Periodic Reporting for period 3 - TEEWood (Technologically Enhanced European Wood for Substituting Endangered Tropical Woods)
Período documentado: 2020-08-01 hasta 2021-07-31
Tropical woods are highly esteemed for making musical instruments, owed to their excellent acoustic properties, high hardness, resistance to moisture and their distinct colour. Furthermore, these wood species are also highly esteemed for use in various other application fields such as sports equipment, tools and jewellery. However, the tropical woods suffer from drastic overexploitation, which is why some species are already critically endangered. The unhindered overexploitation has countless ecological, economic, political, social and cultural ramifications.
In order to counteract the extinction of tropical forest and to preserve botanical biodiversity, more than 180 countries have strengthened their efforts to fight the illegal logging and trade of endangered tropical wood species by signing the multilateral treaty of CITES. Consequently, trade of and travelling with accordant musical instruments and sports equipment are strictly controlled and prosecuted in the absence of a legality proof.
The increasing scarcity and decreasing quality of the natural raw material and unavailability of an adequate alternative material has generated a promising business case for novel wood-based materials.
At Swiss Wood Solutions AG (SWS), we have developed a technology augmented wood material made of European wood species from certified sustainable forests. The first product, termed Sonowood (TM), features similar or even better physical properties than the natural tropical woods. In addition to Sonowood (TM), SWS has developed the solid wood products Bijouwood(TM) and Budowood (TM) for application fields beyond the musical instrument industry. In close cooperation with entrusted European musical instrument manufacturers, Sonowood (TM) has been developed for the use in stringed instruments and guitars. Up to today, more than 1’000 instruments containing Sonowood have been sold or re-equipped.
The objective of the TEEWood project is to upscale the validated production process of Sonowood (TM) in terms of product dimensions (size) as well as overall capacity such that all orders from musical instrument manufacturers from around the globe can be matched. Simultaneously, SWS prepares the market launch of Bijouwood (TM) and Budowood (TM).
In order to counteract the extinction of tropical forest and to preserve botanical biodiversity, more than 180 countries have strengthened their efforts to fight the illegal logging and trade of endangered tropical wood species by signing the multilateral treaty of CITES. Consequently, trade of and travelling with accordant musical instruments and sports equipment are strictly controlled and prosecuted in the absence of a legality proof.
The increasing scarcity and decreasing quality of the natural raw material and unavailability of an adequate alternative material has generated a promising business case for novel wood-based materials.
At Swiss Wood Solutions AG (SWS), we have developed a technology augmented wood material made of European wood species from certified sustainable forests. The first product, termed Sonowood (TM), features similar or even better physical properties than the natural tropical woods. In addition to Sonowood (TM), SWS has developed the solid wood products Bijouwood(TM) and Budowood (TM) for application fields beyond the musical instrument industry. In close cooperation with entrusted European musical instrument manufacturers, Sonowood (TM) has been developed for the use in stringed instruments and guitars. Up to today, more than 1’000 instruments containing Sonowood have been sold or re-equipped.
The objective of the TEEWood project is to upscale the validated production process of Sonowood (TM) in terms of product dimensions (size) as well as overall capacity such that all orders from musical instrument manufacturers from around the globe can be matched. Simultaneously, SWS prepares the market launch of Bijouwood (TM) and Budowood (TM).
The technical efforts focused on the optimisation of the process parameters for upscaling. This includes the determination of optimum impregnation parameters (impregnation time, cycles, pressure), climatisation parameters (temperature, relative humidity, time) and densification parameters (temperature, pressure, time, specimen dimensions). Furthermore, the wood has been validated for different application areas by executing internal quality tests in terms of density, Brinell hardness, sound-propagation velocity, sound damping and frequency characteristics and dimensional stability. The validation further included material performance tests at external partners in terms of workability, sound quality and aesthetical appearance.
Close business partnerships with numerous musical instrument manufacturers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Sweden and the United States have been established. These manufacturers now serve as official Sonowood (TM) distributors in their respective business areas.
In the music instrument field, the latest development and marketing efforts focused on the promotion of a new material, Sonowood Black. This material represents a true sustainable alternative to Ebony (in terms of performance and aesthetics). Demand from instrument makers is high, both from our core market (string instruments) but also from untapped markets, such as piano keys. The new material also entered our Bijouwood portfolio (as Bijouwood Black) and proved to be highly appreciated, generating interest from luxury brands. Old partnerships were relaunched, and new ones were initiated recently.
