Hey guys, I'm new here so excuse me if I'm posting this in the wrong sub.
I'm an industrial design student from the Netherlands working on a project in which I'm designing products with a new sustainable and biodegradable material called mycelium. It is a composite of fibers and fungi roots that is comparable to MDF except it has a lower density (I like to call it LDF). You can view it as a low-density MDF material that replaces the epoxy with fungi to hold the fibers together.
It has some interesting material properties that make me wonder if it's suitable for building speaker cases. It has naturally sound-absorbing properties (This might be a downside as well) and it is great at dampening vibrations, reducing problems with resonance in the case. It can also be grown in a mold, allowing you to make more complex shapes that might be interesting for base ports and the design in general.
I am no audiophile however, I am interested in a subject. Do you guys think this might be a relevant use case? What are the pitfalls? Should I approach a speaker manufacturer, and so can you recommend any in the Netherlands?
Thanks! Yvo
Edit: I am currently looking into transmission line speakers since it seems like making one from mycelium might be advantageous from a production point of view. Currently, transmission line speakers have to be CNCed which is an expensive process. Using mycelium grown in a mold might be a good solution. What are your thoughts on transmission line speakers? It seems like an outdated idea, what are the advantages/disadvantages?
I'm an industrial design student from the Netherlands working on a project in which I'm designing products with a new sustainable and biodegradable material called mycelium. It is a composite of fibers and fungi roots that is comparable to MDF except it has a lower density (I like to call it LDF). You can view it as a low-density MDF material that replaces the epoxy with fungi to hold the fibers together.
It has some interesting material properties that make me wonder if it's suitable for building speaker cases. It has naturally sound-absorbing properties (This might be a downside as well) and it is great at dampening vibrations, reducing problems with resonance in the case. It can also be grown in a mold, allowing you to make more complex shapes that might be interesting for base ports and the design in general.
I am no audiophile however, I am interested in a subject. Do you guys think this might be a relevant use case? What are the pitfalls? Should I approach a speaker manufacturer, and so can you recommend any in the Netherlands?
Thanks! Yvo
Edit: I am currently looking into transmission line speakers since it seems like making one from mycelium might be advantageous from a production point of view. Currently, transmission line speakers have to be CNCed which is an expensive process. Using mycelium grown in a mold might be a good solution. What are your thoughts on transmission line speakers? It seems like an outdated idea, what are the advantages/disadvantages?
Last edited:
I imagine that the mold idea is the most compelling. High end speakers like the Genelec ones are very good, and a big part is the strong cast aluminium shape which allows a complex design thats also highly damped.
Hahah creative idea! However, the fungi dies in the production process. After the product has taken over the shape of the mold it is baked in an oven which evaporates the water and kills the fungi.
Is that the same stuff that these people make coffins of? The step to a monkey coffin is small...
Anyway, the material looks interesting at first glance. What is a typical manufacturing process you look at?
Anyway, the material looks interesting at first glance. What is a typical manufacturing process you look at?
Last edited:
Yes, that's mycelium. Seems like a rough finish, but you get the idea.
For the production process, you start by chipping the fibers (for example wood or hemp) into smaller pieces, roughly 2mm. After which you cook the raw fibers to disinfect them, this also weakens the cell walls, which makes it easier for the fungi to digest. After this, the mycelium is mixed through the raw fibers. After a few days, the mycelium has grown through the entire mix. At this point, the mix is put into a mold which allows you to get it into any shape you wish. After another few days, the material has copied the shape of the mold and can be extracted. Finally, the product is baked in an oven which kills the fungi and removes the water inside.
If you're interested this is a good series that shows the process.
How to Grow Mycelium Material: Step 1 - YouTube
For the production process, you start by chipping the fibers (for example wood or hemp) into smaller pieces, roughly 2mm. After which you cook the raw fibers to disinfect them, this also weakens the cell walls, which makes it easier for the fungi to digest. After this, the mycelium is mixed through the raw fibers. After a few days, the mycelium has grown through the entire mix. At this point, the mix is put into a mold which allows you to get it into any shape you wish. After another few days, the material has copied the shape of the mold and can be extracted. Finally, the product is baked in an oven which kills the fungi and removes the water inside.
If you're interested this is a good series that shows the process.
How to Grow Mycelium Material: Step 1 - YouTube
How does the hardness compare to MDF or plywood?
Do you have data on screw thread pull out strength? compared to MDF or plywood?
Do you have data on screw thread pull out strength? compared to MDF or plywood?
Are there any practical limits to how thick or thin the material can be made? And is there a way to bond parts like with glue or with some extra mycelium?
I am thinking in the line of making a mold for sphere segments, and then assembling a sphere from them. A reusable mold for a sphere segment is easy to make, but for a hollow sphere it is next to impossible.
Another thing to think of: internal damping. A loose felt-like material consisting of long fibers would work well.
I am thinking in the line of making a mold for sphere segments, and then assembling a sphere from them. A reusable mold for a sphere segment is easy to make, but for a hollow sphere it is next to impossible.
Another thing to think of: internal damping. A loose felt-like material consisting of long fibers would work well.