Materials and Manufacturing

Start with materials

The Materials and Manufacturing page is a collection of mind maps made by GoConqr users. A useful starting point is a map titled Materials. One of the maps with this title groups hardwoods, softwoods, manufactured boards and metals. Another also lists plastics. Use the branches to compare the material groups and note examples of each.

After looking at the broad groups, return to any branch you want to study more closely. You can use the examples in the maps to organize your notes by material type.

Move on to tools and choices

The Research mind map brings materials together with tools and joining methods. It lists tools such as a hand drill, saws and a chisel, alongside woods and plastics. Look at it after the Materials maps to connect material names with the other parts of the research.

Another map on areas of investigation lists possible materials alongside considerations such as time, cost, skills and availability. Compare its branches with Research to see how materials appear alongside practical choices.

Explore projects and textiles

For a different route through the collection, the Design Technology map covers textiles and fiber processing, including spinning, weaving or knitting, and finishing. Electric Guitar (Manual and Mechanical) lists features such as strings, pickups and controls, as well as questions of location and direction.

These maps offer different examples to look at after the materials overview. They let students focus on the branches that are relevant to what they are studying, while teachers can select a map to discuss with a class.

Connect the maps

Within its design process unit, this topic brings materials together with tools, project features and considerations. There are no quizzes in this collection, so you can use the map branches as prompts: cover an example, then try to recall it before checking the map. Choose a branch and start there.