Can I get this in blocks? I’d love to mill something out of this material. Sounds like the wood is being rendered to break down its cellulose and then its poured into whatever basic shape is needed. Still sounds neat.
The technology features a new material called “wooden ‘plastic.’” Although composites of wood and plastic have already been developed, EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan will introduce clock gears created with wooden “plastic,” made of 100 percent wood. To make these gears, wood waste and chips are used. These materials are heated at 200°C in a high-temperature steam boiler, to break down the wood fibers. The resulting material is dried and powdered. The powder is then re-heated and pressed into disc-shape. Characteristically, when heated these powders liquefy like paste, and when cooled, they solidify like plastic. Finally, teeth are cut into the edges of the discs, to create gears. There is little difference in strength between gears made of wooden “plastic” and those made of conventional plastic.
Clock gears made of wooden ‘plastic’
