A new 3D-printed eyewear collection is made available to consumers by Austrian manufacturer Rolf. The company used a combination of water and powdered castor beans in order to complete the designs and in this light—the glasses are definitely not your normal pair. Due to the innovation behind this manufacturing process, Rolf's capsule has been shortlisted in the product design category of Dezeen Awards 2020.
The 3D-printed eyewear collection is titled 'Substance.' Because the peel of castor beans is toxic, the manufacturer needed to remove it before grounding the remaining ingredient into a powder. The plant is naturally fast-growing in tropical climates and it doesn't compete with food crops. As a result, the castor bean was the perfect sustainable ingredient for the 3D-printed eyewear collection.
Image Credit: Rolf
What's Driving This Trend
- Sustainable 3D Printing
- The use of powdered castor beans for 3D-printed eyewear offers an opportunity for sustainable manufacturing.
- Eco-friendly Fashion Accessories
- The 'Substance' eyewear collection offers a disruptive innovation opportunity for eco-conscious fashion accessories.
- Toxic-free Manufacturing
- The removal of toxic elements in the production of castor bean-based eyewear offers an opportunity for a non-toxic manufacturing process.
Who This Affects Most
- Eyewear Manufacturing
- The use of powdered castor beans in 3D-printed eyewear presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the eyewear industry.
- Fashion Industry
- The 'Substance' eyewear collection presents a potential innovation opportunity for eco-friendly and sustainable fashion accessories.
- Manufacturing Industry
- The non-toxic manufacturing process of castor bean-based products presents a potential disruptive innovation opportunity in the manufacturing industry.
