I03SCREEN

A materials project by Chris Lefteri No.
3 September 2008 For more information and to receive further copies of Ingredients, please visit moreingredients.com
The Ingredients
p. 2 Introduction Chris Lefteri on the creative use of materials in design p. 4 Unsung heroes Amazing materials that you are probably unaware of p. 14 Fabric Fact or Fiction Jenny Learys research and work with magnetic textiles p. 18 100%Materials highlights Some of the most exciting new additions from this years show p. 26 Music of the Spheres The role of sound and music in product design p. 30 Surface nishes Three common surface treatments available to designers p. 32 Light impact New materials and manufacturing processes in Nike shoes p. 33 Skateboard materials Skateboarding is all about materials p. 34 Material Experience Exploring the unique properties of Santoprene TPV p. 38 Above & Below Rubbish materials and materials that leave no rubbish p. 44 Rediscovered process Simon Hasan has unearthed an old leather process p. 46 New forms of silicone New silicone-based materials from Dow Corning p. 50 Weird materials Picking up the thread were we left it in Ingredients No. 2 p. 54 Future materials Sarah Dennis on some of the most promising new materials p. 56 -ums An informal look at metals that end with um p. 72 The secret life of materials Close-ups that reveal the incredible surface of materials p. 80 Deeper surfaces Innovative surface nishes from Ciba p. 84 Household ingredients Biodegradable plastics made with kitchen staples p. 88 Inheritable Futures Nick Gant on the Inheritable Futures Lab and sustainability p. 92 The Paper and Stick Film The origami art of Ron Resch p. 94 Material about materials We talk to ASM International about their design initiative /Mtrl p. 96 Material movies Some of the best material clips on the web p. 97 Materials that changed the world Eight leading designers and researchers
Credits
Text by Chris Lefteri Design Ltd, unless otherwise stated Contributors Chris Lefteri, Gemma Roper, Daniel Liden and Deborah Rey-Burns Design and art direction Chris Lefteri and Daniel Liden Photography by Gianni Diliberto, unless otherwise stated www.giannidiliberto.com Sustainability partner, 100%Detail Forbo Flooring www.forbo ooring.com 100%Design 18-21 September 2008 www.100percentdesign.co.uk
Introduction
Words by Chris Lefteri Welcome to the third outing of Ingredients. Since the last edition one year ago, the wheels of this growing business of materials and design continues to evolve more databases, more collections and more businesses and organisations realising that materials can be a far greater tool to be used within design. What also seems to be happening is that as more information becomes available we are entering a second phase of this area. If the rst phase was an explosion of resources available to help designers innovate then the second phase is much more about systems and new strategies for these resources to be implemented. Part of this development involves more collaboration between designers, suppliers and manufacturers, and part of it involves a deeper understanding of what materials are capable of and nding new ways to look at their properties. Interpretation and meaning of material properties are two themes that have pre-occupied me for a long time, but seem even more relevant now. For example the plastics industry has for some time been trying to justify itself due to growing pressure to nd alternatives to non-petroleum based material resources. Not that I play the role of defending or justifying any particular industry, but it seems that we are not going to stop consuming on the monstrous scale that we are currently doing and plastics through their ability to be moulded into an in nite variety of shapes at relatively low cost has been largely responsible for this. But plastic materials have also been largely responsible for massive advancements in medicine, technology and culture and today it needs to take on new meaning as a material that has a role to play in reducing weight in transportation, material usage and energy use. This summer I spent one month at Art Centre College of Design in Pasadena as a Visionary in Residence. My time at Art Centre was focused around the Color, Materials and Trends Exploration Lab, a space within Art Centre that, among other things, is the hub for learning, experimentation and hosting brainstorming sessions for external organisations. It was a unique experience within a unique place, a place where innovation is a uid, intuitive process fostered by some great people with great vision. There were no xed agen4 INGREDIENTS NO. 3
das, no list of outcomes just time to explore what this changing pattern of information with regards to materials is going to mean for design. How on one level design education needs to change to respond to this emerging set of new tools, and on another level how both the materials and the design community needs to look for new ways to implement new strategies to enhance the design process. One of the common threads that came out of the many workshops was the interpretation of materials through associated meaning, how for example attributes of materials that are normally perceived as being negative can be given new signi cance by turning that attribute into a positive role. One of the best example of this kind of misinterpretation is how the plastics industry is looking within it itself to shape memory polymers to increase the stiffness of the plastic used in water bottle packaging to reduce the amount of plastic needed to mould the product. With all the information that is becoming available on new materials, the door that allows to misinterpretation needs to remain open for designers to nd uses for all the stuff that is out there, both old and new, that exploit the materials world in truly original ways. An accomplished designer in his own right, Chris Lefteri is an internationally recognized authority on materials and their application in design. His achievements in this area have created a bridge between manufacturers, the chemical industry and the design community. He has published eight books on design and material innovation, which can be found on the shelves of many design studios around the world. He has also delivered material workshops and curated exhibitions on materials and design at conferences, universities and museums across Europe, North America and Asia, and he has worked with a number of international clients including Exxon Mobil Chemical, Dupont, Land Rover and Jaguar cars, Philips and LG Electronics. He is the designer and curator of 100% Materials in London and he is also a regular contributor to international design magazines, including DAMn and ID.
INGREDIENTS NO. 3 5
Unsung heroes
Do you know whats in your pocket? Photography by Gianni Diliberto Thanks to Mikkel and Mr Moky, and to Jessie at LG for the Secret Phone
As soon as a technology matures and starts working properly, we tend to lose interest in it. Most of the objects that we carry around with us on a daily basis have lost their initial magic, which seems more than a little arrogant as many of them were probably considered the stuff of science ction just a few years ago. The very term technology has taken on a meaning where it refers to a distinctly separate class of products, vastly more
advanced than everything else. Used in this way, Bran Ferren, the American tech guru whose clients range from Walt Disney to NASA, de nes technology as stuff that doesnt work yet, which is probably an appropriate description of that product that everybody is talking about right now. This article, on the other hand, is about taking a step back and taking a closer look at the stuff that actually works. You would be surprised if you were to empty
your pockets and examine the plethora of materials and technologies that emerge from their hiding place. These materials have become invisible to us because we are used to them quietly getting on with the tasks that they were assigned to, but they are nevertheless little marvels in their own right. The following pages contain some of the best examples that we could nd some more established and others currently emerging.
INGREDIENTS NO. 3 7
6 INGREDIENTS NO. 3
Pill towel www.compressedtowel.com This tiny, pill-shaped piece of fabric expands into a towel that measures roughly 28cm by 22cm when you add a little water. Made with organic cellulose bre, the towels are biodegradable and safe to dispose of. Recycled cosmetics packaging www.csi-cosmolab.com Recycled plastics are typically unsuitable for some applications, including cosmetics packaging. This manufacturer however, has found a way to cost effectively clean and reprocess post-consumer polypropylene so that its safe to use with cosmetics.
Ultra-Fresh www.ultra-fresh.com/tra Ultra-Fresh is an additive that can be mixed in with textiles and a range of polymers, offering antimicrobial surfaces and odour control. It is capable of handling bacteria, odours and even dust mites, making it perfect for bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens, as well as sporting articles, workwear and socks.
Tempered glass www.schott.com Although it may intuitively sound like a bad idea, tempered glass is actually strong enough to use in a mobile phone. In fact, its excellent scratch resistance and its tendency to break into blunt chunks rather than sharp shards makes toughened glass a great choice for this type of applications. Airdrive www.descente.net On the face of it, this textile looks very similar to other weatherproof and breathable textiles, but on closer inspection Airdrives properties are derived from a powder made with dried and ground up eggshells according to the manufacturer eight eggs are needed to produce a pair of trousers.
Shieldron www. extex.com This conductive textile has electromagnetic interference shielding properties, which means that it can jam mobile phones, PDAs and other wireless devices that use the radio spectrum to communicate. Ask to have your suit pockets lined with this material to protect your data from prying eyes. Comfortemp www.comfortemp.com This soft and exible textile is a so-called phase change material. This means that it adapts to the temperature of the environment to absorb and store heat and then release it when it gets colder. It provides a constant and comfortable temperature for the wearer, which is great news for city dwellers constantly moving between air-conditioned interiors, public transport and the streets.
Lip Volume www.lip-volume.net The most effective way to plump your lips without surgery, Lip Volume lipstick uses a concoction of various nut oils, citric acid, paraf n and a host of other ingredients to bolster up your lips. RFID technology www.pepperl-fuchs.com Most commuters are probably unaware that Oyster card electronic tickets are based on something so exotic as wireless electricity. Incredibly thin and unobtrusive, RFID (Radio Frequency IDenti cation) tags can be attached to or embedded within a large range of products to store and transmit data.
RodRepel www.aversiontech.com This additive was developed to give off a strong, repugnant taste to prevent animals from chewing on cables and other plastic products. Compatible with most plastic materials, the additive is based on organic and non-hazardous raw materials, which doesnt harm the animals. Wenterra www.wentus.de The sheer amount of plastic waste created by plastic bags is staggering some sources estimate that bags account for roughly 90% percent of the plastic waste found at sea so a shift away from the conventional, fossil fuel-based variety would be a huge step towards a more sustainable world. Biodegradable and safe to put in the compost, Wenterra is an excellent alternative made with renewable vegetable starches.
Waterproof zip fastener www.ykkfasteners.com This ingenious waterproof zip uses moulded rails that lock together rather than teeth Since the fastener is made from one piece of plastic, it can be heatsealed rather than stitched to a wide range of textiles and other materials, further improving its sealing properties. Elektex www.eleksen.co.uk This electrically conductive textile is made with a ve layer fabric laminate, capable of registering X, Y and Z positioning, similar to a touchpad on a computer. Besides garments, this machine-washable textile can also be stitched into furniture and other soft furnishings, opening up for a wide range of applications.
RolaTube www.rolatube.com RolaTube may look unassuming in its compact, coiled up state, but unroll it and it turns into a rigid tube capable of supporting its own weight over several meters. Bike riders use thin strips to secure trouser legs from getting caught up in the chain.
Ion-Mask www.p2ilabs.com This waterproo ng process uses plasma vapour deposition, which works by heating up chemicals to a point where they vaporize and form a thin but durable plastic skin. This makes it ideal for waterproo ng products such as sporting shoes, as it covers all the parts of the shoe, including seams and joints.
Fabric Fact or Fiction

