Research

Research

1. Materials

   • Woods, suitable for jewellery
     • Ebony
     • Maple
     • Bamboo
     • Olive
     • BlockWood
   • Plastics, suitable for jewellery
     • Acrylic
     • Nylon
     • Silicone
       • Stretchable
     • Resin
     • Polyamide
   • Metals
     • Stainless Steel (Has many uses and also has a mirror finish)
     • Noble Metals (Highly resistant to corrosion or oxidation)
       • Gold
         • Soft, does not corrode or tarnish
       • Silver
         • Can tarnish
       • Platinum
         • Very pure and rare
       • Titanium
         • As strong as Steel but 45% lighter in weight.
       • Rhodium
         • Really expensive
   • Glass

2. Techniques

   • Casting Materials and different methods
     • Sand
     • Permanent
     • Glass
     • High Pressure
     • Centrifugal
     • Lost Foam
   • Moulding
     • Injection
       • When a material is pushed into a mould, the process is called Injection.

3. Production Styles

   • One-off production
     • One product made at a time.
   • Batch production
     • Small quantity of identical product is made.
   • Mass production
     • Hundreds of identical product is made
   • Continuous flow
     • When many thousands of identical product is made non stop

4. Environmental Factors

   • Disposal
     • Hazardous materials
     • Recycling
     • Biodegradability
   • Materials
     • renewable resources
     • By-products
   • Lifetime of product
     • Design for maintenance
     • Materials with better properties
   • Social and Moral Issues
     • Making products
     • Using products

5. 6 R's

   • Repair
     • Is the product easy to repair? This will extend its life.
   • Rethink
     • Is there a better way to solve this problem that is less damaging to the environment?
   • Refuse
     • This means not accepting things that are not the best option for the environment. For example, is the packaging really needed?
   • Recycle
     • Could recycled materials be used, or is the product made from materials that are easy to recycle?
   • Reuse
     • Could the product have another use? Could its parts be used in other products? Is this information clearly communicated on the product? This will extend its life.
   • Reduce
     • Is it possible to reduce the amount of materials used? This will help to protect valuable resources.