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A Minimal Table with a Cast Aluminum Top

Una, by industrial designer Mario Martinez

By Rain Noe - January 11, 2023

in Furniture Design

Copenhagen-based industrial designer Mario Martinez created this Una table, which features a top made of cast aluminum.

It's a shame the underside will never be seen (aside from assembly; the unit arrives flatpacked). The functional ribbing is as beautiful as the top is minimal.

"This table makes an efficient and responsible use of resources with a casted table top and extruded legs. Its neutral design seamlessly blends with the chairs around it. Flat packed and made of aluminum with a clear anodized finish, makes it a sustainable and recycle-neutral object suitable for indoors and outdoors."

You can see more of Martinez' work here.

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mario martinez

a year ago

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Pictures are not renders but the actual finished prototype.

Legs end with an M-39 rod that screws directly into the corners of the table with the tapped thread. Hand tight is enough to provide stability and there is no tools needed for assembly.
Smaller holes are there to insert stacking rubber inserts.

All machining marks get removed during the anodizing process. Different aluminum alloys result in slight color variation. Legs and top are not on the same plane. Light bouncing differently results in almost impossible to appreciate color variation.

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Anders H

2 years ago

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It's a nice table, but my concerns are about the economics. This doesn't look to be sand casted, which has a low investment and tool cost, but casted, which comes with a much higher investment cost.

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- Warren Ginn
  
  Anders H
  
  2 years ago
  
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  Excellent point.
  
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Warren Ginn

2 years ago

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It's certainly a "minimal" concept, but I have a few concerns:

I'm not sure about the proportions between the vertical thickness of the tabletop vs the diameter of the legs. It looks a little "bottom-heavy". I think the table top should be a bit thicker. Also, this thickness will increase the engagement between the legs and top which is probably good considering the forces this joint will see if the table is knocked from the side.

Speaking of this engagement, how are the legs secured? I would imagine they might be secured with set screws, but where are the tapped holes? Machining those won't be easy. And, how intimate will the bit be between the two parts? Will the "sockets" need to be machined? What if there's too much play and the legs aren't square? This could make the table look like a newborn giraffe...

Regarding CMF, I'm not sure how easy it will be to match the cast aluminum top with the extruded aluminum legs. There are a lot of issues (sink marks, drag marks, porosity, flatness, etc.) that could significantly increase costs to address. The renderings are nice, but we all know that's not necessarily how this piece will look once manufactured and assembled.

Sorry to poke so many holes in this, but I can't help myself. Good design is design that works for the user and the manufacturer.

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