The document discusses various materials that could be used for construction including wood sheets in different thicknesses, medium density fibreboard (MDF), hardboard, plywood, chipboard, softwood, and hardwood. It also mentions metals like steel, stainless steel, cast iron, copper, aluminum, silver, and gold. Additional materials covered are fabrics like nylon, polyester, cotton, wool, and silk. Finally, it discusses plastics categorized as thermoplastics like acrylic, polystyrene, polythene, and PVC as well as thermosets like melamine, bakelite, and polyester. The document analyzes the properties of each material and which were best suited for bending into the

1. Materials

2. Wooden Sheeting
• Comes in thickness’
of
4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 1
2mm, 15mm, 18mm,
24mm
• Usually 8ft (2.44m) x
4ft (1.22m)
• MDF – Medium
Density Fibreboard
• Hardboard
• Plywood
• Chipboard
• Softwood
• Hardwood

3. MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard
• MDF is made from wooden fibres
bonded together under heat and
pressure.
• It is a dense, flat material that has
no knots. It is easy to cut and sand
and is also a cheap material. It is
not a very strong when cut down
into thin strips, it is very absorbent
and doesn’t hold nails well. It is
advised to always wear a dust mask
and goggles when cutting as it
produces a lot of sawdust
• When creating our concave we
decided that MDF would not be
suitable to use as it is heavy and
doesn’t bend unlike hardboard
which was our material of choice.

4. Hardboard
• Hardboard is made from
compressed fibres soaked in resin
• It is known for having one side
smooth and the other side
textured, it is not a very strong
material, however it is cheap and
lightweight.
• We chose hardboard to create
the surface of the concave, this is
because it is light and it will allow
us to bend it into shape. Whereas
if we’d chose MDF we wouldn’t
have been able to create the
concave shape we had designed

5. Plywood
• Plywood is made from alternating
layers of thin sheets of wood.
• It is a strong material and thinner
sheets of the material can be
flexible. Plywood is known for
splintering easily when cut.
Plywood doesn’t give a good paint
finish and is expensive particularly
marine ply which is water resistant
• We didn’t use Plywood as we
needed the wood to be able to
bend into shape once we had cut it
to the desired shape, whereas
plywood would splinter when we
cut it, therefore we chose to use
hardboard as it doesn’t splinter
when cut and is flexible.

6. Chipboard
• Made from softwood chip and
sawdust
• Has a textured finish so often
coated with melamine. Chipboard
is fairly weak and also cheap.
• We chose not to use chipboard as
it has a textured finish and is
heavy. We also needed it to be
able to bend into shape to create
the concave much like hardboard
would be able to, however
chipboard doesn’t have that
property and is also too weak to
take and weight.

7. Softwood
• Softwood comes from evergreen trees
such as pine, fir, and redwood
• Softwood is used for furniture and
doors. It is sawn treated is rough and
treated to prevent rotting whilst sawn is
rough and used where you cannot see it
as is isn’t particularly aesthetically
pleasing. Planed is smooth surfaced
softwood which is used where it can be
seen as it isn’t rough. Softwood is
cheap and easy to work with.
• We chose to use softwood to create the
frame for the concave as it is easy to
work with and cheap it also worked
well with the hardboard when the
concave was attached.

8. Hardwood
• Hardwood is typically Oak, Beech and
Mahogany
• Hardwood comes from slower
growing trees which makes it more
expensive. It is overall
denser, stronger and more durable
than softwood. It is very hardwearing
and therefore used for furniture
making. It is harder to work with but
gives a better finish.
• We chose not to use hardwood as it
is too expensive so we went with
softwood for the cheaper
option, however softwood isn’t as
strong although it is strong enough to
create the frame for our concave.

9. Metals
• Ferrous metals – contain
iron
• Steel is a heavy metal which
is very strong and
hardwearing.
• Stainless Steel is a strong
metal which is also non
corrosive
• Cast Iron is a brittle, hard
metal which is shock
resistant and also wear
resistant
• Non Ferrous – do not contain
iron
• Copper is a soft metal which is
easy to shape and is a good
electrical conductor.
• Aluminum is a lightweight metal
which is also not very strong
• Silver is a soft, white metal. It is
a good conductor of heat and
electricity. It is often used in
photo film and for mirrors
• Gold is a soft, shiny, bright
yellow material. It is known for
being non corrosive and
expensive

10. Fabrics
Man Made Fabrics
• Nylon is a very
strong, elastic fabric. It dries
quickly and holds its shape
well.
• Polyester is a easy to wash
fabric that dries
quickly, doesn’t
wrinkle, stretch or shrink.
Natural fabrics
• Cotton is a soft fabric that
wrinkles easily. It is strong
fabric that holds dye well
and is good for printing.
• Wool is a hard
wearing, lightweight fabric
that doesn’t wrinkle easily.
• Silk is the strongest natural
fiber. It is a comfortable
strong material that is easily
dyed.
Canvas is made from heavy yarns for
industrial and heavy duty purposes.
Gauze is a thin fabric made from
cotton, wool or silk. It is lightweight
and has a loose weave.

11. Plastics
Thermoplastics
• Thermoplastics are
softened by heat and can be
easily molded.
• Acrylic
• Polystyrene
• Polythene
• PVC
Thermosets
• Thermosets are formed by a
heat process and set and
cannot change shape.
• Melamine
• Bakelite
• Polyester