Close business partnerships with numerous musical instrument manufacturers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Sweden and the United States have been established. These manufacturers now serve as official Sonowood (TM) distributors in their respective business areas.
In the music instrument field, the latest development and marketing efforts focused on the promotion of a new material, Sonowood Black. This material represents a true sustainable alternative to Ebony (in terms of performance and aesthetics). Demand from instrument makers is high, both from our core market (string instruments) but also from untapped markets, such as piano keys. The new material also entered our Bijouwood portfolio (as Bijouwood Black) and proved to be highly appreciated, generating interest from luxury brands. Old partnerships were relaunched, and new ones were initiated recently.
The TEEWood project allowed SWS to specify parameters for the upscale process of Sonowood (TM), Bijouwood (TM) and Budowood (TM) with regard to the multi-step process including chemical modification, climatisation and hygrothermal densification. With the respective wooden products obtained from the optimised production, SWS was able to enter the markets of larger stringed musical instruments, guitars, jewellery, watches, cameras, further high-precision lifestyle applications as well as sports equipment. The exploration of new fields is ongoing, with partners in the construction sector, and the hospitality sector.
The TEEWood project had impacts in various aspects. Cultural heritage-wise, it provides the traditional instrument manufacturing with a competitive material, which is free from any legal restrictions. Similarly, it provides a greatly increased customer value since it facilitates the proof of legality for manufacturers and individual musicians and other end customers.
By expanding the product range to new or existing applications for the domestic wood species (which were not feasible for these woods, owed to their inferior performance), the local (European) wood-based industries can be supported, by enabling additional use of their raw material. Together with wood-processing companies, novel projects and products with beneficial impacts are projected. Economically, new jobs could be created, and existing ones saved or differentiated by helping solve the raw material scarcity or providing a completely new wood-based material such as the Sonowood. Environmentally, the development of Sonowood is projected to help save tropical forests and botanical biodiversity, to enhance sustainable forestry and to counteract secondary consequences such as global climate change.
Furthermore, the TEEWood project will enable domestic European wood species to enter application fields, which were not feasible yet owed to inferior mechanical and physical properties of these wood species in comparison to the noble tropical wood species. By technologically enhancing the European wood species, a substantial progress beyond the current state of the art for these wood species is expected.
In terms of progress beyond the state of the art, the application of the innovative technology to wooden veneers (Sensoveneer (TM)) enables the substitution of plastic products from everyday life in various industries such as the mobility (car interiors) and card payment (and non-payment) sector (chip cards, e.g. credit cards, access cards).
Overall, our solid wood material is also gradually gaining attention as a credible alternative to various materials in high-end applications. We have demands from partners to replace plastics, metals, or even stone.
The TEEWood project had impacts in various aspects. Cultural heritage-wise, it provides the traditional instrument manufacturing with a competitive material, which is free from any legal restrictions. Similarly, it provides a greatly increased customer value since it facilitates the proof of legality for manufacturers and individual musicians and other end customers.
By expanding the product range to new or existing applications for the domestic wood species (which were not feasible for these woods, owed to their inferior performance), the local (European) wood-based industries can be supported, by enabling additional use of their raw material. Together with wood-processing companies, novel projects and products with beneficial impacts are projected. Economically, new jobs could be created, and existing ones saved or differentiated by helping solve the raw material scarcity or providing a completely new wood-based material such as the Sonowood. Environmentally, the development of Sonowood is projected to help save tropical forests and botanical biodiversity, to enhance sustainable forestry and to counteract secondary consequences such as global climate change.
Furthermore, the TEEWood project will enable domestic European wood species to enter application fields, which were not feasible yet owed to inferior mechanical and physical properties of these wood species in comparison to the noble tropical wood species. By technologically enhancing the European wood species, a substantial progress beyond the current state of the art for these wood species is expected.
In terms of progress beyond the state of the art, the application of the innovative technology to wooden veneers (Sensoveneer (TM)) enables the substitution of plastic products from everyday life in various industries such as the mobility (car interiors) and card payment (and non-payment) sector (chip cards, e.g. credit cards, access cards).
Overall, our solid wood material is also gradually gaining attention as a credible alternative to various materials in high-end applications. We have demands from partners to replace plastics, metals, or even stone.