The Highcon vision of bridging the gap between design creativity and production capability, combined with Eco Concrete’s pursuit of new technologies, lie behind the spectacular 2 metre Morpheus bench. This extraordinary design, coming to life with the help of Highcon’s 3D modelling technology, will be presented in Taipei by Eco for the ‘Creative Roughness –
Contemporary Israeli Design,’ part of a range of exhibitions being held during World Design Capital Taipei 2016 from 9 July to 14 August.
The concrete bench was designed by Eco Concrete Ideas and produced using Highcon Rapid Layer Manufacturing technology to cut 4,000 layers of paper, resulting in the creation of a complex mould in a low-cost method. Faster than CNC and more eco-friendly, it uses recycled board and there is no adhesive between the layers. This is a breakthrough in mould technology, opening huge opportunities in architecture and beyond. According to Elad Gerufi, co-owner of Eco Concrete, “The collaboration with Highcon, combining design and technology, unleashes a whole new world of potential freedom and creativity for architects and designers.”
Not only does Highcon technology considerably reduce the costs of mould production, it also disrupts the creative cycle and cuts lead time. Highcon customer, Skitza Print in Israel, produced the mould in a turnaround time of less than a week on their Highcon Euclid digital cutting and creasing machine, with actual production time of a few hours. The mould was made from standard recycled paperboard which was then filled with concrete. Extraction from the paper is simple and once finished, the mould was sent back to be recycled again.
The Morpheus bench was produced on the Highcon Euclid digital finishing machine with a dedicated 3D Modelling workflow solution that converts standard 3D models into separate layers that can be cut on Highcon’s machines. A paper mould can be produced quickly, with dramatic reduction in time and cost. Complex structures and textures can be created that are impossible in any conventional moulding technology or in any known additive manufacturing technology. Fine details and smooth surfaces are achieved, when required, by very little post-processing.
Packaging South Asia is a cooperating media partner for drupa 2016 which was held from 31 May to 10 June at Dusseldorf, Germany
