Explore
Resource Types
Filter by article type:
Filter by author:
Filter by post date:
Filter by product categories:
Filter by topics:
Filter by section:
Explore - How they make it
-
Stuff
The fronts and backs are sewn to each other inside out and then turned right side out—“we just make sure the corners are nice,” says Notkin. Each pillowcase is hand-stuffed with a...
01.01.09 -
Concept
On every scale, from cottage industry to mass market, production starts with research. Johnstone begins by scouring the globe for team members who have the right skills and design sense to match a...
01.01.09 -
From 2-D to 3-D
“Very aggressive” is how Johnstone describes the design schedule. They move quickly from a few rough sketches to a virtual 3-D model. AMOI and HWL take advantage of the time difference, working on...
01.01.09 -
Prototyping
After the sketch-overlay and technical-design phases, AMOI provides a 3-D model. In the nine months that follow, the shape is subject to intensive prototyping before delivery to the factory line. ...
01.01.09 -
Finishing
When finishes are chosen and every-one has signed off, the factory line begins to churn. “We do a short production run of about 500 phones,” says Johnstone, “and use them heavily to gather feedback...
01.01.09 -
Dumpster Diving
The first step in the Scrapile process is to acquire raw materials. Salgado and Bettencourt are beggars, not choosers: Any wood—from cherry to walnut—will do. With help from a local...
01.01.09 -
Building a Block
With raw material in hand, they painstakingly assemble their scraps into a solid, ten-foot-long block that is eight inches square. To achieve the striated pattern of cascading bands that is...
01.01.09 -
A Design Emerges
All of Scrapile’s sharp modern forms come from the solid block of wood. The pieces have evolved from basic, boxy shapes to more complex lines as Salgado, who does most of the design, has...
01.01.09 -
Putting It Together
With a design in place, the block is trimmed down to size, planed, sanded, and edge-cleaned. Planks are cut with precision, to ensure the waterfall pattern aligns exactly, and pieces are glued and...
01.01.09 -
Slicing
The design files are sent to EOS GmbH, a Munich-based factory with six different types of laser-sintering machines. Before they begin, a slicing software divides the Trabecula into some 6,000 cross...
01.01.09 -
Sintering
“Sintering” is not an everyday word for most people—it means using laser energy to melt and fuse particles. It’s traditionally applied to metal, but nowadays it works very well on certain varieties...
01.01.09 -
Unpacking
When the bucket has cooled, it’s time to assemble the pieces. Ahmadou Kaloga, an EOS applications support technician, usually does the unpacking. “It’s like an archeological dig,” says Kyttänen. “A...
01.01.09 -
01 Woodblocks
Woods’s prints begin as marker drawings on acetate. “We have a set of patterns that have been reduced from wood grain,” he says, “and we use them as a library, and change them around. So it really...
01.01.09 -
03 Prints
Before the furniture is assembled, each piece is painted jet-black and printed with the CNC-cut MDF woodblocks, which Wrong calls “crude but very effective.” Enamel paint in various shades is...
01.01.09 -
04 Groove
Once the pieces are assembled, their stepped miter joints are glued together and clamped to dry. Wrong routs a three-millimeter perpendicular groove along every 90-degree corner of each piece. The...
01.01.09 -
Structural Steel
The first workstation sits just outside the factory’s rear entrance, where deliveries of recycled steel are deposited.
01.01.09 -
Rough Frame Construction
In the third stage of rough frame construction, after painting and prepping, structural insulated panels (SIPs) are dropped in from above and attached to grooves set within the basic frames in...
01.01.09 -
Finish Construction
Finish surfacing comes next—windows, drywall, cabinetry, ornamental metalwork, tiling, appliances, and fixtures are put into place.
01.01.09 -
Homesite Delivery
After completion at the factory, each home is shrink-wrapped and loaded onto a truck for direct site delivery.
01.01.09 -
Mademoiselle Pillow
Looolo—When we think about products and their life cycles, textiles aren’t the first things that come to mind. But what went into your shirt?
written by: Virginia Gardinerphotos by: Jane Heller01.01.09