Exploring the shape of magnetic materials Words and photography by Jenny Leary Early last year, when researching potential disaster scenarios for a brief, I came across one that was almost as enchanting as it was terrifying: the prospect of a massive magnetic storm. Although we cant sense it, our planet is encapsulated in a protective magnetic eld which shields our atmosphere from the solar wind. Ours is the only lucky planet with this eld, the magnetosphere, and it has been an incubator for life. What would happen if the magnetic conditions changed dramatically, and how would we sense it? For the next few months, I tried to make a fabric with steel fur. Based on the idea of thousands of soft compass needles, this surface, like grass showing the direction of wind overhead, would display magnetic orientation. That was the goal, anyway. Fabrication turned out to bring a series of technical challenges, and as soon as something like bre softness was achieved, something else like mechanical resistance would get in the way. In the end, the soft ferromagnetic velvet pile was not sensitive enough to be in uenced by Earths magnetic eld, but it did react to a bar magnet. Holding a magnet near its surface caused the spindly bres to turn and reach towards the magnets pole; they would follow its path if it moved. It was bizarre, and very very creepy. Convinced that there were more possibilities for magnetic materials in textiles, I set out to experiment. The research became twofold on one hand, there was the task of collecting materials and cross pollinating them through textile processes. On the other hand, in order to predict how these materials might behave, I had to consult scienti c sources. The nature of magnetism started to emerge through these twin efforts; it became clear that simple objects like refrigerator magnets werent doing justice to this complex phenomenon. To begin with, the term magnet suggests that the magnetic eld is an inherent property of something. It turns out that refrigerator magnets are made of ferrite powder ceramics which dont have a strong magnetic eld when rst formed. This property is applied at a later stage often only when the object reaches its nal destination. Magnetisation can occur to varying degrees, as can demagnetisation. Thus, the distinction between a magnet and something like a lump of iron is arti cial and misleading.
16 INGREDIENTS NO. 3
Stripes form automatically out of loose powder, revealing a pattern in the magnetic nature of this substrate. Attraction between the materials prevents the powder from falling off the surface, but isnt strong enough to withstand a curious swipe. Seeing how this pattern resembles certain forms of printmaking marks inspired a series of photorealistic images called ferrographs.
Portrait of a harpy in ferrite powder suspended on a window. The drawing is done on a magnetic slate and transferred to a liquid polymer as it dries. Semi-translucent materials containing images visually tie into Medieval artifact such as architectural stained glass and ornament.
Even the term magnetic material is hard to de ne. Physicists use more speci c words like ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, and diamagnetic to classify magnetic character. Diamagnetism is a property that causes movement away from magnetic poles, and all materials exhibit it! It requires an enormous eld strength for us to see it, but a group of Dutch scientists made that possible by lming a strawberry levitating inside of a solenoid. Magnetism appears to have much more depth than we generally believe, and the history behind it explains our unawareness. 400 years ago, we would have accepted theories about cof ns suspended in caves and lovers united by magnetic charms. William Gilberts 1600 treatise, De Magnete marked a turning point. Magnetisms mythically pervasive powers were ridiculed and forgotten. It seems that as the scienti c method was developing, it was important to train people to focus on observed reality. We learned to ask for evidence, and limited ourselves to thinking of magnetic attraction applying only to iron. These days, the technological landscape is lled with evidence of magnetisms many facets. With magnetic resonance imaging, doctors can view any plane in the body. With magnetic memory, enormous amounts of data can be stored on credit cards and computers. With rising prospects such as magnetocaloric cooling and magnetic levitation, we will soon see low energy refrigeration and transport. There are even hints of a magnetic invisibility cloak emerging from recent research. Although these applications are useful, it seems that the area of decorative materials has been overlooked. The newly discovered effects are fascinating why dont we celebrate them? To appreciate the material nature of something like magnetic memory is quite challenging when it occurs on the scale of a computer chip. Perhaps this is the reason we underestimate its diversity. Apart from fridge magnets, our hands-on experience with magnetism is essentially nonexistent. After running some experiments with magnetic materials, the potential seemed promising. Keeping an eye out for uncanny qualities, and putting aside the question of application, I passed the raw materials through some traditional textile fabrication processes. Out of the investigation came several new surfaces. One looks at the use of softly spun steel yarn for magnetic embroidery. Another is an interactive tiling system, which encourages material understanding through tactile engagement. Other surfaces show that magnetic patterns can be hidden in materials. Novel materials like these certainly have potential in interior and product design. Beyond that, they play an essential role in bringing us closer to understanding what our world is made of. They are not meant to mystify just to capture curiosity. As Einstein always remembered, the magnetic compass is evidence of information beyond our senses.
INGREDIENTS NO. 3 19
Jenny Leary is interested in how to express our changing relationship to materials. She recently completed the MA in Design for Textile Futures course at Central St Martins College of Art, where she began a long-term interest in magnetism. For more information, email jenny on jenny@ferrofabric.com Or visit her web site www.ferrofabric.com
100%Materials 2008
The highlights from the 2008 edition Photography by Gianni Diliberto Over the next pages we feature some of the most exciting new additions to this years 100% Materials feature at 100% Design. See the exhibition in Londons Earls Court Exhibition Centre between 18-21 September 2008. For more information, visit www.100percentdetail.co.uk
Strike the rim of the bowl with the wooden handle of the spoon and move it around the edge to generate a clear, piercing tone. You can feel the vibrations of the sound in your hand
Music of the Spheres

