Material ConneXion

Material ConneXion was founded to provide innovative materials to specifiers across many diverse industries, from automotive to apparel. This library, with several thousand samples, has become a forum from which to launch new materials and accelerate new business opportunities. . . . . "

"It is up to everyone to create a better environment by choosing the right materials for the right product."

(Michele Caniato)

INTRODUCTION:
"The refinement and transformation of raw materials are essential signs of civilization. The earliest tools were derived from materials that were found, developed and fine-tuned over time. Flint, for example, was found to be useful in order to improve the quality of human life by both making the ignition of fire comparatively easy and making the act of cutting possible. Materials --how they were formed and shaped, what was made of and with them --have been one of the essential constants throughout human history . . . . "

"Of course ideas are always changing, and innovations continualy transform our lives and cultures. In the West today therre are a very few people who are able to make their living just from working with wire. The same thing is true of basket-weaving: though still prevalent in craft circles, the idea of a basket repairperson has disappeared. In fact numerous materials=based professions simsply vanished in the last century. Raw materials and the ways they are processed formed the core of many of those lost (but not forgotten) modes of employment.

Such transformations are ongoing and can be seen in the continuing changes to the world's economy and the evolution of its labor force. China, awakening from strict Communism, has become one of the largest consumer-goods suppliers in the world. While this massive source of labor supplies products at competitive prices, the United States has retained its leading position in the area of high technology. Even if China is building up its own technological resources, the power of American spending on research and development is vastly greater.

For many years I have been observing the flow of interest in, and experimentation on, materials by design professionals and artists. Although not always knowledgeable about the world of science, artists are the most prone to experimenting with new materials and forms, seeking new media to achieve their creative goals. Some are obsessed for extended periods of time, like Picasso with his ceramics and pottery. Others are more aggressive in the sue of materials for their 'inventions'.

Let us probe the works of various creative people who have used materials intelligentlyk, provocatively and innovatively. . . . . Some of these inventions are best analyzed as the wonders of the time in which we live. . . . . "

"Whether it's economic or cultural pressures, or the professions that produce the talent of innovation and the innovators themselves, one needs to observe how things evolve. My own observations have led me to think that artists are usually the first ones to delve into material experimentation. . . . . "

"Industrial designers have the challenge to meet clients' rigorous needs. It's about performance, originality, price and quality al integrated into one hard-core assignment. . . . . "

"The process of selection is not exhaustive. There are thousands of new materials produced each year, and to catalogue them all would diminish the selections that are made. Most are chosen with an eye to their intended audience, which includes: artists; fashion designers; interior, product and graphic designers; sneaker, automotive and cosmetics-packaging designers; and architects. . . . "

(George M. Beylerian)

CONTENTS:

Carbon-Based - Graphite Intumescent, Intumescent Woven Carbon Fibers

Cement - Fiber-Reinforced Cement

Ceramics - Clay-Based Ceramics, High-Performance Ceramic Fibers (Foams, Piezoceramics), Stone Ceramics, Surface Treatments

Glass - Architectural Glass, Glass Fiber, Miscellaneous Glass

Metals - Coatings, Fibers + Textiles + Mesh, Flooring + Grating (Foams), Sheet Materials, Sheet / Wires, Laminates, Laminates + Magnets, Sheet Materials, Sheet Wires

Naturals - Bamboo, Fibers, Honeycomb Materials, Laminates, Leather, Paper, Pigments + Natural Fibers, Plywood, Recycled, Resin + Stone, Woven Textiles, Wall Materials

Polymers - Acoustic + Vibration Materials + Coated Textiles, Composite Reinforced Textiles, Conductive Materials, Corrugated + Honeycomb Materials, Fastening Materials, Fiber-Reinforced Composites, Fibers, Film, Flame-Retardant Textiles, Flooring, Foams, Gels, Gels + High-Performance Textiles, Laminated Textiles, Mesh, Mesh + Nonwovens, Papers + Laminates, Pigments + Paints, Recycled, Resin, Surface Treatments, Thermal Insulating Materials, Woven Textiles