The Pollinator Kit is a direct-to-designer kit that allows producers to experiment with algae-based materials designed to replace traditional polyurethane resin – a fossil fuel-derived product found in many household items.

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Before the release of the kits, Checkerspot launched a brand called WNDR Alpine that creates skis from a similar algae-based process.

Other novel uses for algae include the limestone composites created from the material by researchers at the University of Colorado.

The company will be adding eight injection molding machines ranging from 550 to 2400 tons, which will allow for the addition of 55 tools and 90 different part numbers to its existing database. The plant in Mexico specializes in thermoplastic injection molding of components and assemblies; capabilities include two-shot urethane foam sealing and multi-cavity tooling.

"By 3D printing a mold and then casting it in urethane we can see the part, test its durability and function and make any adjustments in the design before sending a part out for vacuum casting or injection molding," said Pailes-Friedman.

California materials company Checkerspot has launched a casting kit named Pollinator Kit that allows designers to experiment with making components from algae-based plastics.

"Manufacturers of raw materials can often overlook these small but powerful groups, opting instead to bring their materials to market via well-known consumer brands."

Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, founder of Interwoven Design Group, told Dezeen that her studio has experimented with using the product for prototypes.

Axiom Group announced this week that it plans to build a second 80,000-square-foot facility at its Mexico plant, doubling capacity and creating room for several additional injection molding machines and tooling.

Based in Aurora, ON, the contract engineering and manufacturing services provider to the automotive industry said the $12-million expansion will create capacity for the existing plant to focus on manufacturing, while the second building will provide much-needed warehouse space for shipments of finished goods and raw materials. In addition to doubling manufacturing space at its Mexico plant, the reorganization of manufacturing and storage space will also allow for a projected doubling of revenue in 2024, said Axiom.

"This approach marries the efficiency of a highly productive, fast-growing, photosynthetic plant (sugarcane) with the efficiency of a highly productive, fast-growing, oil-producing microbe to make a very precise type of oil," said Checkerspot.

"The upshot is a lower land footprint, a far lower water footprint, and a low carbon use relative to other ways of making oil."

Using biotechnology, Checkerspot has been able to create a production method that harvests the oil from algae to create "renewable building blocks" for use in product design.

It can be used for making small and medium-sized products from jewellery and phone cases to surfboards and furniture and includes resin, a mixer as well as a choice of pigment, which is also made from algae.

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Other designers working on testing the material and process include Waves Not Plastic, a non-profit organization in California.

After mixing the two components users must cast the material within 15 minutes and the tack time is approximately eight hours.

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"Historically, product designers, hobbyists, and artists have been limited by the materials available to them from commodity-based suppliers," said Checkerspot founder Charles Dimmler

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Microalgal oil is obtained from large industrial facilities, many of which are located in southern Brazil, where after mass fermentation, algae is mixed with sugars and then water is subtracted to produce the oil.

"Access to the Pollinator Kit has provided our team at Waves Not Plastic with bio-based materials that have a beginning of life cycle consistent with our mission to reduce the world's reliance on petrochemicals," said founder Jeff Lenore.

According to the company, the material has a biomaterial content of 56 per cent and can be used in the same moulds used in fossil-based products. The rest of the mixture is made from fossil-derived isocyanate.

"This strategy pigeonholes renewables, limits the scope of how they can be used and consequently narrows the impact they can have."

News from Dezeen Events Guide, a listings guide covering the leading design-related events taking place around the world. Plus occasional updates and invitations to Dezeen events.

Sent every Thursday and containing a selection of the most important news highlights. Plus occasional updates on Dezeen’s services and invitations to Dezeen events.

Sent every Thursday and containing a selection of the most important news highlights. Plus occasional updates on Dezeen’s services and invitations to Dezeen events.

Checkerspot said that the kits were designed both for designers already using polyurethanes at scale as well as novices who want to begin working with resins.

The $12-million expansion includes investment in eight new injection molding machines ranging in size from 550 to 2400 tons.

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