Our journey connecting industry
to nature
Timeline
Idea
Giovanni Milazzo, CEO Founder of Kanesis, participates in a start up academy with its first intuition: using hemp cellulose to produce paper for a closed paper factory in Catania, Sicily
Prototype
By a doubt concerning the mechanical difference between fibers and particles added to a plastic matrix, Giovanni makes his first experiment in his kitchen: first, he mixes short hemp fiber with virgin PLA, then hemp shives with virgin Pla. The hemp shive-PLA mixture was distinctly different and more easily blended. Kanesis research has started.
Patent Application submission
The procedure to have the patent granted was one: initially, the innovation and novelty was not recognized due to the existence of other dossiers on the use of hemp in thermoplastic material. Soon it was clear that the other dossiers concerned the use of hemp short fiber rather than hemp shives. The whole process entailed years of study and research awarding the patent after 5 years
HBP® Filament for FDM 3D printers
After three months of experiments with important industrial partners such as LATI and FiloAlfa, Kanesis develops its first prototype: the hemp shives based filament for 3D printing. Its name is Hemp Bio Plastic, HBP®.
EXPO Milano
Kanesis presentes its project at the international exposition Expo Milano 2015, a great opportunity to enter into numerous business agreements with companies from all over Italy
Partnerships
Product Optimization
Finishing the production process, defining the best parameters with which to process the biomass, and the best ingredients to obtain the most performing material.
First Crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo
Second Crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter
Thanks to the funds, Kanèsis launch its first large production of HBP® filament, then simply known as Hemp filament
Kanèsis launches its shop to sell 3D printed products in Hemp filament
Pruned, a new material
PLA matrix + ornamental orange trees pruned
Weed filament, a new material
PLA and threshing residues of industrial hemp leaves and inflorescences
Ecompound
In partnership with LATI enterprise, Ecompound is the brand by Kanèsis for sustainable and high performance compounds
The new material Tomato
PLA and tomato skin from Sicily
Issue date of patent
Any thermoplastic material reinforced by hemp shives rather than short hemp fiber has higher mechanical properties, both in traction and rheology
The new entry: Pomegranate
PLA and pomegranate seeds residues from Sicily