Hand Made High Tech Material Research When researching on materials from part one and two of the brief, I began to think of some accessible materials which I could look into as well as innovative ones.
Coconut Wood Composite
Corrugated Cardboard
Coconut wood is one of the material I researched that was innovative and one I hadn’t come across before. The wood is a type that comes from a coconut tree which is found in countries such as Sri Lanka and the Phillipines. The material is harder than oak and at it’s hardest at the very bottom of the tree. It’s been used to develop floors in the flooring industry. The coconut composites consists of an mdf which the palm is applied to. There are many parts of the coconut which are used for different things. For example the trunk is used for buildings and small bridges because of their straightness and strength. It’s also used in beauty products where coconut oil is used for the skin.
Corrugated cardboard is one of the materials i may use for experimentation. There are different types of cardboard such as graphic, carton and corrugated. They range from many thicknesses and strengths. The rawness of the material comes from fast growing pine trees. The card consists of three steps, a layer of liner followed by a corrugated medium and then underlayed with another layer of liner. Mnaufacturers use kraft paper to form the corrugated card which is heavily controlled by powerful fork lifts. Cardboard is an interesting material to use as there are many possibilities that can be done with it.
Ecovative- Fungus
Thermoplastic Polymorph
This is another innovstive material which i researched on where materials are grown naturally from the ground. Mycelium is a type of fungus that is found in soil or within other substrates. The process starts with using parts of plants on farms that cannot be used for food or feed.It is then cleaned and blended with agricultral byproducts and fertilized with mycelium. The mycelium then grown indoors within a week and the desired shape is grown. At the end of the process, the materials are dehydrated and heated to insure they are safe and clean and ready to use.
Polymorph Is a type of thermoplastic that is found in many things. Thermoplastic in general is a material we approach on almost a daily basis. Thermoplastics is used for shampoo,shower and different kind of containers. It can also be made from grocery bags. There are many types within thermoplastics such as polyurethane, polypropylene and acrylic. The material starts with tiny balls of polymorph which can be soaked in hot water which attracts them to stick to one another and form a solid base. It’s then taken out and can be moulded, stretched and flattened to any desired shape. It’s then put in cold water where the plastic sets and becomes hard. What’s good about this material is it can be heated and reshaped. It’s versatile, flexible and experimental.
Ashvin Goolab GDNM Year 3