Sound and music in science and culture, and how it can be used to enhance product design Words by Camilla Sundwall Photography by Gianni Diliberto Music of the Spheres is a range of kitchenware that I designed with the aim to create a dining experience that fully engages with your senses. It is the outcome of my self-initiated nal year project at BA Product Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and it includes a singing bowl and glasses, and a whistling water vessel. With these objects, I wanted to explore how music and sound affects the body and mind. The inspiration came from objects used in spiritual practice, linked and cross-pollinated with recent studies in neuroscience and brought into a contemporary context through dining. It all started when I set out to investigate if spiritual, religious and superstitious practices might have a different relevance today when science has given new possibilities to research the effects of these rituals. I speci cally focused on the objects used in the practices and any physical and cultural effects that I could trace back to the users. In my research, I kept coming across how sound can be used to create a speci c state of mind, how instruments, songs and rhythms are traditionally used to get in contact with spirits, for relaxation and meditation, and even to reach ecstasy. Against this background, scientists have been able to show that the frequencies of the sound of a shamans drum, resonates with the frequencies of the brainwaves of a person that is in a relaxed and focused state of mind. There are differences and similarities of the inner and the outer worlds of a person, and how objects can be used to change inner thoughts and feelings. Alchemy is one example it is mostly referred to as a pseudo-science focussing on transforming lead into gold, but some see it as a way of reaching a higher consciousness. In the experimentation and transformation of materials, along with the rituals surrounding the art, the alchemist is meant not only to change what is front of him, but also whats inside. This ties in with research into the brain and psyche of today,
as neuroscientists and psychoanalysts are discovering and recognising that thoughts and feelings affect the physical body to a much further extent than previously recognized. This means that it is now proven that the placebo effect is actually causing a real effect. For example, if a person is given a pill that is believed to be a painkiller, he or she will start to develop the bodys own substance that act as painkillers. So simply believing in the pill is enough for the mind to create an actual physical reaction in your body. For me, this translated into a design project where using the objects to becomes a means to achieve a particular effect for the user. I wanted to design a product that not only has a physical effect on the body, but a product with an effect that will change depending on the users intentions. My range of kitchenware instruments was designed to make sounds based on the interaction of the user, the material qualities and the shape of the objects. The singing bowl is made of a 3mm thick brass sheet, spun into a hemisphere. Brass is widely used for instruments and bells because of its ability to produce a clear, long-lasting tone. Different materials have different acoustic qualities due to their molecular structures, and singing bowls are traditionally made of various metal alloys. Antique singing bowls are said to use seven different metals, but the particular process of making them is now lost. These bowls create an amazingly rich and harmonious sound with many overtones. To make it sing, strike the rim of the bowl with the wooden handle of the spoon and move it around the edge to conjure up a clear, piercing tone. It takes a bit of practice, but after a while you can feel the vibrations of the sound in your hand as it builds up to ll the whole room. The drinking glasses work on the same principle as the bowl the vibrations in the glass walls create a ringing sound when you rub the edge of the glass with your nger. The glasses are made of borosilicate glass, or Pyrex, which is a very durable and heat resistant material, which also happens to produce an excellent tone. The water vessel will whistle when you tilt it back after pouring. The spherical body is split into two compartments of equal size, which leads to air being forced out of the vessel as the water level adjusts itself to ll both sides of the partition. This creates an eerie whistling sound, almost as if a trapped genie is escaping the bottle. My aim for this range of products was to create a holistic sensorial experience, where sound, movements, thoughts, shapes and materials are all combined to fully engage the user. Hopefully it can lead to further exploration of the relationship between the material and the immaterial worlds, of the connection between mind and matter.
Pour some water into the glasses and hear the water vessel whistle. To make the glasses sing, rub the edge of the glass in a circular motion with your nger
Camilla Sundwall recently graduated from Central St Martins College of Art with a BA in Product Design. For more information, contact Camilla info@camillasundwall.com
Surface nishes
A closer look at three of the more common surface treatments available to designers
01 The part is coated with a thick adhesive
02 Then sprayed with ocking bres
03 Fibres are bonded with an electric charge
Flocking www.qualplast.com Flocking is a technique that was traditionally used for decorative purposes, but it also has many other advantages such as sound and heat insulation, which make it ideal for a wide variety of applications. Flocking involves applying precision cut lengths of bres to an adhesive coated surface, using an electrostatic charge. It create a seamless fabric-like coating, with up to 150,000 bres per square inch. The length and type of bre used determines the type of nish produced.
01 The parts are cleaned in an acid bath
02 Then dipped in nickel and cleaned again
03 Finally, the parts are placed in chrome solution
Chrome plating www.lbplating.com Chrome plating is a technique commonly used for coating objects which require particular resistance to corrosion and wear. In terms of aesthetics, it has an extremely shiny, almost re ective appearance. Chrome plating involves electrically charging the substrate and a bath of chromium solution to make the coating stick to the substrate in a process called electroplating. There are typically two types of chrome coatings, the most common being the thin decorative bright chrome that can be used on a wide range of equipment, followed by hard chromium plating, which is much thicker and hardwearing and often used on industrial equipment to reduce friction and wear. The product must be thoroughly cleaned and buffed in order to create a smooth, even surface. It is then electrically charged and immersed into the chromium solution which is also charged. These charges cause an attraction between the object and the solution which produces an even layer over the entire surface of the object. Chrome plating is often used in the automotive industry for detailing such as bumpers, handles and mirrors. Bathroom xtures is another big area of applications where parts need to withstand moist conditions and chrome is particularly effective due to its excellent resistance to corrosion.
01 The parts are cleaned in a solvent bath
02 Then put in an electrolytic solution
03 Finished parts coated with aluminium oxide
Anodizing www.lbplating.com Anodizing is an electrochemical nishing technique that forms a protective coating of aluminium oxide on aluminium surfaces. Raw aluminium that is left exposed will corrode and oxidise which is unsightly, but anodizing protects the raw aluminium, transforming it into a hard and durable weather-resistant surface. The components to be anodized are rst thoroughly cleaned before being immersed in a sulphur solution. A current is passed through the aluminium components which converts the aluminium surface to form aluminium oxide. This thin layer is heat-sealed and chemically bonded to the aluminium so will not ake or peel. The thickness and hardness of the coating is determined by the strength of the electrical current, the solution temperature and the length of time that the component is immersed in the solution.
Lunar Racer
Skateboard materials
Words by Daniel Liden Admittedly, I have never been great at skateboarding, but I love it passionately nevertheless. On the face of it, its just another successful American lifestyle export, with kids effortlessly rolling down endless roads in the eternal California sunshine. The reality is a little different though, especially in northern Europe. Skateboarding is all about materials scrape your hands and knees on a bit of particularly worn and gravelly asphalt and youll know what I mean. Skaters develop an intuitive feeling for various substrates, quickly learning to appreciate the value of smooth, freshly paved tarmac. You also become a connoisseur of the various plastic materials that are used in skateboard wheels from soft and bouncy OJII wheels to the compact, hard variety that make your teeth clack when you hit an uneven surface. Skateboard wheels are great examples of the incredible versatility of polyurethane, the material of choice. I remember religiously watching 80s skate lm Thrashin where the protagonist is offered a sponsorship by a man who claims that his particular brand of skateboard wheels are made with the only material that will survive a nuclear attack. Years before I knew anything about Aalto or the Eameses and experiments with moulded ply, skateboards were the reason that I learnt the meaning of concave and convex. I used to have a Powell Peralta Lance Mountain board with black sheets of carbon bre sandwiched between the veneers, giving it a distinct, stripy look. It created quite a schism between my friends, with one camp promptly declaring that this cutting edge composite material would fall apart in no time. Skateboarding de nitely belongs in the streets just look at Londons high altar of brutalist architecture, the Southbank Centre, reinterpreted as one big skatepark. In other places, local councils do their best to keep skaters out of public spaces. In an interview with Apple, American pro skater Rob Dyrdek explains, we dont go to some training facility because there is no such thing. Im 31 and everyday I run from the cops, just like the kids do. Recognizing that skateboarding has evolved into a pure urban phenomenon, but skatepark design did not evolve with it, Dyrdek set up the Skate Plaza in Kettering, Ohio. It looks just like any other nicely landscaped town square, with footpaths and raised platforms, steps and handrails, mixed with lawns and picturesque greenery. Dyrdek insists that it is not a skatepark, but a park to skate in.
Light impact
Material innovation in Nike shoes Photography by Gianni Diliberto The sports business is one of the most dynamic industries for exploiting new materials and technologies, used as much to create heroes for the brand story as they are to enhance performance. Here are two stories from Nike that look at materials and sports shoe construction from very opposing perspectives. In the Nike Flywire technology used in the Lunar Racer shoe, a new material sandwich has been designed to create this ultra-lightweight running shoes, so lightweight that when we picked up the box in the store recently it felt empty. The material hero in these shoes is Vectran
a brand of bres that are a quarter of the diameter of a human hair and weight for weight ve times stronger than steel. These bres are sandwiched in between a TPU mesh to create a shoe upper that is as thin and translucent as a second skin. The Considered Lava Dome shoe uses materials design to create a completely different story. Nike have for some time run a scheme to recycle expired shoes and shred them into a cushioning material for sports courts. The Considered Lava Dome expands on this theme by taking the issue of unmaking products as seriously as the use of sustainable materials for its construction. Unlike virtually all other forms of shoe construction, which use permanent chemical adhesives for construction the show is stitched together. This simple stitching and tag detail, which you cut to release the various parts, has been turned into a visual reference point for the main story for consumers.
Considered Lava Dome
Material Experience
How do you communicate technical material data to non-technical people? Photography by Gianni Diliberto Mention soft-touch to an industrial designer and what comes to mind is a warm velvety tactile sensation, be a little more speci c and the material that is most likely being referred to is Santoprene brand TPV from ExxonMobil Chemical, a well-known range of thermoplastic elastomers, or TPEs. TPEs are super-materials that combine the exibility and elasticity of rubber with the strength and processability of thermoplastic materials. In other words, Santoprene TPV can be injection moulded, thermoformed, extruded and blow moulded just like any other modern plastic material and it has virtually replaced cast thermoset rubber, which seems archaic in comparison. TPEs are also much more durable than rubber, with a good working temperature range, grip, chemical- and shock resistance. The material can be coloured to almost any tone and it is available in various levels of translucency. This is not to mention that it is possible to create some really diverse tactile experiences with this warm material it is available in grades that feel stiff right through to extremely exible. This opens up for a fantastic range of applications TPEs are used in everything from seals in the construction and automotive industries, to tool handles and dog chews. This is all very impressive, but it is dif cult for designers to accurately specify the kind of properties they are looking for in a material, especially when it comes to extremely versatile materials such as TPEs. There are so many references that are completely lost to designers in technical terms such as Shore hardness 55A or Thermal conductivity 0.18 W/mK. An extension of materialexperience.com, ExxonMobils web site speci cally developed for designers, this article tries to explain the unique properties of Santoprene TPV by using simple, everyday examples to decipher the technical jargon that is often impenetrable to anyone without a degree in chemistry or physics. For more information about Santoprene TPV for designers, please visit www.materialexperience.com For more general information, please visit www.santoprene.com or www.exxonmobilchemical.com
Coef cient of friction 0.418 If you have ever walked on the slippery surface next to a swimming pool, you know the value of a pair of ip- ops with good traction. Santoprene TPV is equally grippy, with a coef cient of friction which approximates the value of 0.418 of the ip- op.
Sealing Force Retention 72.8% Many materials lose their springiness after a while, but not Santoprene TPV it relaxes very little over time, retaining 72.8% of its sealing property.
Translucency 4% of haze A haze meter reading gives a de nitive value of the transparency of a material. The warm transparency of a gummi bear, which happens to be 4% of haze, is a very near perfect analogy for translucent ExxonMobil TPE.
Grip 55 Shore A hardness Shore hardness is one way to measure grip. For a reference of the warm and reassuring surface of Santoprene TPV, feel the palm of your hand, which is approximately 55 Shore A hardness.
Flex fatigue 4 cycles Flex fatigue, or the number of times that a material can be bent before it breaks, is measured in cycles. This is an area where Santoprene TPV excels, but to give you an example from the other end of the scale, try bending a paper clip it snaps after about four bends only.
Thermal conductivity 0.581 W/m*K The cryptic formula above describes the warm feel of the skin of a peach, which is remarkably similar to the thermal conductivity Santoprene TPV.
Above & Below

