Synthetic Balsa Wood
Super lightweight wood composites that function like balsa wood
At Green Dot, we make a lot of wood plastic composite materials. Most are used in tough, demanding, applications like toys or furniture. Somewhere along the way while experimenting with various materials for architectural uses, we discovered how to make very light wood plastic sheets and molded products. We think it looks like balsa wood – but a lot more durable, tough, water-resistant, and impact resistant. The appearance is nearly indistinguishable from real wood. Even the feel and smell are real wood.
Other than toy planes we have no idea what synthetic balsa wood might be used for, but considering it is relatively rare and expensive, there must be many opportunities to replace it with something cheaper and easier to form into functional shapes.
