Japanese Bentwood | Molding Technology Precise to the Millimeter

A forming process in a Japanese factory: thin wood veneers are coated with glue, stacked layer by layer, and placed into a bidirectional metal mold for simultaneous high-frequency heating and hydraulic pressing. This allows for the creation of double-curved surfaces that cannot be achieved with European steam-bent wood. The image shows a batch of seat shells just demolded, with complex double curves and each piece perfectly identical, edges still untrimmed. Adjacent shelves display subsequent workstations for trimming, sanding, and painting. The factory is bright and clean, with marked pathways on the floor and neatly arranged tools. The wood is Japanese beech or zelkova. Natural top lighting. Avoid: using unidirectional steam-bent wood instead, finished product having single-direction curves, depicting a messy factory, omitting molding and heating equipment.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一間日本工廠的成型製程:薄的木單板塗膠後層層疊起,放進雙向的金屬模具以高頻加熱與液壓同時成型,因此可以做出歐洲蒸氣彎木做不到的雙曲面。畫面呈現剛脫模的一批座殼,曲面複雜且每一件完全一致,邊緣還未修整。旁邊架上是修邊、砂磨與上漆的後續工站。工廠明亮整潔,地面畫著動線,工具排列整齊。木材是日本的山毛櫸或櫸木。自然的頂光。避免:改用單向的蒸氣彎木、成品曲面單一方向、工廠畫得雜亂、省略模具與加熱的設備。