Subjects
Grades
Raw Materials, Materials, and Equipment
Concept sheet | Science and Technology
Secondary
1-2
Table of contents
We classify what we use in technological design processes into three categories:
Raw Materials
A raw material is a naturally occurring substance that must be processed to be used when manufacturing a technical object.
The material needed to manufacture an object always comes, initially, from a substance found in nature. This substance must be transformed before it can enter the composition of an object. The raw materials can be of plant, animal, mineral, or wood origin.
| Origins of the raw materials | Plant origin | Animal origin | Mineral origin | Wood origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examples |
Cotton  Muratart, Shutterstock.com |
Sheep's wool  Vasilyev Alexandr, Shutterstock.com |
Bauxite ore  Alexey Rezvykh, Shutterstock.com |
Trees  Vovan, Shutterstock.com |
By transforming raw materials, we obtain materials.
Materials
A material is a substance that comes from the transformation of a raw material and that is ready to use in the manufacturing of a technical object.
A technical object is made up of one or more materials. Materials come from raw materials that have been processed to give them shapes or mechanical properties suitable for manufacturing an object. Materials are often classified into different categories: metals, ceramics, woods, plastics, and composites.
Cotton is transformed into a material: thread. This material will then be used to sew or weave clothes.
Cotton thread
Ekkaphan Chimpalee, Shutterstock.com
Sheep’s wool is cleaned and spun into a material: yarn balls. It is then ready to be knitted.
Yarn balls
Olga Illinich, Shutterstock.com
Aluminum originates from bauxite
Aluminum
Siwakorn 1933, Shutterstock.com
Tree trunks are transformed into different materials, such as wooden planks or sheets of paper.
Wood planks
Yevhenii Chulovskyi, Shutterstock.com
To assemble the different materials of an object, equipment is used.
Equipment
Equipment corresponds to the tools needed to manufacture a technical object.
Tools are required to craft an item. They allow us to shape materials, verify their measurements, and assemble them to produce the final object. Although necessary, the equipment is not part of the final composition of the object; it only helps in manufacturing it.
A hammer, tape measure, and many other tools are examples of equipment essential to building a house.
Tools
Mihalec, Shutterstock.com
A sewing machine is needed to assemble the different parts of a garment.
Sewing machine
Artfully Photographer, Shutterstock.com
Knitting needles are used to create sweaters, scarves, or any other piece of clothing made from wool.
Knitting needles