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Ch.36 拆招CMF設計談材料研發非一日千里 —— 保特紗®
CMF is a specific discipline within industrial design that focuses on the development of a product’s color, material, and finish. Unwrap CMF shares bite-sized stories of CMF Design to inform and inspire those interested in this niche yet fascinating field, with digestible contents for anyone and everyone. Comments and inspirations are welcome!
As a CMF Designer, on an average day, we usually come across various responsibilities such as trend forecasting, design proposals, and trouble-shooting mass-production issues. However, there is another challenging yet fun task, and that is, material development!
In the summer of 2021, I had the honor to visit ECOMAX in Changhua, Taiwan. Their chairman Mark Ko has been committed to the production of PETSPUN® since 1993, marking Ecomax the first company in Taiwan to develop eco-friendly fabrics using recycled PET bottles.
Material development was never a rapid progress. It is a long journey that takes on small but significant steps. Take PETSPUN® as an example. This textile material is made with recycled PET bottles: cleaned, shredded, formed into grains, and then melted and spun into yarns. In the beginning, Ecomax came across limitation of yarn weight – thick yarns and flat gloss. And finally, fine yarns and glimmery finishing could be achieved after years of devoted efforts. Today, after decades of development, PETSPUN® is now capable of a wide variety of yarn weights, gloss level, weaving patterns, and tactility. It has also been applied on products across various industries such as home furnishing, consumer electronics, automobile seating, suitcases and luggages, medical supplies and more.
Material limitation is just one small piece of the puzzle in material development. The most challenging piece in material development lies on the effort in building supply chains and raising consumer awareness. For PETSPUN®, the recycling of PET bottle is just the first step and it wasn’t easy at all. It represents the years of hard work behind the recycling industry and the popularization of consumer awareness. A working supply chain requires top to bottom collaborations. If any piece is missing from the chain, there wouldn’t be a steady supply of used PET bottles, manufacturers who reuse and recycle the bottles, or brands who are willing to pay a higher cost for eco-friendly materials. Only when a supply chain ecosystem is completed, we can slowly mature the manufacturing process to improve production efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and optimize cost.
Material development is like a journey that travels thousands of miles – for anyone wishing to move forward, it requires patience and foresight. Today, after three decades of overcoming difficulties, PETSPUN®, this material originated from a city in southern Taiwan, is now brought to racks and display windows and leaving global footprints all over the world.
Continue reading:
Ch20. Unwrapping CMF Design on Sustainable Material Library
Ch23. Unwrapping CMF Design on From Eco-Friendliness to Sustainability
CMF為Color Material and Finishing，屬於工業設計旗下專注於產品色彩、材質、及表面處理工藝的關鍵一環。Unwrap CMF彩材拆拆圍繞著這個主題，以淺而易懂的小故事拆解CMF設計的日常。歡迎留言分享！
CMF設計師日常面對的除了趨勢預測、設計提案、以及解決量產疑難雜症，還有一項相當有趣又具挑戰的課題，那就是 材料研發 。
在2021年的夏天，有幸參訪位於彰化的 富勝紡織 ，其董事長柯漢哲從1993年開始致力於 保特紗® 的製造生產，是台灣第一家研發環保再生布料的公司。
無論是哪一種新材料的研發都非一日千里，而是一小步、一小步的推進。以保特紗®作為舉例，這個材料源自回收的PET寶特瓶，經過清潔、絞碎、形成酯粒後，再融製抽絲成紗。一開始投入時，紗線的粗細僅能達到一定的限度，像綁粽子的麻繩一樣黯淡無光。在一次又一次的嘗試下，終於可以達到微帶光澤的細膩質感，乃至多彩的染色。直至今日，保特紗®可實現多種粗細、光澤、織法、及手感，並被廣為運用於家居、3C電子、車子座椅、旅行箱、醫療護具等各種行業的產品上。
解決了材料本身的侷限還不夠，材料研發最大的難度在於串通整個生產及供應鏈。對於保特紗®而言，寶特瓶回收僅僅是第一步卻也是最艱難的步驟，它代表的是背後投入於拉通產業鏈和普及消費者意識的多年心血。供應鍊環環相扣，如果沒有上下游的合作廠商，就沒有穩定的廢棄寶特瓶供應及回收製造，也沒有願意為環保買單而採購保特紗®的品牌方。在疏通了供應鏈之後，才能一步步熟練製程，進而提高生產效率、降低耗能、優化成本。
材料研發如行萬里路，若欲前行，必須秉持沈著的氣度和遠見。在披荊斬棘三十載後的今日，這個從彰化起家的材料，已隨著製作而成的百貨商品遍佈在世界各地的陳列架上，代替我們周遊列國！
PET bottle recycling is just the first step, and is already decades of effort in building supply chains and raising consumer awareness.
Polyester pellets and yarns produced by recycled PET bottles.
Started rough in basic colors (left), fine yarns and glimmery finishing were finally achieved after years of devoted efforts.
After decades of development, PETSPUN® is now capable of a wide variety of yarn weights, gloss level, weaving patterns, and tactility.
CMF學無止境，善用CMF關鍵字在網上深入鑽研，歡迎大家留言補充。
Enjoy learning? Use the CMF terminologies mentioned above and continue on with your own research journey on the web. Comments and inspirations are welcome!
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