Photography by Gianni Diliberto Above & Below was a part of Utter Rubbish, an exhibition commissioned by Design Singapore to be a part of the Singapore Design Festival. The exhibition looked at a selection of the ever-growing number of environmentally responsible materials that are available to designers and architects. It was called Above & Below because we chose to focus on the whole range of materials made from rubbish, to those that leave no rubbish behind. Over the next pages we feature an excerpt from the exhibition catalogue, with examples of materials that make ingenious use of rubbish and by-products, often with a witty can-do attitude that is utterly inspiring. Some of these materials are based on new technologies that havent found many applications yet, so here is an enormous opportunity for designers to be creative and explore new possibilities.
Preser ve ww w.recycline.co m Recycline, an Am erican company, teamed up with a yoghurt factory to collect and recycle empty yo ghurt pots into a range of plastic products. To date, the Preser ve range includes re usable and dishw ashersafe tableware, to othbrushes and ra zors, with more produc ts to come, all of which can be recycled ag ain after use.
Flupis www.zerzog.de
Atlantic leather er.is ww w.atlanticleath t nitely not the mos Fish leather is de u think about l, but if yo common materia waste from the skin that goes to all the ing is actually surpris shing industry, it rticularly so more. Pa that it is not used is suitable for ring that sh skin conside e ere you would us any application wh Leather from leather. any other type of lf sh are available on, perch and wo salm hues. including metallic in many colours,
Expanded polystyrene is probably the most common material used for loose ll packaging, although it is one of the worst materials from an environmental perspective. It is encouraging then to see that there are alternatives - Flupis are made with recycled newsprint that is steamed to give it some volume. It uses no binders and it can be composted or burnt without any adverse effect on the environment.
Warmcel www.excel bre.com

Biodegradable Arti cial Snow www.ict.fraunhofer.de Until recently, set-designers and decorators everywhere were stuck with polyethylene for arti cial snow, but not anymore - this excellent product made from potato- or cornstarch will completely dissolve in water without any danger to the environment. So whether you are trying to lm that romantic winter scene in sunny California, or just want some Christmas decoration, this biodegradable material lets you do it with a clean conscience.
Newsprint is actually an excellent insulator, something that Excel Ind ustries Limited has realised by turning recycled and shredded newspapers into a highly efcient material for loft ins ulation. The pioneering efforts of this co mpany is further underlined by the fact tha t they operate their own newspaper co llection scheme to source the raw material.
PPM www.greenpac.co.uk g - it The look of this material is deceivin ne foam, but it is may look like polystyre hes, actually derived from renewable starc with grass (not glass!) bres for extra an exstrength. 100% biodegradable, it is alternative to traditional plastic macellent ucts. terials for disposable foodservice prod
Reztec www.expanko.com This striking material is made with a blend of recycled tires, post-industrial waste and virgin rubber. The standard version is speckled, but it can also be speci ed in custom colours. Extremely hard wearing, it is suitable for high-traf c retail spaces and other public environments.
Elephant dung paper www.mutr.co.uk Dung is of course just a polite word for poo, and elephants produce some 50kg of the stuff each day. As it turns out, elephants are poor digesters, so over 50% of what they eat comes out the other end. The nicely chewed up bres are then washed and boiled for ve hours, before the material is attened out into paper sheets.
Kirei www.stewardhoutproducten.nl The wood in this strong and lightweight sheet material is sourced from a range of species, shredded and put together again using a formaldehyde-free, waterbased glue. This process gives Kirei board its unique stripy look. It is suitable for furniture and interiors, or hidden away as a structural material inside walls and ceilings.
FrogWrap ww w.frogpackagin g.com Packaging is one of the most exciting areas in terms of the development of eco-friendly material s and FrogWrap is a good example. The green part of this protective pa ckaging material is made with polyla ctic acid derived from fermented corn starch and it dissolves entirely in water, with no danger to the envir onment. According to the manufacturer it is also stronger and more resistant to punctures than traditional bubblew rap materials.
BeeBoard www.besin.com e This incredible sheet material is mad ely from recycled paper and it can entir lowbe recycled again after use. It is very rigid enough to use it to build weight, yet to some fairly complex structures. Not st as easy to work mention that it is almo is the with as a sheet of paper. Packaging rd has main application here, but BeeBoa and also been used for signage, furniture le of ce interiors. even who
Rediscovered process
Simon Hasans research into leather manufacturing led to the rediscovery of an old process Photography by Simon Hasan
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At Ingredients we believe that the de nition of new materials can have many meanings. Not just the new inventions but also new ways of using old materials. For designer Simon Hasan the use of leather bottles, blackjacks and bombards in the 16th & 17th centuries was the starting point for an on-going investigation of process, form, and craft, aiming to imbue his designs with a richness and texture which he feels to be lacking in much of contemporary design. The contemporary reverence for leather is rejected in favour of a more brutal approach, which sees the material boiled and stretched to achieve compelling forms and rigidity. Hand stitching and brogueing are combined with industrial patent nishes, to explore how traditional techniques can be freed from the staid world of bespoke leathergoods.
01) Bambi stool, left, and Twist stool, right 02) Simon Hasans leather vase collection
Each of his vases are unique, as the moulds are disassembled following each production The self-supporting Twist stool only contains a ring frame in the seat, which is necessary to handform the leather over, before boiling. The structural integrity comes from the processed material itself. These products demonstrate how leather, once the industrial material of its age, can again be used for industrial applications.
New forms of silicone

Reinventing a classic material Photography by Gianni Diliberto Its easy to get silicon and silicone mixed up with each other and they are in fact closely related the chemical element silicon is a crucial ingredient in the plastic material silicone. In 1943, scientists at Corning Glass and Dow Chemical started producing silicone rubber made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and silicon. The material has a long list of impressive properties it is incredibly exible and tactile, and its appearance can vary from watery translucent tones to completely opaque colours. Its working temperature range is phenomenal, extending all the way from -100C up to +250C. Silicone is also chemically inert,
which coupled with its exibility makes it suitable for a wide range of medical applications, including prostheses and orthopaedic cushions. Extensively used in the construction and automotive industries, silicone is also often used in cookware, electronics and toys. Silicone is always being developed into new forms and over the next pages we present four recent examples from Dow Corning, the same company that started making silicone in the 1940s. For more information about Dow Corning and their range of silicone materials, please visit www.dowcorning.com/design
Silicone leather Leather has a long history and it will probably never be completely replaced by another material, but silicone leather is an incredibly exible alternative, equally suitable for classic leather applications such as furniture, shoes and automotive interiors, but also more demanding applications, for example outdoor furniture and winter boots. Textures and colours can be customised to suit the end use and silicone leather inherently water- and UV-resistant, without the need for harsh solvents or harmful treatments. The level of stretch and tack can be controlled, as well as the surface nish, ranging from matte to semi-gloss.
Soft skin adhesive Sticky bandages are annoying they tend to get stuck in the wound and the adhesive often leaves a trace of unsightly residue. Silicone-based soft skin adhesive relies on the materials natural ability to gently cling to a surface. The plaster is easy to reposition and it can even be washed and used again without losing its stickiness. The adhesive properties of the material can be ne-tuned for a variety of applications beyond the medical sector.
Screen-printing silicone A staple in the creative toolbox, screen-printing is often used by artists to produce small batches of posters, t-shirts and yers, but this versatile printing process is also used in mass production to print onto a wide variety of surfaces, including CDs and DVDs, ceramics, glass, metals and wood. Screen-printing silicone offers many advantages over traditional inks this soft, low-tack material can be stretched up to an amazing 850% of its original size and it easily withstands high temperatures, making it perfectly safe to wash and iron. Semi-gloss or matte in appearance, screen-printing silicone can be speci ed in a wide range of custom colours. The material does not contain toxic substances, formaldehyde, PVC or solvents.
Silicone-enhanced packaging Waxed and plastic coated paper is very dif cult if not impossible to recycle, but often seen as preferable to plastic packaging anyway. Siliconeenhanced packaging offers the best of both worlds it is a recyclable and repulpable composite material made of silicone-coated paper bres. The process is compatible with recycled and virgin bres and the material offers excellent strength, durability and water resistance, keeping its shape in applications where it is likely to get wet.
More Weird materials

