Eames Molded Fiberglass Chairs 3D Models / Revit Charles and Ray Eames See how this product can contribute to your environmental goals. Thanks to a new proprietary process of producing fiberglass, Herman Miller is once again able to produce the Eames original 1950 Molded Fiberglass Chair safely by means of a less volatile, monomer-free “dry bind” process. Like the original shell chairs, our new fiberglass finish has the same covetable surface variation and tell-tale fiberglass striation that have attracted avid vintage collectors for decades. Available in both the arm and side chair formats in eight archival colors, the chairs can be configured with a choice of wire, dowel leg, stacking, rocker, and 4-leg bases. An array of trim, finely tailored Hopsak fabrics designed by Alexander Girard, Herman Miller’s Textile Director from 1952 to 1973, round out the collection of shell customization options, fully restoring the integrity of the original 1953 shell chair offerings.
All chairs can be recycled through the Herman Miller Take Back Program. The process for making shells and the nature of fiberglass mean that each shell is unique and can possess traits such as tiny cavities in the surface, small points of lighter or darker color, or faint circular shadows where base attaches to shell. For Every NeedCharles Eames famously said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” With the molded plastic, fiberglass, and wood shell chairs—as well as the wire chair—the Eames have created a universal response to what everyone wants from a chair: a simple, gracious form that fits any body and every place. In Every WayBorne out of Charles’ and Eero Saarinen’s early investigations molding plywood at Cranbrook Academy in 1939, and continued with Ray at the Eames studio in Venice, California, the molded chair is exemplary of the Eames iterative process and their desire to make “the best for the most for the least.”
With each new form, finish, and configuration, the Eames continued to push the boundaries of what the shell chair could be: after experimenting with single-form plywood and stamped metal, they turned to fiberglass and experimented with bent wire; when fiberglass production proved unhealthy for the environment, the decision was made to switch production to a safer plastic; and now, with advancements in safe fiberglass composition and dynamic veneer technologies, the evolution continues with the Molded Fiberglass and Molded Wood Chairs. For EveryoneThe Eames Shell Chair was designed on the principle of adaptability, offering innumerable configurations to serve a wide variety of applications and environments. It’s what makes the chair a classic worthy of museum collections—and living rooms, Laundromats, lobbies, and cafés. It’s what makes it a great first piece of furniture to buy in your twenties, that’s still worthy and relevant enough to hand down to your children 20 years later.
A diverse selection of shell, base, color, and finish options enable you to create your perfect chair. Just like every person, every chair has a story. Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair Designers: Charles and Ray EamesThe Molded Fiberglass Armchair was designed on the principle of adaptability, offering innumerable configurations to serve a wide variety of applications and environments. It’s what makes it a classic worthy of museum collections—and living rooms, laundromats, lobbies, and cafés. The Molded Fiberglass Armchair is available in a spectrum of archival colors—in addition to numerous upholstery and base options—making it the perfect dining chair for a variety of spaces and styles. Configure Your Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair The Future of Fiberglass Thanks to a new, proprietary process of producing fiberglass-reinforced plastic, Herman Miller is once again able to produce the original 1950 Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair safely by means of a less volatile, monomer-free "dry bind" process.
Like the original shell chairs, our new, fiberglass finish has the same covetable surface variation and telltale fiberglass striation that have attracted avid vintage collectors for decades. Like the countless fiberglass shells that have been beloved by avid Eames collectors and design enthusiasts for years, we expect our newly formulated Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair to endure for generations to come. However, in the off chance your Molded Fiberglass Armchair is compromised, Herman Miller's Take Back program offers an environmentally sound means forrecycling it. Available in a spectrum of archival colors and numerous upholstery options, the Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair Chair can be configured with a choice of wire, dowel leg, stacking, and 4-leg bases. A Better Performing "Preform" To create preforms for the new Eames Molded Fiberglass Arm and Side Chairs, a "dry binder process" is used. With this technique, fiberglass strands, some of which melt at a lower temperature, are blown by a robot onto a screen in the shape of the chair shell.
