 words, about 3 min4The Bottleneck Decision
A workshop makes a single product on three stations in series: cutting (capacity 120 units/day), assembly (capacity 90 units/day) and finishing (capacity 100 units/day). Demand is 95 units/day.
704 words, about 4 min5The Costed Specification Change
A designer has specified a machined aluminium housing for a portable pump. The housing is turned from solid 6061 bar, 80 mm diameter, with 35% of the material removed as swarf.
694 words, about 3 min