Photography by Gianni Diliberto In the second issue of Ingredients, we presented some of the weird materials that are available from Middlesex University Teaching Resources (MUTR). Over the next pages we show some more examples from their amazing range of materials, for more information and the full range, please visit www.mutr.co.uk
Fields metal This metal alloy of bismouth, indium and tin is a model makers dream it looks just like silver, but it melts at 62C, which makes it possible to cast the material in any mould that can take this relatively low temperature.
Gel wax This material feels just like jelly, but it has an almost ice-like clarity it seems to disappear when cast inside a glass container. It melts at 70C and it is compatible with colorants and other additives, such as fragrances, just watch out that you dont use too much or it wont set properly. Silk cocoons This is the real deal silk cannot be produced arti cially, so shake these cocoons and you will hear the dried up silk worm rattle inside. If you pinch the eecy outside, its possible to pull out strands of silk bre up to an amazing one thousand metres long. Indium Indium is a very soft, malleable metal with the consistency of a soap bar - it is even possible to indent with your nger nail.
Solvon bre This synthetic yarn is water-soluble, but it has the unique property that it shrinks by 50% before it dissolves. Strands of solvon can be added to textiles, making it useful in a wide variety of application where a mechanical pulling force is needed, including lters and medical bandages. Glow stones This particular type of quartz is permanently electrically charged strike the stones together at speed and enough voltage is obtained to cause them to glow eerily in the dark.
Speedo FS textile This material was modelled on the rough surface of sharkskin, which feels a little bit like touching sandpaper. Suits made with this material reduce friction in the water and give athletes better buoyancy swimmers who wore this type of suit claimed 18 of the 19 world records that have been beaten since the start of 2008.
Food-grade colouring Food colouring is often overlooked as a non-toxic colour additive for model makers. These pigments add intense hues to a range of materials, including wood, paper, polymorph and gel wax.
Chromatic alginate This non-toxic, seaweed-based material can be used to make exible precision moulds capable of taking plaster, plastics and low temperature metals such as Fields metal.
Micronal This material adapts to the temperature of the environment. It consists of microscopic plastic capsules embedded in paraf n wax. When the temperature goes up, the microcapsules absorbs the heat. The process is then reversed as the temperature falls and the wax solidi es, which cause the capsules to release stored heat.
Bamboo bre A true super-material, bamboo is the fastest growing wood species on the planet. The timber literally has hundreds of uses, but it is not well known that it is also a source of soft and shiny bres similar to cashmere and silk. Bamboo textiles are durable and suitable for a wide range of applications, including clothing.
Future Materials
Advances in innovation, design and technology mean that materials are playing a greater role in the decisionmaking for product design in our modern world. Words by Sarah Dennis Driven by technological innovations and ecological concerns, materials are taking a huge responsibility in the drive for a smart, sustainable and adaptable future. The role of the designer has become both in uential and responsible, as the cradle-to-cradle impact of a product needs to be realised even before it is designed. Using local and low-cost alternatives to conventional materials help lessen the environmental footprint of a product, while designing for end use can determine whether the material needs to be robust or easily disposable, disassembled or even biodegradable. New technologies are also enabling designers to re-think materials and processes, and explore new ways of manipulating existing ones. As the materials industry strives for resourceful and innovative solutions, the answer lies in reusing what we already have. A sustainable design approach to using waste is through upcycling, where the longevity of the original product is extended and enhanced through reas bly or value-added embellishment. One such innovator is Kate Goldsworthy who through her PhD research project, aims to upgrade low-quality materials using new technologies. Working with blended materials that are dif cult to recycle, such as shoddy felt underlay, Goldsworthy resurfaces them with delicate patterns using lasers and heat processes, offering up new solutions through a process underpinned by aesthetics and the environment. In his in uential book Cradle-to-Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, Michael Braungart discusses ways of upcycling rice husks, a material that poses a huge waste disposal problem in Asia due to its incombustible nature. The husks are used as a non-toxic substitute for polystyrene as packaging material, and then further recycled into a re-resistant building matter. At the cutting edge of resourceful design, recent graduate Andrew Ross is researching innovative ways of using waste animal bone, which has had to be incinerated since the BSE
01) Laser cut felt Kate Goldsworthy www.kategoldsworthy. squarespace.com 02) Mobius FOC www.freedomofcreation.com 03) Paper pulp lamp David Gardener Photo Claire Pepper www.davidgardener.co.uk 04) Microbe Fermented fashion Donna Franklin and Gary Cass www.bioalloy.org 05) Gina concept car BMW AG 06) Food-based plastic Cheryl Bauer cheryl.bauer@gmail.com 07) Self-healing rubber ESPCI www.espci.fr 08) Boneengineer Andrew Ross www.theboneproject.co.uk 03 04 01 02
05 06 Sarah Dennis is the materials associate editor for WGSN, the leading global online service providing creative intelligence to the style industries. WGSN is the only online service with 10 years experience of providing macro-trend analysis and trend forecasting. For more information, please visit www.wgsn.com 08 07
crisis and amounts to around three million tonnes a year in Europe alone. As well as exploring bone as a sustainable alternative to ivory, Ross is exploiting its chemical properties to develop metal-neutralising packaging to bury used batteries, and disposable casings for electronics. Other designers are working with the concept of zero waste. David Gardeners Paper Pulp Lamp is a simple example of this, where the moulded recycled paper structure is both packaging and product, while design and research company Freedom of Creation (FOC) has pioneered the use of rapid prototyping within product design, a process that generates no waste. Technology has enabled designers to rethink materials, yet the growing relationship with science has revealed a whole new area of innovation and sustainability, where materials can be grown, cooked or become self-suf cient. Microb is an ongoing project between artist Donna Franklin and scientist Gary Cass that explores the idea of growing seamless biosynthetic material from cellulose micro brils, a byproduct of the fermentation process that have a similar structure to cotton. Equally inspired by sustainability, food and material innovation, RCA graduate Cheryl Lyn Bauer has collaborated with a professor at Londons Imperial College to invent a new plastic made from everyday cooking ingredients such as corn our, salt and oil, which is both durable and biodegradable. In uenced by natures nest, biomimicry and nanotechnology are formulating materials of a new genre, whether that is a self-cleaning paint, breathable plasters that absorb smells, or embedded technologies that harvest energy. The recent emergence of a self-healing rubber developed by ESPCI, and concept products such as the BMW shape-shifting car and Nokia Morph phone are examples of where such material innovations will become real products in our self-sustaining, adapting and hopefully sustainable future.
-ums
A rough guide to metals that end with um Photography by Gianni Diliberto Always preoccupied with stories that bring new life to materials, we like to present not just the new, but also old and perhaps forgotten materials. Firmly established in the periodic table, occupying about three quarters of the elements, metals are familiar territory to most people. Just like the article about enes in the last issue of Ingredients, this article is an informal look at a group of materials. It follows a trail through metals, meandering through common aluminium and into less familiar materials such as barium and gallium. Its a trail that unearths alternative and less familiar uses for these metals, some of which have remarkable mechanical and physical properties, while others are connected with our bodies in our foods and medicines. The UK Centre for Materials Education (UKCME) is a great place to nd out more about a wide range of materials, including the -ums. It is a national Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy. It supports and promotes high quality education in Materials and related disciplines. UKCME encourages and coordinates the development, adoption and sharing of effective practices that contribute to the enhancement of discipline-speci c learning experiences. In undertaking its work, UKCME draws on a variety of approaches, engaging collaboratively with academics and departments, professional bodies and subject associations, employers and industry, as well as with students. For more information about UKCME, please visit www.materials.ac.uk
Titanium This incredible metal has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal titanium is as strong as most steels at only half the weight. It has been found in meteorites and it is believed to be present in the sun as well, so it comes as no surprise that titanium has excellent resistance to corrosion, accounting for its use in the aerospace, automotive and marine industries. Nearly all of the titanium ore extracted is made into white pigment, used in a huge range of products from paper to toothpaste. When sprayed into the air, it forms ne particles of titanium dioxide that are used to produce smoke screens and socalled skywriting from aircrafts. Previous page - Gallium Gallium is one of just a few metals that are liquid at near room temperature. If you were to pick up this metal it would melt in your hand. Its performance in high temperature thermometers is unmatched because it has the highest liquid range of any metal. In its pure from, gallium has a beautiful silvery appearance, while it is brittle and fractures in a similar way to glass in solid form. It also expands as it solidi es, making its containment quite dangerous! Perhaps its most remarkable use is in the production of LEDs where it is able to convert electricity into light.
Lithium This soft metal is silver-white in colour and highly reactive. Lithium corrodes quickly in air to form a black tarnish, which is why it is stored in oil. In a bizarre contrast, it is soft enough to be cut with a knife and yet it has the highest level of heat resistance of any solid material. Lightweight and with high electrochemical potential, lithium is mainly used in batteries, providing twice the voltage of an ordinary zinc carbon battery or alkaline cell. One unusual application of lithium is its role in medicine. It affects the ow of sodium through nerve and muscle cells in the body, helping to treat all kinds of illnesses, from hyperactivity to depression.
Strontium Naturally occurring in the earths crust, strontium was rst discovered in Scotland, taking its name from Stronian, a town near to where it was found. It is an unpredictable material - in powder form it will ignite spontaneously in air. The human body will absorb strontium as if it were calcium because the two elements are chemically similar. Although it can be used to enhance bone growth, its moderate level of radioactivity makes it unsuitable for ingestion. One striking feature of Strontium is the crimson colour ame it produces when lit. It is for this reason that strontium salts are used in pyrotechnics and ares, hailing as the most important chemical to produce colours in reworks.
Barium Barium is a soft and heavy earth metal that is metallic silver in appearance. It is not found in nature in its pure form because of its reactivity with air, so it is stored under kerosene to remain pure. It is surprisingly abundant in the earths crust, at fourteenth place among the most common elements. It is used to produce sparklers, uorescent lamps and vacuum tubes, with barium nitrate responsible for the green colour you can see in reworks. Barium can be found in some soil, nuts and seaweed where it doesnt pose a health risk, but exceedingly high doses can be fatal.
Aluminium In little over a century, this relatively new addition to the family of metals has become one of the worlds most widely used metals, second only to steel. With its winning combination of strength, low weight and resistance to corrosion, aluminium is the optimal metal for all kinds of transportation applications, including ocean liners, aircrafts and even spaceships. When ground into a powder form, aluminium is one of the few metals that retain a shiny appearance, which is why it is commonly found in paints and plastics to produce a metallic effect. However, the most remarkable property of this metal is that it can be 100% recycled. Incredibly, nearly 3 quarters of all aluminium ever made remains in use today!
Magnesium The lightest of the structural metals, magnesium weighs in at a quarter of the weight of steel and two thirds of that of aluminium. It is a highly ammable metal, but while it is easy to ignite when powdered or cut into small strips, it is dif cult to ignite in mass or bulk. It is for this reason that magnesium makes an ideal re-starter for camping and survival kits where simply the sparks from a int can be used to ignite it. The material produces a brilliant white light when its burning (a demonstration you may remember from science lessons at school) and in the early days of photography magnesium was used to produce a ash.
Chromium Chromium is a hard, grey metal with a high melting point. It can be polished to an incredible shine and it has outstanding resistance to corrosion, which is why it is used as a protective and decorative coating for a huge variety of metal products. Its anti-corrosion properties are due to its ability to prevent the diffusion of oxygen into coated surfaces. You will recognise the highly re ective surface of chromium on most car components including bumpers, door handles and wing mirrors. In fact, swords and bolts coated in chromium which date back 2,000 years, have been found without any signs of rust!
The secret life of materials