Heat is then applied, and enough strands melt so that the preform's shape remains intact, avoiding the harmful "wet glue" process used in traditional fiberglass fabrication. By employing technology used mainly in the automotive and manufacturing industries, this new fiberglass resin boasts many environmental improvements. Monomer-free and processed without VOC (volatile organic compounds) or HAP (hazardous air pollutants) emissions, these resins eliminate the need for thermal oxidizers. Compared to the fiberglass resins used in the Eameses' original design, the new resin results in a safer work environment for employees. The Eames Molded Plastic & Fiberglass Armchair is a fiberglass chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames, that appeared on the market in 1950.[1] The chair was intentionally designed for the ‘International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design.’ This competition, sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art, was motivated by the urgent need in the post-war period for low-cost housing and furnishing designs adaptable to small housing units.
The chair was offered in a variety of colors and bases, such as the “Eiffel Tower” metal base, a wooden base, and a rocker base. The plastic fiberglass armchair is one of the most famous designs of Charles and Ray Eames, and is still popular today. “Getting the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least”: with these words, Charles and Ray Eames described one of their main goals as furniture designers.[3] Of all their designs, the Plastic Chairs come closest to achieving this ideal. They found that the use of plastic in furniture design has several advantages: it has pleasant tactile qualities, it has malleability and static strength combined with a high-degree of flexibility, and it makes feasible, via mass-production, their goal of low-cost furniture. The early production of the chair The material of the chair, Zenaloy, which is polyester reinforced with fiberglass, was first developed by the US Army during World War II.[4] Using this material, Ray and Charles Eames designed a prototype chair for the 1948 ‘International Competition of Low-Cost Furniture Design’ held by the Museum of Modern Art.
The chairs were made using the latest machines, such as hydraulic press molds from shipbuilding, by manufacturer Zenith Plastics.[4] Mass-producing the molded fiberglass chairs involved a tremendous amount of design and tooling effort, a long period of product development, and considerable investment. The basic technology involved shaping the fiberglass material with metal molds using a hydraulic press. The armchair was the first one-piece plastic chair whose surface was left uncovered and not upholstered.[1] In 1950, Zenith began mass-producing the fiberglass shell armchairs for Herman Miller, who offered them for sale that year. The fiberglass armchair was included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in 1950. The Vitra company entered the furniture market in 1957 with the licensed production of furniture from the Herman Miller Collection for the European market. In 1984, the partnership that had been formed with Herman Miller was terminated by mutual consent. Subsequently, Vitra obtained the European and Middle Eastern rights to designs by Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson.
At first, the chair was available in three colors: greige, elephant-hide gray, and parchment. The palette of colors was later expanded. After that, a choice of several possible bases was offered. The early “H” metal base (the SAX standard model and the LAX lounge lower model), “X” metal base (the DAX dining model), a lower model with metal rod base (the LAR model), a wooden base (the DSW model), a steel-wire base (the DSR model, also known as the “Eiffel-Tower base”), a cast aluminium base with castors (the PACC model), and a wood-rocker base (the RAR model). All of the bases were attached to the seat using hard rubber disks to allow flexibility. Despite the fact that Herman Miller ceased production of the rocker in 1968 (until they reintroduced it 30 years later), pregnant employees continued to receive these chairs as a company gift until 1984, solidifying the rocker as a token of high-end nursery decor.[7] The plastic shell became available in an upholstered (fabric or vinyl) version a year after the introduction of the chair.
After the success of the arm chair, the side chair (without arms) was introduced (in the DSW, DSX, and DSR models). Over the years, the plastic chair has undergone some modifications: the curve of the back has become more inclined and upholstery is now glued to the plastic shell. The Eames plastic armchair immediately became an iconic design and eventually the chair was used in schools, airports, restaurants, and offices around the world. From 1954, the chairs were used as stadium seating with metal rods put together in rows, the Tandem Shell Seating. The chairs are still in production by Herman Miller, Vitra and Modernica. However, each producer uses different material for their chair. In 1993, Vitra discontinued production of the fiberglass shells for ecological reasons. The company resumed manufacture of the shells in 1989 and 2004, respectively, making them available in polypropylene, a more environmentally friendly material.[8] Also, Herman Miller uses the polypropylene material for their production of the chairs.