FLOCKS: wool roving in three dimensions

A new industrial technique that makes it possible to build with wool in 3D

This project is now archived and was part of DDW23

This project is part of
The Product Chronicles

Roel van Tour voor Cuypershuis

With FLOCKS, Meindertsma gives new value to local wool and develops a new industrial technique that makes it possible to build with wool in 3D. From products to architecture, this creates a completely different experience of the built environment around us.

3D printed wool blocks that can be produced in any desired shape.

With FLOCKS, Meindertsma has developed a groundbreaking new technique for processing Dutch wool, which has been labeled as worthless. As a follow-up to De Zachte Stad, in which she investigated the value of the wool from a Rotterdam herd by testing it with existing techniques, she is developing a new industrial technique with FLOCKS that makes it possible to build three-dimensionally with wool, as a 'print' or in block form. Thanks to a co-robot, the wool is transformed into a strong three-dimensional material, without the use of water or binding agents. It is the first fully three-dimensional wool that can be produced in any desired shape. It gives a new purpose to the 1 million Dutch wool that is thrown away every year, can replace existing polluting materials such as foam rubber, glass wool or rock wool, but is also an aesthetically attractive building block in itself.

Different experience

In addition to 'virgin' wool, recycled wool can also be used in the process. By using a percentage of off-cuts from the Gelderland furniture factory as an additional ingredient, a richly colored palette is created. The unique properties of wool – softness, breathability, warmth, acoustics – create a completely different experience of utensils and the built environment around us through these possible applications. The wool processing cobot, 'wobot', was built in collaboration with TFT Tools for Technology, Doosan, Dormac, Sara Alvarez and Bart Harteloh and the development is supported by Rotterdam Circulair, Stichting Doen and the Incentive Fund. The wool foam made from Kempische heath wool was developed thanks to a contribution from the Dinamo Fund.

Also visit the exhibition at Cuypershuis

From 20 October 2023 to 24 March 2024 the work of Meindertsma is presented in the exhibition 'Under the wool' at the Cuypershuis museum in Roermond. The central theme of the exhibition is awareness of our interaction with our environment. As a visitor you will gain insight into how contemporary technology and reuse can help you with the energy transition and sustainability. FLOCKS is part of the exhibition. On show is both the research phase as the first results made with wool from Roermond. More information: www.cuypershuisroermond.nl