Table Of Content

Materials for Design Dedication: For my mum and dad, Androulla and Stasi. I owe it all to you. Published in 2014 by Laurence King Publishing Ltd 361–373 City Road London ec1v 1lr Tel +44 20 7841 6900 Fax +44 20 7841 6910 E [email protected] www.laurenceking.com Design copyright ©2013 Laurence King Publishing Limited Text copyright ©2013 Chris Left eri Chris Left eri has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 to be identifi ed as the Author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library isbn 978 178067 344 8 Designed by Studio Aparte Project Editor: Gaynor Sermon Copy Editor: Lindsay Kaubi Printed in China Materials for Design Chris Lefteri Laurence King Publishing S T N E T N O C Section 1 — GROWN Softwood 14 Red Cedar (Juniperus spp.) 16 Pine (Pinus sylvestris) 18 Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) 20 Poplar (Populus spp.) 22 Yew (Taxus baccata) Hardwood 24 European Lime (Tilia x europaea) 26 Oak (Quercus) 28 European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) 30 Rock Maple (Acer saccharum) 32 Teak (Tectona grandis) 34 European Walnut (Juglans regia) 36 European Birch (Betula pendula) 38 European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) 40 Aspen (Populus tremuloides) 42 Willow (Salix spp.) 44 Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) 46 Balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) 48 Hickory (Carya spp) Fibre Plant 50 Coconut Fibres (Cocod nucifera) 68 Algae 52 Tree Bark 72 Cork 54 Horsehair 74 Bamboo (Bambusoideae) 56 Cellulose 76 Rattan (Calamus rotang) 58 Silk 78 Hemp 60 Bacterial Cellulose 80 Wheat Straw 82 Carrot Fibres Animal 84 Mycelium 62 Bovine Leather 86 Sugarcane 64 Fish Leather 88 Orange Peel 66 Fish Scales 90 pla (Polylactic Acid) 70 Protein 92 Castor Oil 94 Latex Section 2 — OIL–BASED Engineering Polymers 98 abs (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) 100 asa (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) 102 ca (Cellulose Acetate) 104 eva (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) 106 Ionomer Resins 108 Liquid Crystal Polymers 110 Melamine Formaldehyde 112 pa (Polyamide) 114 pbt (Polybutylene Terephthalate) 116 pc (Polycarbonate) 118 peek (Polyetheretherketone) 120 pf (Phenol-formaldehyde) 122 pcl (Polycaprolactones) 124 pom (Polyoxymethylene) 126 ppsu (Polyphenylsulphone) 128 ps (Polystyrene) 130 ptfe (Polytetrafl uoroethylene) 132 Silicone 134 smma (Styrene Methyl Methacrylate) 136 tpe (Th ermoplastic Elastomers) 138 uf (Urea Formaldehyde) Commodity Polymers 140 epp (Expanded Polypropylene Foam) 142 eps (Expanded Polystyrene) 144 pe (Polyethylene) 146 pet (Polyethylene Terephthalate) 148 pmma (Polymethyl Methacrylate) 150 pp (Polypropylene) 152 pur (Polyurethanes) 154 pva (Polyvinyl Alcohol) 156 pvc (Polyvinyl Chloride) Section 3 — MINED Metal: Non Ferrous Advanced Ceramics 160 Gold 220 Aluminium Oxide 162 Silver 222 Silicon Carbide 164 Platinum 224 Boron Carbide 166 Brass & Bronze 226 Silicon Dioxide 168 Copper 228 Silicon Nitride 170 Chromium 230 Zirconium Oxide 172 Pewter 174 Aluminium Glass 176 Magnesium Alloys 232 Soda-lime Glass 178 Tungsten 234 Borosilicate 180 Tin 236 Lead Glass 182 Titanium 238 Aluminosilicate Glass 184 Neodymium 240 Quartz Piezoelectrics 186 Nickel 188 Zinc 190 Carbon Fibre 192 Graphite Metal: Ferrous 194 Iron 196 Molybdenum 198 Stainless Steel 200 Steel 242 Glossary 246 Resources Traditional Ceramics 249 Index 202 Bone China 255 Picture Credits 204 Porcelain 256 Acknowledgments 206 Earthenware 208 Stoneware 210 Terracotta 212 Cement 214 Granite 216 Marble 218 Glass Ceramics N O I T C U D O R T N I Th is book is for anyone interested in or involved in designing with physical materials. It is not a scientifi c or historical analysis of materials, but instead serves as an aid to understanding the current state of materials – which are the most commonly used and which are potentially the materials of the future. It embraces all areas of design and production, from products made as one off s to those mass-produced in the scale of millions of units per year, from highly desirable design pieces to some of the everyday objects that we take for granted. I fi rst started writing about materials in 1999 and I stated then that we were only at the beginning of our exploration into this area: fourteen years later this still remains true, and a signifi cant development is that material innovations are not just coming from the science community but increasingly from designers themselves. Th is book is a celebration of the range of established materials that designers are innovating with and materials that they are creating from scratch. 10 INTRODUCTION ‘Like trying to capture a family photograph when all the family members are moving’, is how Ezio Manzini described materials in 1989 in his book Th e Material of Invention. As time accelerates the introduction of new types of materials, so the classifi cation of materials families continually needs to be redefi ned. Th e established descriptions that have been used to defi ne materials families such as plastics, metals and woods seem to become less and less relevant. With the blurring of the boundaries between these materials families, it’s getting harder to work with the old defi nitions. For example, plastics are more and more oft en encroaching on the territories of other materials, such as innovations in bioplastics made from cellulose fi bres or plastics that are taking the place of metals for lightweight, corrosion-resistant applications. Alongside the evolution of new technologies and grades of materials, something else is happening that is changing the value they have in our lives. Th is is not linked to the science of new materials but concerns the role they play in contemporary life. Materials are increasingly becoming central characters in consumer focused stories: anti- bacterial surfaces to improve hygiene; advanced composites that defi ne luxury in consumer electronics; authentic ‘real’ materials in interiors like stone, glass and stainless steel; the use of ‘eco’ materials to alleviate our guilt and make us feel like more caring consumers. Th ese material stories not only help brands diff erentiate themselves from each other, but facilitate designs that drive a desire in consumers to buy into these stories. However, beyond this desire, there is also a genuine initiative to fi nd alternative, sustainable sources of materials. Th is area is being driven as much by science as it is by ever-curious designers like Suzanne Lee, with her marvellous innovation of a material grown from bacterial cellulose (see page 60), who are increasingly developing the actual materials themselves rather