Olympus Develops 3D Wood Compression Molding

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With natural material becoming ever more in vogue it is interesting to note that the camera manufacturer Olympus has developed a new way to mold natural wood into complex forms via a specialised 3D compression molding process.

Interestingly, the resulting casings not only retain the natural aesthetic beauty of wood, but they also transpire to be much harder wearing than the widely adopted ABS and polycarbonate resin based plastics that are presently used and, as they can be formed into virtually any shape via this process, the possibilities seem endless. Of course, Olympus are obviously primarily looking at digital camera design though the technology could have far wider implications such as wooden music centers and even wooden washing machines.

You can read more about this fascinating development via this link.