The Eames chair has been a design classic since its creation by Charles and Ray Eames in the 1950s. Initially designed in moulded plywood, the chair’s curvaceous form pushed the boundaries of that material and the technology of the time and ultimately it was manufactured from moulded plastic.
Now, however, thanks to research and development started by an innovative German company bought by hardwood specialist Danzer in 2008, a product has been created that allows the moulding of veneer three dimensionally, without cracking. Both the structure of the wood and the texture of the veneer are unchanged in the process.
The patented 3D-Veneer, which was launched on the UK market in 2013, was developed to enable designers to realise 3D plywood shapes.
“Standard veneer as a standalone 2D-formable material didn’t allow designers to go into the third dimension,” said James Angel, director at Danzer UK Ltd.
“Over many years much time and energy was invested by mouldings manufacturers to create a more three-dimensional profile – concepts such as flexi veneers, the use of chemicals to increase flexibility, increasing the transverse length of the veneer and so on – so you can see there was a great need to stretch the limits of veneer to create a three dimensional material.
“Now, 3D-Veneer gives designers greater opportunity to specify wood over other competing materials.”
The idea, said Mr Angel, is to make the veneer work like a human hand. “Fingers are able to move and bend at the same time to create that cup-like 3D shape.”
The manufacturing process is highly innovative and involves “several challenging steps”, such as applying glue strips to the back face, cutting the individual strips at an extremely low tolerance and high precision final sanding. Once these processes are complete, 3D shapes can be built up using multiple layers of the veneer.
“The result is a material that is easy to use. Manufacturers are able to use their existing machinery and the veneers can be pressed using a standard hydraulic press with specially designed aluminium moulds and, in smaller runs and select specific cases, a vacuum press.”
Danzer has a specialist department focusing on prototypes and bespoke versions can be produced for one-off designs. Danzer also offers in-house development support, whereby it works closely with the customer on specific stages of the design from initial concept, 3D drawings and tooling, to the final production steps.
The 3D-Veneer can be manufactured from any species with grain direction and choice is being driven by market trends. The veneer is available in a standard thickness although special thickness is available on request.
“We are focused on industrial dimensions – for example, the seating industry, which has been waiting many years for this type of product – but special dimensions can be accommodated,” said Mr Angel.
He added that the automotive industry has also been very receptive to the product, which has allowed its designers to really push the boundaries.
A unique selling point of the product is that it can “form follow” in a flat 2D plane, which allows the grain structure to be followed around a curved profile. This characteristic has been employed in many recent concept cars, including those from Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Land Rover. Along with its obvious applications in the panels sector, 3D-Veneer could also be used in conjunction with wall panels and roof systems, said Mr Angel. It can also be used to coat non-wood-based substrates such as metal, carbon fibre and plastic.
“This product opens up opportunities for designers, seating manufacturers, shopfitters, joiners, furniture manufacturers, the marine sector and so on to differentiate themselves from their competition,” said Mr Angel.
“3D-Veneer is a young material that needs to be marketed further to allow new and existing architects, designers and manufacturers to understand the capabilities of the material more and to incorporate it into their creative thought processes when designing new products and profiles. Its potential is very positive.”
