Metals

Description

Year 10 Metals provides students with the opportunity to design and manufacture a project of their own choice while developing advanced metalworking and fabrication skills. Students follow the product design process, documenting their ideas, planning and progress within a design workbook as they move from concept through to production and evaluation.

Working primarily with metal, students safely use a wide range of specialised tools, machinery and fabrication processes to create a functional or decorative product that reflects their individual interests and design goals. Students are encouraged to develop creativity, independence and problem-solving skills while working to industry-style expectations and workshop standards.

As students design projects that reflect their own interests and ideas, material costs will vary depending on project choice and selected materials. Sometimes these costs are the responsibility of the student.

Unit Topics

Students will explore and develop understanding in the following areas:

• The product design process and folio development
• Design brief and project planning
• Research and design development
• Production planning and workshop organisation
• Safe use of tools, machinery and fabrication equipment
• Manufacture of a student-designed metal project
• Product testing, evaluation and end-user feedback
• Reflection on production processes and project outcomes

Skill Development

Students develop practical and design skills while learning to safely and correctly use tools and equipment associated with metalworking and fabrication, including but not limited to:

• Welding (MIG, ARC and TIG)
• Metal fabrication and assembly
• Sheet metal fabrication
• Jewellery and small metal object production
• Cold metal forming techniques
• CNC plasma cutting and programming
• Grinding, finishing and surface preparation
• Workshop safety and risk management
• Project planning and problem-solving

Possible Assessment Tasks

• Production Planning (Individual or Group)
  Students work through the product design process to develop and plan their intended project, documenting research, design development and production planning.Production Success
  Students safely select and use a wide range of metalworking tools, machinery and fabrication techniques to manufacture their project.Evaluation of Production
  Students complete an individual evaluation reflecting on their design decisions, production processes, end-user feedback and overall success of the finished product.

Career Options

This subject provides valuable foundation skills and pathways into:

• Machining
• Steel Fabrication
• Boilermaking
• Welding
• Scaffolding
• Automotive Trades and Mechanics
• Engineering
• Manufacturing and Industrial Trades
• Metal Design and Fabrication Industries