NSSCAS Design and Technology (8256) case studies
NSSCAS Design and Technology (8256) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NSSCAS Design and Technology (8256) is an Advanced Subsidiary qualification taken in Namibia, typically in the year after the NSSCO phase. It suits learners who want to move from general design-and-make skills toward the disciplined, iterative process used in engineering, product design, architecture and technical trades. The NSSCAS Design and Technology (8256) case studies are 5 cases and about 5,048 words.
1Folding display stand: constraints, criteria and a prototype that wobbles
A local science museum has asked a candidate to develop a portable display stand for its outreach team. The stand must fold to fit inside a hatchback boot measuring 1000 × 600 × 400 mm, carry up to 12 kg of demonstration equipment on a 700 × 400 mm top surface, and be assembled by one adult in under three minutes without tools.
1,005 words, about 5 min2Seafront picnic tables: slats, salt spray and a maintenance budget that has gone
A coastal council is replacing the slats on six seafront picnic tables. The site is 30 m from the sea.
974 words, about 5 min3250 logger enclosures: process choice, break-even and an impossible tolerance
A small firm needs 250 enclosures for a soil-moisture logger. Each enclosure is 160 × 110 × 45 mm, open at the back, with a 34 mm circular window and four M3 screw bosses.
985 words, about 5 min4300 Eco Week signs: laser-cutting PVC and the 'free offcuts' claim
A school's Eco Committee needs 300 rigid signs, 600 × 400 mm, for a summer campaign. The budget is £600 and the signs must survive six weeks outdoors on fence posts in June and July, then be stored for reuse.
1,041 words, about 5 min5Greenhouse roof vents: sizing an actuator for six unattended weeks
A school's 6 m × 3 m greenhouse has six roof vents, each 600 × 500 mm, hinged along the top edge and opening to 45°. Each vent and its aluminium frame weighs 2.4 kg and its centre of mass is 0.30 m from the hinge.
1,043 words, about 5 min