Photography by Eye of Science/ Science Photo Library www.eyeofscience.de www.sciencephoto.com Scale is always important when specifying materials. In most cases photos of material samples are presented at arms length, but look at something from across a room and its surface appears very differently. Look at a material from across a street and it becomes something else again, across a city like Barcelona and the material selection for a building like Torre Agbar is a backdrop for the city. The images of Chris Jordan, featured in another edition of Ingredients, captured landscapes of discarded electronic products that were taken from a scale that stripped them of all glamour and seduction. Weve taken the theme of scale again and looked at some common materials but this time under a microscope. These painstakingly coloured scanning electron micrographs, or SEMs, reveal the incredible landscapes of material surfaces that are invisible to the naked eye, adding to the story of material functionality and giving a new dimension to their understanding. Shark skin These sharply pointed scales are also known as dermal teeth or denticles. They give the sharks skin the feel of sandpaper. The scales disrupt turbulence over the skin, considerably reducing the drag on the shark as it swims. This design has been investigated by engineers for use on the surfaces of aircraft, boats and even swimsuits, see page 52.
Neopor Neopor consists of expanded polystyrene particles and integrated infrared absorbers and re ectors. The absorbers and re ectors prevent the conduction of heat, even when only low densities of the material are present. Neopor is manufactured by BASF.
Nanofoam This material, marketed under the name Isitect, is produced using plastic polymers and nanoscale frameworks. It can be used to insulate buildings, cars, aeroplanes and refrigerators and is less bulky than traditional insulating materials. Isitect is manufactured by BASF.
Waterproof cotton The white beads in the image are nanoparticles of a water-repellent polymer, stuck to the fabric
Deeper surfaces
Photography by Gianni Diliberto Surfaces provide an opportunity to create a personality, new experiences and scenarios. Inject some drama and air into everyday life, open a door to the past, or create an illusion that gradually changes into something else. Surfaces are also about messages of contrasts, discovery, interaction and unexpected turns that have an impact on all the senses. Can perceptions change with proximity or lighting conditions, acoustics and texture? A surface is by de nition an exterior, the face that an object or being presents to the world. Sure there are negative connotations surfaces are connected with shallowness and the notion that beauty is skin-deep, but it would be a mistake to dismiss them
as trivial. Imagine having to navigate through a world without surfaces as rst point of reference. A surface is a projection screen for emotions and the state of things in general. XYMARA.com is a website dedicated to introducing Ciba to the design community. Amongst the reviews of design events and other design resources there is the Effect Explorer which provides an innovative feature that offers the ability to test and visualise various effects within the Colour Trend Vision programme. This is a design and technology resource developed to provide designers, converters, and paint, ink and masterbatch producers with global and regional colour trend forecasts and information as design tools for
coatings, inks and plastics applications. For this article, we selected four surface effects that caught our eye. For more information and to see the whole range of Xymara effects, please visit www.xymara.com Ciba XYMARA Nordic Sparkling Effects Think of ice crystals and you will get a feeling for the XYMARA Nordic family of sparkling nishes. These can be combined with transparent coloured pigments to give bright poppy effects or produce silky deep shade effects. Amongst the many applications for this product, Ciba have a range of XYMARA Nordic samples , which
have been printed onto various woods, which could open up a whole new territory for furniture. Ciba XYMARA Electra The use of surface and printing is probably most advanced and widespread in packaging. Not restricted to effects pigments Ciba also have a range of printable conductive inks. These can be printed onto different substrates including paper while still maintaining their performance once the paper is folded or rolled. Potential applications could involve simplifying the use of RFID technology by printing the tags directly onto packaging and incorporating them as a design feature as part of the graphics and branding.
Ciba IRGAZIN DPP Cosmoray Orange Surface effects provide an opportunity for designers to create a personality, new experiences and scenarios. This seductive transparent orange Cosmoray pigment is available in a variety of red hot shades of shimmering sparkling metallics that range from deep orange to tangerine, in both in water- or solvent-borne systems.
Ciba XYMARA METASHEEN Metallic Pigments TThe METASHEEN effect pigment from Ciba is a vacuummetalised pigment that offers a range of brilliant metallic effects. These range from dark chrome and silver to strong vibrant golds each with a soft pearlised sheen. These can be used for a wide variety of applications, from automotive to cosmetic packaging.
Household ingredients
Biodegradable plastics cooked up with kitchen staples Photography by Cheryl Bauer
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Youve just received your new mobile phone and in a calamity of events the fascia breaks. Not to worry, just go to the kitchen at home and knock up a new one. This is the future of plastics for Cheryl Bauer. In her experimental project Blanc at the Royal College of Art, Cheryl tackles the prevailing necessity for new technologies and materials to have cradle-to-cradle credentials whilst still satisfying our insatiable desire for new products. After witnessing the sugar crystals that are grown to make rock candy, she set about to improve on their crystalline structure that is inherently beautiful, yet quite brittle to create a more durable material matrix. The project then evolved through exploring different cooking ingredients and applying her background in engineering, which she acquired in New York.
01) Some of the ingredients that Cheryl use to produce her Blanc material 02) Blanc plastic fruit packaging
Todays plastics are high volume and machine made, whilst Blanc is home made and lo- , and the ease with which it can be made tackles issues like transport, where all you need is the ingredients in your cupboard. The only reliance on fossil fuels is the transport of sugar to your local store, as all the forming and curing is done at room temperature, not to mention no need for petroleum in the ingredients list like todays plastics. Coming from an engineering background, Cheryl Bauer has created a recipe for plastic that is no longer the domain of big industry and manufacturers. It also reinforces the forecast that future products will not be designed by designers, but made and customised at home to your needs and requirements.
Inheritable Futures
Can anything be 100% sustainable? Words by Nick Gant While we still have ice caps, igloos are said to be pretty harmless to the Natural World, yet when faced with the everyday demands of commercially driven product design, for example, it becomes dif cult to imagine how anything manufactured can be truly benign in environmental terms. Everything has an impact of some sort, whether through resource extraction, production, shipping, retailing, use, disposal, recycling etc. So why ask the question? Well Nick Gant and Jonathan Chapman, who co-direct the University of Brightons Inheritable Futures Laboratory (IF:Lab), use leading questions like this to expose the unhelpful polemic debate that often surrounds the sustainability debate which often only serves to preclude or even demonize key industries and stakeholders and shuts down the widening opportunities that exist within the eld of sustainable design. As a creative, sustainable design research group they have developed a dialogue between academia and industry that promotes greater connectivity and which deliberately questions current sustainable design thinking to ensure an expanding and inclusive debate. Through exhibitions, conferences, award winning spatial and product design, acclaimed books and a wide range of thought provoking and practical projects the IF:Lab have opened up the sustainable design debate and helped to bring previously disconnected parties together to develop new inclusive methodologies that progress sustainability in practice. As practitioners, academics and researchers they have consulted to, and collaborated with, groups, clients, companies, sponsors and partners as broad as chemical industry giants such as ICI, Ineos, Lucite International, or Eastman, institutions such as The BBC, The UN, The House of Lords and the Science and Natural History Museums and their work has featured in international press including CNN International, The New Scientist, and design journals globally. An example of one of their industry focused projects is the 100% Sustainable? Event; which is a central feature of the annual 100% Design exhibition held at Earls Court in London during the London Design Festival. This event is in its third year and utilises the unique platform and audience of industry
01) Products on display within the Village Green style event space at 100% Sustainable? 2007 02) Consciousness MP3 a soft-shelled, amorphous music player that responds to different physical interactions with user and responds with appropriate music selections 03) Narrative Mobile Phone - A Customizable bio-plastic phone whose form and aesthetic evolves and mutates in response to speci c patterns of use 01 02 03
professionals that the show attracts, to gather and share information via interactive exhibits and products. The event also promotes debate by creating interesting environments in which to run seminars and open discussions that has seen key thinkers and industrial representatives in the eld present new and challenging technologies, materials, products and methodologies in cutting edge sustainable design practice. In 2008 the 100% Sustainable? event uses the theme of Models of Sustainable Design and daily events that present new research and technology, and seminars that aim to generate new practical strategies will take place within a miniaturised model environment that is the event space. Model trains carrying exemplar products and examples of innovative sustainable design as their cargo, meander through modeled worlds which feature elements that subvert the utopian vernacular of model railways to question stereotypical perceptions and understanding of sustainability; challenging visitors to question and make their own minds up about what they see, experience and understand as sustainable design. The IF:Lab will also be presenting a six point framework that uses the action words Frame, Distil, Expand, Lighten,
Nick Gant is co-director of the Inheritable Futures Laboratory at the University of Brighton. Email Nick n.a.gant@brighton.ac.uk or visit the Inheritable Futures Laboratory web site www.brighton.ac.uk/ arts/if_laboratory
Root and Value to de ne a usable, strategic framework for sustainable design. Terms like Ecologies of Scale and Degrees of Sustainability that IF:Lab have developed and promoted, serve to acknowledge the fact that improvements in sustainable practice within the scale of global industry will be incremental but might nonetheless be proportionately positive, signi cant and effective. Whilst individuals and small practices of self professed eco-designers might rightfully brag about their 95% sustainable products, a seemingly lesser ve percent shift towards sustainability made by a global manufacturing giant might actually offer a greater positive change and effect on impact reduction. By opening up the practice of sustainable design in this way and by providing inclusive means to engage with the subject the IF:Lab aims to progress the opportunities that exist for positive change and progressive gain that exist in all areas of practice. By connecting expertise from distinctive corners of the sustainable design eld, new insights emerge that facilitate conceptual understanding, paving the way for positive social, economic and environmental development in a wasteful age of looming ecological crisis, mounting environmental legislation and limited sustainable design progress.
Sustainable Plastics
New solutions for an old problem Photography by Gianni Diliberto Plastic materials are often, and rightfully, pointed out as among the main culprits behind the environmental concerns of our time. Looking closer at this multifaceted group of materials, its easy to understand why plastics are a continually evolving predatory organism that is always encroaching on territories that used to belong to traditional materials, such as metals, ceramics and wood. But this is only half the truth plastics as a group of materials are a lot more complex than they are given credit for. None of the material families contain such diversity; from plastics that are made with petro chemicals to those that are made with agricultural waste, plastics that are syrupy like honey to plastics that are harder than steel, or shape memory plastics that seem more like the stuff of science ction than anything else. This article presents a range of materials that begin to rede ne plastics in an environmental context, hoping that it will be a source of inspiration and an invitation to think about plastics as part of the solution towards more sustainable design.
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01 Bio-reactive resin www.ivv.fraunhofer.de, www.3m.com Natural dyes such as chlorophyll and ribo avin are inherently resistant to the deteriorating effects of oxygen and UV light. Researchers have found a way to incorporate these dyes into plastic resins, giving the material similar preservative properties. It has huge potential in food-, cosmetics- and pharmaceuticals packaging, but this material is suitable for all applications that require environmental protection. 02 Solanylwww.biopolymers.com.br Solanyl is a biodegradable polymer that is made entirely of waste from the potato industry. It can be injectionmoulded using standard equipment and it is compatible with colour and fragrance additives. The use of renewable and biodegradable materials in agriculture applications and packaging would have an enormous bene cial impact on the environment, but Solanyl is also an excellent substitute in sporting consumables (such as the golf tees featured here) and pet care products, for example. 03 Novomer www.novomer.com Nothing short of alchemy, Novomer is a plastic material made with greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. CO and CO2 are generally agreed to be the main catalyst behind global warming, so you can imagine the positive impact on the environment if these abundant greenhouse gases were to be collected and recycled.
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06 TDPA www.epi-global.com This incredible additive makes it possible to control and increase the rate of degradation of a wide range of common plastic lms, including polypropylene and polyethylene. Used for applications such as packaging, healthcare- and agricultural products, it will simply degrade with organic garbage in the land ll. 07 Veri ex www.crg-industries.com Veri ex is a shape memory alloy it can be bent and deformed, but it will always remember and return to its original shape when heated up. This can turn the material into an incredible solution for automated disassembly, as it can be used to make screws and fasteners that unscrew themselves when heated up, making recycling so much easier.
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04 S2 www.werzalit.de This composite of wood particles and polypropylene has many advantages over pure polypropylene, including higher exural strength and temperature resistance. S2 is available in many colours and it is easy to process with common plastic manufacturing techniques, including injection moulding. The unique appearance is a feature in its own right, but S2 also does a good job in invisible structural parts in furniture, for example. 05 Droptec www.droptec.de Droptec is an industrial drainage material made from a range of recycled plastic foams, clearly visible in the unique surface pattern. Hardwearing and tough, it makes good use of discarded materials. Although developed for a single application, Droptec could be used for so much more, such as furniture and decorative interior features.
08 Novomer www.beggandco.com Common plastic materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene require anywhere between 80 and 450 years to degrade. This amazing additive can reduce those gures to an in nitely more acceptable one to ve years. Bio-Batch is compatible with most commodity plastics, including polyethylene and polypropylene, and the degradation process does not start until the material is discarded. Potentially a signi cant part of the solution of the problem with the worlds ever-growing land lls, Bio-Batch can be incorporated into just about any plastic product you can think of.
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The Paper and Stick Film

