Manufacturing is often seen as the backbone of British industry and throughout history different types of manufacturing processes have been used to create products which are used both at home and abroad.
There are four main types of manufacturing processes used these are: casting and moulding, machining, joining, and shearing and forming.
Casting and moulding are usually the most well-known types of manufacturing as it is often used for large scale manufacturing. One popular type of moulding is casting, this involves heating plastic which melts into liquid, then pouring it into a mould. Once the plastic has cooled, the mould is removed, giving you the finished shape. Injection moulding, which melts plastic to create 3-D materials such as phone cases and laptop covers has become a common application of this process.
Producing metal parts during the manufacturing process is difficult without using some type of machine. Machining is an integral part of the manufacturing process and is an important type of manufacturing.
Joining is the manufacturing process of welding and/or the process of binding two materials together, either through soldering, brazing or adhesive bonding. One of the many advantages to this manufacturing process is that it enables the two parts to be joined together permanently.
Finally, shearing is the manufacturing process of cutting a piece of material into separate pieces and is often followed by forming which is the manufacturing process where a piece of material is bent into a specific shape.