JC Applied Technology key terms

The use of engineering knowledge, tools, and methods to solve practical problems in real settings, such as manufacturing, construction, or services, rather than pursuing purely theoretical questions.

The process of moving research results, designs, or methods from a laboratory or university into commercial or industrial use, including licensing, prototyping, and adapting the idea to real operating conditions.

A way of analysing a problem by treating inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback as one connected whole, so that changes in one part are checked against effects on the rest of the system.

A short written statement that defines the problem to be solved, the intended user, the constraints, and the criteria for success, giving a project team a shared starting point before design work begins.

A detailed document listing measurable requirements a product must meet, such as dimensions, load capacity, power use, materials, and tolerances, used to test whether a design is acceptable.

A limit placed on a design or process, such as a fixed budget, available materials, legal safety rules, or a deadline, which narrows the range of acceptable solutions.

A compromise in which improving one property of a design, such as strength or speed, worsens another, such as weight or cost, so the team must decide which balance best meets the requirements.

An early working version of a product built to test function, fit, or user response before full production, often made with cheaper materials or rapid methods than the final item.

A set of computer-driven methods, including 3D printing, that build a physical model directly from a digital design in hours rather than days, allowing quick testing and revision of a concept.

Computer-aided design: software used to create, edit, and analyse precise two- or three-dimensional models of parts and assemblies, which can then feed manufacturing, simulation, or documentation.

Computer-aided manufacturing: the use of software to convert design data into instructions that control machines such as milling centres, lathes, or cutters, reducing manual programming errors.

A computer numerical control machine tool that follows coded instructions to cut, drill, or shape material with high repeatability, replacing hand wheels with motors driven by a program.

The permitted amount by which a manufactured dimension may differ from the design value, stated as a range, which balances ease of production against the accuracy the part actually needs.

The set of checks and measurements applied during or after production to confirm that items meet the specification, including sampling, inspection, and rejection or rework of faulty output.

A data-driven improvement method that aims to reduce variation and defects in a process, using defined project steps and statistical measures to find and remove causes of error.

A production philosophy that seeks to remove activities that add cost but not value for the customer, such as excess inventory, waiting, and unnecessary movement, while improving flow.

A scheduling approach in which materials and parts arrive only as they are needed in production, cutting stored stock and tied-up capital but demanding reliable suppliers and accurate demand forecasts.

The connected network of suppliers, transport, storage, and distribution steps that moves raw materials to a producer and finished goods to customers, including the information flows between them.

The planning and management of the movement and storage of goods, including transport mode choice, warehousing, routing, and delivery timing, to meet service targets at acceptable cost.

The replacement of human effort in a process by machines and control systems that carry out sequences of tasks with little or no direct operator intervention, usually to raise output and consistency.

The design and use of programmable machines that can sense their surroundings and carry out physical tasks, ranging from fixed industrial arms to mobile units working alongside people.

A device that detects a physical quantity such as temperature, light, pressure, or position and converts it into a signal a control system can read and act on.

A component that converts a control signal into physical movement or action, for example a motor, solenoid, or hydraulic cylinder, allowing a system to change its state.

An arrangement of sensors, a controller, and actuators that keeps a process at a desired value or sequence, comparing measured output with a target and adjusting action accordingly.

A path in which information about the actual output of a process is returned to the controller and used to correct the next action, reducing error and keeping performance stable.

A widely used control algorithm that combines proportional, integral, and derivative responses to error, giving smooth correction of a process such as temperature, speed, or position.

The linking of everyday devices and industrial equipment to networks so they can report data and be monitored or controlled remotely, enabling remote diagnostics and data-based decisions.

Servicing equipment based on data such as vibration, temperature, or run hours that signals likely failure, rather than on a fixed schedule, reducing unplanned downtime and unnecessary work.

The ongoing measurement of machine parameters such as vibration, oil debris, or temperature to detect developing faults early, so repairs can be planned before a breakdown occurs.

The probability that an item performs its required function for a stated period under stated conditions, often expressed as mean time between failures for repairable equipment.

The ease and speed with which equipment can be restored to working order, influenced by access, standard parts, diagnostics, and documentation, and often measured as mean time to repair.

A structured team exercise that lists the ways a product or process can fail, rates each by severity, likelihood, and detectability, and sets priorities for preventive action.

The process of identifying hazards, judging how likely and how serious harm could be, and deciding which controls are needed, recorded so that decisions can be reviewed and justified.

A ranked order of ways to reduce risk, starting with removing the hazard and moving through substitution, engineering controls, and administrative measures, with protective equipment last.

Clothing and equipment worn by a worker, such as helmets, gloves, eye shields, or respirators, to reduce exposure to hazards that cannot be removed or engineered away.

A method that estimates the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction through manufacture, use, and disposal, helping designers compare options on total burden.

Designing products and processes to reduce resource use and emissions across their whole life, for example by choosing recyclable materials, lowering energy demand, and extending service life.

An economic model in which materials are kept in use through repair, reuse, remanufacture, and recycling, so waste and new resource extraction are minimised compared with a take-make-dispose approach.