Israel-based company Highcon and Eco Concrete Ideas have teamed up to create the “Morpheus” bench – a 2 meter long concrete bench made using a 3D printed cardboard mould, that will be presented at exhibitions held during the World Design Capital Taipei from July 9th to August 14th.
Designed by Eco Concrete Ideas, the exceptional piece was produced using Highcon’s Rapid Layer Manufacturing technology, where 4000 layers of recycled cardboard were cut and combined to create a low-cost mould. 
According to Highcon, this technology is faster than CNC and no adhesive is used between the layers. It also allows for the production of furniture, 3D sculptures and artworks.
Based on the first concept, the team was able to complete the Morpheus bench in just three weeks. The mould itself was produced in just a few hours on the Highcon Euclid digital cutting and creasing machine by Highcon customer Skitza Print in Israel. It was then filled with concrete and the paper mould around was removed to be recycled again.
Elad Gerufi, Co-owner of Eco Concrete said: “The collaboration with Highcon, combining design and technology, unleashes a whole new world of potential freedom and creativity for architects and designers.”
While experts believe that it would have been impossible to produce this complex design using conventional methods, it is estimated that producing anything similar would have been around ten times more expensive and could have taken months rather than just days.
Highcon’s Euclid is an industrial creasing and cutting machine that is used for creating packaging and for other printing applications. The company’s technology is also used to create large scale 3D objects and moulds at a fraction of the time and cost of other technologies.
Check out the video below to see some great examples of what the machine can produce:
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