Manufacturing Process
Botanist is committed to environmental sustainability & social awareness and we continually strives to design, engineer and manufacture products that are guided by these principals:
Botanist products ...
... are made in America
... weigh less than other product in the same category
... requiring less raw material than other product in the same category
... use fewer parts and manufacturing processes than other product in the same category
... contain as high a percentage of recycled & recyclable content as possible
... donates a % of all sales to socially responsible charities and foundations
Today Botanist by Orange22 is a proud supporter of the following foundations and charities:
Architecture for Humanity on behalf of Claude Zellweger - One & Co, San Francisco
Cancer Research Foundation on behalf of Kahi Lee - Kahi Lee Lifestyle, Los Angeles
DIFFA on behalf of Joe Ricchio - Ricchio Design, Seal Beach
DIFFA on behalf of Karim Rashid - Karim Rashid, Inc., New York
Green Dot Public Schools on behalf of Brandon Lynne - Teague, Seattle
International Rescue Committee on behalf of Milton Glaser - Milton Glaser, Inc., New York
RIT on behalf of Massimo & Lella Vignelli - Vignelli Associates, New York
Sierra Club on behalf of Margo Chase - Chase Design Group, Los Angeles
Special Olympics on behalf of Dario Antonioni - Orange22 Design Lab, Los Angeles
Surfrider Foundation on behalf of Yves Behar - Fuse Project, San Francisco
Our Manufacturing Process
Check out this cool video on the entire Botanist fabrication process: http://www.whitecanvas.com/whitecanvas/3-orange22
Stage 01: Stamping
Each piece starts as a flat piece of aluminum. The aluminum used is anywhere between 18 and 50% recycled. The sheets are pre-stamped with a hydraulic press into their outer defining forms. The dimensions are engineered to maximize material yield leaving the least amount of scrap possible.
Stage 02: Water-Jet
Then the blanks are water-jet cut with the designers "artwork". Using a highly pressurized stream of water containing fine diamond dust as a cutting blade a computer controlled machine guides the head. The results are magical and this process is very environmentally clean. There are no toxic fumes or high consumption of energy since no heat is produced. There is also virtually zero material wasted.
Stage 03: Forming
Using a computer controlled hydraulic forming press each piece is then bent into the correct shape.
Stage 04: Welding
Then a center cross beam located along the underside is welded in key locations to maximize strength while minimizing weight and material use.
Stage 05: Powder Coating
The units are then powder-coated with a color specified by the designer. Powder coating is a type of dry coating, which is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require asolvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin." The powder may be athermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metals, such as "whiteware", aluminium extrusions, and automobile and motorcycle parts.
There are several advantages of powder coating over conventional liquid coatings:
a. Powder coatings emit zero or near zero volatile organic compounds (VOC).
b. Powder coatings can produce much thicker coatings than conventional liquid coatings without running or sagging.
c. Powder coating overspray can be recycled and thus it is possible to achieve nearly 100% use of the coating.
d. Powder coating production lines produce less hazardous waste than conventional liquid coatings.
e. Capital equipment and operating costs for a powder line are generally less than for conventional liquid lines.
f. Powder coated items generally have fewer appearance differences between horizontally coated surfaces and vertically coated surfaces than liquid coated items.
g. A wide range of specialty effects is easily accomplished which would be impossible to achieve with other coating processes.
Stage 06: Assembly and Packaging
Lastly the feet are secured and then the units are packed in a corrugated box which is partly made from recycled paper and is recyclable.
Stage 07: Shipment
Then our Botanist product is ready to be shipment anywhere in the world. Our manufacturing lead times are 4 weeks or less. Additionally we do not carry any stock all of our product is made to order. This approach occupies less space and reduces product damages due to stock handling.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns about our manufactuing process or simply want to make a suggestion please email or call us.
Thank you - Team Orange22
