Showroom: Recapito Milanese
Address: via Savona 11, Milano
Exhibition from 9 to 14 april, hours 10 - 21
Inauguration:
wednesday 9 april, hours 18:00
Project: gabriele-pezzini
Designers: Fabio
Bortolani, Antonio Cos, Donata Paruccini, Gabriele Pezzini
Realization: ISRIM - Superior Institute of Research and Training on
Advanced Materials and Technologies
In occasion of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano (April 9-14,
2003), DSM Somos (www.dsmsomos.com) will
present the show “The future of manufacturing – 'Made in China' collection”
. Conceived by Gabriele Pezzini (
www.gabriele-pezzini.com), the collection anticipates a future of familiar
everyday objects, re-elaborated in unusual, ambiguous forms.
What will the design objects of the next millennium resemble? Will they be
structurally conditioned by new manufacturing technologies, or influenced
above all by social and cultural change?
‘Made in China’ is a symbol of global production, of cultural mixes that mould
our society. In this arena of mass production, one category of objects, which
could be defined as pseudo-functional, deserves special attention. Icons of
contemporary kitsch are often the result of not easily recognizable
technological innovations, astute design and manufacturing systems.
These objects, through the expression of an original blend of values, needs
and research, provide inspiration in new design possibilities by questioning,
often involuntarily, the identity of everyday items and their functions.
The objects of design also belong, in their aesthetic and structural quality,
to an open society representing a theatre for the performance of world
cultures. In the ‘Made in China’ collection, common instruments and accessories are
re-conceptualized to produce unusual forms and experiment innovative
technologies.
The exhibition aims at breaking down perceptions, and reveals that the
limitations in design are not only those set by our imagination, but also
those imposed by conventional, well-established methods of manufacturing.
Visitors to the exhibition will view a series of objects reflecting the
evolved systems and materials of manufacturing for the future. Where they will
expect to see conventional materials such as glass and plastic, instead they
will see Somos WaterShed™, an innovative material used in harmony with the
unique forms of the objects on display. Somos WaterShed™ has been used to
impart upon the objects the appearance of clear or etched glass, according to
the finish used. It also allowed the designers to realize each project in an
extremely brief time (less than one day). Pre-chosen for its ties to the world
of high technology, the resin WaterShed™ is a new stereolithography material
destined for the world of rapid prototyping, used here in this context to
produce the final product.
Stereolithography, along with other additive layer technologies little known
among designers and artists, has been widely used for decades in the world of
industrial design for rapid prototyping and new project development. The term
“additive layer technologies” refers to the fact that the prototype is built
layer upon layer, using information produced by a computer-aided design (CAD)
program. The ‘Made in China’ series offers an example of how the use of
high-tech materials can affect the world of production and design. The
constraints imposed by mass production are lifted, along with the need to
produce moulds and use complicated transportation systems of goods. The
collection opens a window onto the creative possibilities of a near future,
without neglecting the identity of everyday objects and their functions,
qualities well embedded and defined in contemporary society.
Similar to transparent or etched glass in appearance, ProtoFunctional
WaterShed™ by DSM Somos is a photosensitive liquid resin for stereolithography
which is polymerized (solidified) under UV light. It is a rigid, resistant
resin which maintains its properties under a vast range of environmental
conditions. Many of the physical properties of WaterShed™ are like those of
polybutene terephthalate (PBT) and clear acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
(ABS), two plastics commonly used in production. These properties, in
combination with its excellent resistance to humidity, make WaterShed™ ideal
for numerous prototyping applications in the automotive, electronic, medical,
industrial and consumer goods industries.
The elaboration of the computer data and the production of the collection was
performed by ISRIM (Istituto superiore di ricerca e formazione sui materiali
speciali per tecnologie avanzate – Superior Institute of Research and Training
on Advanced Materials and Technologies,
www.isrim.it, Terni, Italy), the first Italian company to use the resin
ProtoFunctional WaterShed™ and a leader in the field of applied research.
ISRIM understood how to demonstrate the added value of WaterShed™ and take the
project from the conceptual phase to production, and to the artisan finishing
of the series.
Rapid prototyping (RP) is a relatively young industry. Introduced in the late
’80s, it has cemented its position within the manufacturing community and
established itself as the predecessor to successful design. RP models occupy a
prominent position along the entire new product development chain and
represent an industry in rapid growth and change. Originally used only as
three-dimensional models and visual aids, thanks to the development of
high-performance materials with superior aesthetic qualities,
stereolithography models are now used in functional testing, as well as some
direct tooling applications for injection molding.
ProtoFunctional, a registered trademark of DSM Somos, identifies a line of
materials with superior mechanical and functional properties for the rapid
prototyping industry. Models made of ProtoFunctional materials replicate many
of the functional properties of some of the most common plastics used in
production of consumer goods.
DSM Somos (Delaware, USA), focused on innovative rapid prototyping materials,
is a business unit of DSM Desotech, world leaders in the creation of UV
curable materials. DSM is a highly integrated group of companies with
worldwide interests in life-science products, performance materials and
chemicals. DSM recorded sales of EUR 8.1 billion in 2000 and employs a total
workforce of some 22,000, distributed in more than 200 operations throughout
the world.
For further information on The future of Manufacturing – 'Made in China' collection:
Gabriele Pezzini <contact@gabriele-pezzini.com>
Tel. +39 3484159013
www.gabriele-pezzini.com
Melisa Lasell <Europe@dsmsomos.info>
DSM Somos External Affairs Europe
Fax: +39.06.987.1694
www.dsmsomos.com
For further information on DSM Somos in the United States:
Michelle Wyatt <Americas@dsmsomos.info>
2 Penn's Way, Suite 401
New Castle DE 19720
Tel. +1 302.326.8100
www.dsmsomos.com
For further information on DSM Somos in Europe:
Melisa Lasell Europe@dsmsomos.info
DSM Somos External Affairs Europe
Via della Stazione 7F
00042 Anzio (Roma), Italy
Tel. +39 06.986.5179
Cell. +39 339.526.3828
Fax: +39.06.987.1694
www.dsmsomos.com
For further information on ISRIM:
(Istituto Superiore di Ricerca e Formazione sui Materiali Speciali per Tecnologie Avanzate)
Ing. Paolo Mondini
e-mail <p.mondini@isrim.it>
Tel. +39 0744.547801
Fax. +39 0744.470174
www.isrim.it
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