Natural Materials include materials such as Glass, Wood, and Ceramics, they are more environmentally friendly than other hard materials described in this section but their production methods remain largely the same as they have for millennia, which means the defect rates and ability for customization limits their use
Glass
Produced by melting the base material (sand, ash, and limestone)
A single portion is cut from the molten glass and fed into a press tool then pressed into shape and cooled
The process limits the shape and makes wall thickness variable but it can be treated to toughen for greater strength
Wood
There are different processing methods for wood but all require some level of machining of the natural material to cut away and/or form the material then treat it with a form of varnish and sealant to provide weather resistance
Wood is more adaptable but still limited in its use, has a wide tolerance and each additional process increases the cost
Ceramic
Main bodies for Ceramics are made in 1 of 3 ways depending on shape, complexity, and order quantity:
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Hand-made - traditionally made by a single worker
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Cast in a mold with liquid clay
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Spun formed with a piece of clay spun in an exterior mold with a separate spinning interior mold lowered to form the clay at speed
other components can then be bonded together and both methods then require heat treating to set with a protective coating added and/or painted to finish
The material has a wide tolerance and is not precise while also easily broken
A hybrid form of Ceramic is Bone China which can be made to be partly translucent to allow light to pass through it, it has the same limitations but can be used to enhance lighting effects
The most difficult part about the above is that doing so will increase the unit cost of a product, however, it is the trend that is only increasing in intensity th
Similar finishes can be produced but with much higher customization and a greater ability to modify structurally if utilizing Resin, however, this then looses the natural material tag and cannot be done in an eco-friendly method