The origami art of Ron Resch Film stills courtesy of Ron Resch Portrait courtesy of Eric Gjerde Last year at one of our favourite trade fairs, Design Annual in Frankfurt, there was a presentation from American computer graphics visionary, mathematician and innovator Ron Resch where he presented his research into self-supporting structural units. The 50 minute presentation consisted mainly of a lm, The Ron Resch Paper and Stick Film, made during the 1960s. He and the lm stole the show. Assembled here are still images from that lm to give you an idea of this material innovation. Ron Resch became interested in paper folding while he was working on an assignment at the University of Iowa. He explains that the starting point was the discovery that paper tends to fold in particular directions, where particular patterns and creases start to emerge. Resch designed new patterns and observed how the patterns rotate and elevate when pushed in certain directions, creating some incredibly intricate and beautiful shapes from a at sheet of paper.
Folding instructions 01 Using a pencil, copy the white triangular shape in the blue frame onto a sheet of paper and cut around the outside edge 02 03 Using an empty biro pen and ruler, scribe the lines of the shape Fold the creases and begin rotating and pushing the paper into a three-dimensional form using an inwards and upwards direction. This forms the basis of a much larger work, but will give you an idea of the folding technique. 04 Now draw this triangular shape onto a large sheet of paper and repeat across the entire page, aligning each edge of the triangle with another 05 06 Score the line with a biro as before Begin folding along the lines as before, pushing the paper in inwards and upwards until the at triangular shapes become three-dimensional forms For more information about Ron Resch and his work, please visit www.ronresch.com
Material about materials

