Forust, a new company of Desktop Metal’s, has released a first-of-its-kind 3D printing system that upcycles wood waste from the approximately 15 billion trees cut down each year and repurpose it into new parts and goods. The waste product from manufacturing leaves up to 50% in unusable cellulose dust and lignin waste that has long been a residual byproduct of traditional subtractive practices. There is now a sustainable processing ecosystem that allows designers and manufacturers to not only divert the waste from our landfills and waterways, but also upcycle the wood waste into architectural elements, consumer & home goods, furniture, and more.
Forust came to us at Fuseproject to design the very first exclusive collection of home goods, made of wood waste that’s been re-materialized using their high-speed 3D printing process.
The challenge for us was to create a set of home objects that showcases the capabilities of the 3D printing technique.
We explored different forms that can not be made with wood, using traditional fabrication methods.
The set of home goods includes four beautiful artifacts: a vessel, bowl, basket, and tray.
Vine’s simple and pure forms embody the core capabilities of Forust’s printing systems in its ability to create elegant, one-of-a-kind products. The collection adds a naturalistic feel to any home and perfect for storing those easy-to-misplace items. Each can be presented on its own or layered with other pieces on a console, coffee table, or entryway table, with or without botanicals or other items. The multi-functional shapes and sizes make the Vine collection easy to pair with other home decor.
In exploring the unique capabilities of the technology, fuseproject arrived at designing each piece from a singular extrusion point that twists up into a simple, repeating pattern to create its shape. The collection is printed with cylindrical rods of the same diameter and requires no additional connecting pieces or adhesives. The wood material twists and convexes, expanding to create curvature and leaving intentional space between each rod.
Vine’s curving, organic form juxtaposes against its dense but lightweight wood and bioresin composition that exhibits the same functionality and structural durability as conventional wood. The sawdust, bounded by the bioresin, presents itself with the familiarity and warmth of wood but honors the otherwise wastestream-bound byproduct by giving it new life.