The Finnish High-End loudspeaker brand Aurelia has opened up new uses for UPM's innovative biocomposite UPM ForMi . Aurelia is using the pulp-based, recyclable material in the die-cast enclosures of its high quality Aniara speakers. As a soundboard for music, UPM's biocomposite is superior to plastic.
"UPM ForMi's characteristics are ideal for sound reproduction. It allows thicker castings than traditional plastic materials, making the enclosure sturdy, improving sound quality and eliminating any unwanted aftersound", says Stefan Fors, Director at UPM ForMi.
"UPM's innovative biocomposite is highly uniform in quality and has excellent acoustic properties. It allows us to produce substantially stronger components than traditional plastics. At the same time, the spectrum of sound passing through the composite material is much more constant", confirms Antti Louhivaara, Founder and CEO of Aurelia and Head of Design for the speakers.
UPM ForMi is already being used in the manufacture of furniture, electronics and various household goods. With UPM ForMi, as much as 50% of oil-based plastics’ non-renewable raw-material can be replaced with renewable fibres. UPM is constantly looking to expand the use of this sustainable material.
"Success with Aurelia will give us new opportunities in acoustics and electronics. We are negotiating with various companies and will announce any production contracts as soon as they are finalised", says Stefan Fors.
Aurelia will continue to use UPM ForMi in its speakers in the future as well. "Our speaker enclosures have received praise for their sound reproduction qualities, and we are planning to use UPM ForMi in other models as well. The biocomposite allows us to come close to handmade quality in serial production, which is a significant factor in helping us export our products", explains CEO Antti Louhivaara.
