Wool Felt and Felted Synthetic Materials: A Solution for Product Design Challenges
Materials are the heart of the product and are usually the starting point of many of my designs. Some of my products are by-products of the creative exploration of a new material. Materials are the bread and butter of any designer and significantly influence the products style and ethos. Wool Felt and Felted Synthetic Materials
Felt in its many forms can be your best solution for product design challenges.
Wool felt is one of the world's oldest man-made fabrics because it does not require weaving. Instead, it interlocks to form a continuous useful material. Through a process of manipulating, hammering, and steaming, scales on the wool felt fibers engage each other to form a lasting, resilient bond. The natural fibers in wool felt cannot be duplicated in the laboratory. Each wool felt fiber has a flexible microscopic covering of scales similar to the scales on a fish. Wool felt scales are made of keratin, the same tough substance that grows to form horns and hooves on cattle and other animals. Wool felt is amazingly durable * It resists aging. * It remains dimensionally stable for decades. * It functions normally in temperatures ranging from -60°F to 180°F. Even up to 250°F, if allowed to regain its natural moisture periodically. * It is inert to most hydrocarbons as well as most other chemicals. It even resists acids. However, wool fibers can be damaged by alkaline substances. * It does not ignite easily and usually extinguishes itself unless exposed to constant temperatures above its ignition point. * It holds its strength and resilient properties. Wool felt can be stressed to just under its elastic point repeatedly for years and still snap back to its natural shape. Piano hammers are a good example of this characteristic. * Felt can be machined. It can be cut, ground and formed like metal in appropriate densities. * It can be die-cut into intricate, high-precision shapes. * It can be heat formed. * It can be bonded to
Felt in its many forms can be your best solution for product design challenges.
Wool felt is one of the world's oldest man-made fabrics because it does not require weaving. Instead, it interlocks to form a continuous useful material. Through a process of manipulating, hammering, and steaming, scales on the wool felt fibers engage each other to form a lasting, resilient bond. The natural fibers in wool felt cannot be duplicated in the laboratory. Each wool felt fiber has a flexible microscopic covering of scales similar to the scales on a fish. Wool felt scales are made of keratin, the same tough substance that grows to form horns and hooves on cattle and other animals. Wool felt is amazingly durable * It resists aging. * It remains dimensionally stable for decades. * It functions normally in temperatures ranging from -60°F to 180°F. Even up to 250°F, if allowed to regain its natural moisture periodically. * It is inert to most hydrocarbons as well as most other chemicals. It even resists acids. However, wool fibers can be damaged by alkaline substances. * It does not ignite easily and usually extinguishes itself unless exposed to constant temperatures above its ignition point. * It holds its strength and resilient properties. Wool felt can be stressed to just under its elastic point repeatedly for years and still snap back to its natural shape. Piano hammers are a good example of this characteristic. * Felt can be machined. It can be cut, ground and formed like metal in appropriate densities. * It can be die-cut into intricate, high-precision shapes. * It can be heat formed. * It can be bonded to