- New cork composite responds to the challenges of 3D moulding technology, and makes it possible to produce complex cork shapes
- The development is guaranteed within the framework of Amorim Cork Composites, in partnership with a team of Swedish specialists with extensive experience in the field
Corticeira Amorim has established a partnership with a group of Swedish companies with extensive experience in the furniture industry and in moulding techniques for wood, thereby enabling the world's leading cork producer to enter a new business area - 3D moulding. The innovation encompasses development of a new cork composite and adaptation of proprietary moulding techniques to enable 3D moulding technology to be used to process cork industrially for the first time ever.
According to Carlos de Jesus, Corticeira Amorim’s Marketing and Communications Director, "The launch of a 3D cork moulding area has been made possible due to Corticeira Amorim's constant desire to create new applications that will deliver greater value to the market," adding: "This is yet another innovation produced in the framework of a partnership, that combines our expertise in working with cork with our partners’ vast knowledge of this type of moulding techniques."
For the 3D format – which enables complex cork formats to be produced - Corticeira Amorim was assisted by a multidisciplinary team of designers, engineers and chemists.
Amorim Cork Composites is now able to develop competitive solutions for large-scale projects in the furniture industry, including construction of moulds, technical support in the industrialization of products and the acoustic performance of the solutions.
It should be noted that each 3D shape is a new challenge, and therefore knowledge and mastery of these moulding techniques are of the utmost importance. Simultaneously, the new cork composite provides an effective response to the curvilinear formats that are characteristic of 3D printing.
In this context, and in function of the intended application, cork can be moulded with different materials available in the market, such as wood veneers, organic materials or polyester fibres, all of which benefit from cork’s sensorial and functional attributes.