We talked to ASM International, one of the worlds largest materials information organisations, about /Mtrl, their new design-oriented initiative To engineers and research scientists, materials have properties, whereas designers usually think about materials in terms of personality, aesthetics, sensorial experiences and brand values. Bridging the gap between the two worlds, we talked with Laura Marshall, director for the /Mtrl initiative, for her perspective. What makes /Mtrl unique? /Mtrl is about more than information. Its about knowledge: the professional experience of 38,000 materials scientists and engineers that comprise the ASM membership. Because of our relationship with ASM, /Mtrl can leverage all of that talent, knowledge and insight to help designers understand and apply materials so that they can achieve their design goals. What makes that expertise valuable to designers? Engineers understand the materials and processes that make manufacturing a product possible. Usually, a designers knowledge in these areas is very limited. So you look for a prototype shop or a manufacturing facility for help. But they only have a solution within their area of familiarity. Thats where ASM expertise can help. We can provide unbiased options regarding materials, offering a selection of potential solutions based on their abilities to meet a design challenge: capability, or properties, availability, manufacturability, affordability and recyclability. What are some of the things that /Mtrl will show a designer that they couldnt nd anywhere else? Were the place to nd ideas and solutions from other designers, engineers, industries and specialties. For example, one of the most valuable areas on our website at Mtrl.com is called Of Material Interest. Thats where youll nd fantastic new processes like friction stir welding a relatively new process for the aerospace industry thats now being used for innovative applications in other industries. I think the key to our site is that you can nd the aesthetic properties, the engineering properties and the environmental properties that give shape and texture to great design.
ASM/Mtrl regularly organise material workshops for designers. Here are some of the upcoming dates and venues 01) Seattle WA Sept. 18-19 Experience Music Project at Seattle Center 02) Boston MA Oct. 16-17 Institute for Human Centered Design at Adaptive Environments 03) Los Angeles CA Nov. 13-14 W Hotel 04) Miami Beach FL Dec. 15-16 Doubletree Ocean Point Resort
Can you explain how you navigate through the materials? Its easy. You can select by families of materials - metals, plastics, glasses, ceramics. You can search for a speci c material and nd out what you need to knowfrom the unique personality of a particular material to its properties. You can also use our Process Finder feature to understand the advantages of each. What kind of designers are you targeting with your website? At rst, we want to reach out to industrial designers and eventually branch out to architects and the building industry. I think that everyone who is active in design, from students to experienced professionals, will nd value in our site. Will there be a charge for accessing the site? A lot of the information and knowledge will be available free, while speci c areas will be available for a nominal charge. Corporate customers will also be able to obtain enterprise-wide access for a very reasonable fee. Any new features on the near-term horizon? As we continue to upgrade and grow the site, we will offer features like a Buyers Guide with complete supplier listings, with information linked to materials producers and suppliers. Entries will be cross-referenced and linked to resources so that designers can quickly nd the most appropriate materials and providers in the supply chain. So Mtrl.com will be a marketplace as well as an information resource? Exactly. Designers really like materials that look cool and that customers are attracted to. But the reality is, you need an understanding of materials and processes to achieve the full promise of a bold new design. Mtrl.com is where you can investigate all of the best options quickly and easily. Its the rst place to go for inspiration as well as information. For more information about /Mtrl and ASM, please visit www.mtrl.com or www.asminternational.org
Material movies
Some of the best material clips from the web
Conductive plastics www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ItUuqoQdk9E Conductive plastics are perfect arti cial muscles Levitating strawberry www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cEC9G8JUKW8 Proving that all materials are, in fact, magnetic
Materials that changed the world

We asked eight leading designers and researchers what they think are the materials that changed, or will change, the world
Mark Miodownik, Head of the Materials Research Group, Kings College, London Nickel Superalloys These sophisticated metal alloys are used in jet engines. To avoid catastrophe, they are designed to not to change their mechanical properties in ight. This turns out to be very dif cult to achieve at engine temperatures of more than 850 degrees. As a result I now have a research programme to design self-healing materials. Karim Rashid, Designer Plastic Although I love and work with all materials, plastics have phenomenal possibilities, and opportunities. For example, there is a mouthpiece for athletes made with a smart plastic, which can be heated up to conform to the exact contours of your teeth as it cools down. Nicola Ralston, Head of Colour and Materials Design, Nokia NCVM With the demands and limitations of mass volume manufacturing, we are very much driven by fast-changing technology of choosing materials. Non-conductive vacuum metal coating (NCVM) does not interfere with wireless data transmission and it lays the foundation of great change in the mobile communications business. Chris Bangle, Director of Design, BMW Group Super-strong textiles The innovation of a exible outer skin breaks new ground in automotive engineering. This revolutionary solution opens up new design, production and functionality potential. It can be adapted to suit the current situation, the drivers requirements and can also enhance the cars functional range. Helen Storey, Fashion Designer, Artist, Scientist Lycra The material that changed my world was Lycra. Try being a classical ballet dancer from the age of four and being split into two on a regular basis by material with zero stretch in any direction. Philip Ball, Science Writer Water From my personal viewpoint, writing a book about water in 2000 has opened many doors to unexpected places. And thats because water is itself such a multifaceted thing. In living cells, for example, it acts as a kind of shape-changing material that helps to orchestrate and lubricate life itself. As ice, its the fabric of planets and comets, snow akes and glaciers. Cheaw Hwei Low, Senior Design Director, Philips Singapore LED Lighting The material that will transform the way we experience, engage and enjoy colour. It is about time we consider light as a material!
Self-healing plastic www.autonomic.uiuc.edu/ selfhealpolymer.html Cells lled with resin seep out to repair in case of breakage
Shape memory textile www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ oGQz-eSIOQ Heat upp this textile and it remembers its original shape
d3o www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9VDeJ7rLUYU This material goes stiff on impact to absorb the energy
Contour crafting www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JOlRI_Hm1Po A manufacturing process that can print buildings
Thixotropic liquid I www.youtube.com/watch? v=nq3ZjY0Uf-g&feature=related This liquid shows some weird properties when it is shaken
Thixotropic liquid II www.youtube.com/ watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw You can run across this pool lled with liquid
Sarah Dennis, Materials Associate Editor, WGSN Aerogel Made from 99.8% air, aerogel is the lightest and lowest density solid material known to exist, and looks to a future of ultra-lightweight products that maintain strength and volume. New applications for the material are being developed all the time and it is expected to rank alongside wonder products from previous generations.
Fabrican www.fabricanltd.com Quite literally fabric in a can, this is an incredible tool for fashion designers
Biodegradable fashion www.showstudio.com/projects/ wonderland/movie Helen Storeys poetic take on water-soluble plastics in fashion
Auxetic materials www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vdkYuLsT7Sc Stretch this foam and it gets fatter!

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A materials project by Chris Lefteri No.

Fabric Fact or Fiction

Music of the Spheres

01 The part is coated with a thick adhesive

02 Then sprayed with ocking bres

03 Fibres are bonded with an electric charge

01 The parts are cleaned in an acid bath

02 Then dipped in nickel and cleaned again

03 Finally, the parts are placed in chrome solution

01 The parts are cleaned in a solvent bath

02 Then put in an electrolytic solution

03 Finished parts coated with aluminium oxide

Considered Lava Dome

Above & Below

Warmcel www.excel bre.com

New forms of silicone

More Weird materials

The secret life of materials

The Paper and Stick Film

Material about materials

Materials that changed the world

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