Dubai, UAE, October 24, 2018:  The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer was developed using precision engineering. Powered by the patented Dyson digital motor, it is designed for fast drying and uses intelligent heat control to help protect hair against extreme heat damage. 

 

On September 4, Dyson released the new Dyson Supersonic™ 23.75 karat gold hair dryer. Designed by James Dyson, this hair dryer is gold leafed using a traditional hand - gilding method and is the first of its kind. Every cap is hand gilt in 23.75k gold. 

 

Developing superior technology is at the heart of what Dyson does. This includes the materials we use and how we construct our machines. James challenged Dyson engineers to find a way to apply gold leaf to the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer. 

 

James Dyson says, “Gold is one of the most resilient materials in the world and has been used in design, sculpture and architecture for centuries. As an element, I’m fascinated by its properties. Like the engineering process we pride ourselves on, gilding is a true example of meticulous craftsmanship.”

 

The art of gilding has been in practice for thousands of years. Thin leaves and foils of precious metals are applied to a surface, giving it the appearance of solid or inlaid metal. The technique used to apply gold has changed little since its beginnings. 

 

Dyson design engineers and model makers first learned the skills for gilding under a master guilder, learning the process and technique to gild. Once learnt, the design and engineering team sought how to scale the process, making it more repeatable and perfecting the surface finish specifically for this application.  Exploring industrial processes, the team quickly learned the process could be aided by technology but ultimately a craftsman’s hand skills remained paramount. 

At approximately 333 atoms thick, 1/666th the diameter of human hair, each layer of gold leaf must be applied by hand.

 

Dyson and Engineering Lead Britta Stockinger says, “At Dyson we aren’t afraid to take on a new challenge. We weren’t experts in gold or gold leafing but we broke down the technique into individual steps to understand how each parameter affects the finish and how we could best apply it to our hair dryer. Using our expertise in design processes, adhesives, paint and model making, we managed to learn a very traditional skill and translate it to a 21st century application.”

Beneath the gold leaf is a red loop which honours the traditional method of gilding. Dyson matched the red found on artwork, sculptures and other artefacts where gold leaf is applied. Like other gold-leafed pieces, the red loop on the product will reveal some of its colour over time, giving each gold-leafed hair dryer a distinctive and unique patina.  

 

During development, Dyson engineers rigged a robotic paint arm to carefully apply an adhesive called ‘size’ onto the surface of the red loop. The robotic arm ensured the adhesive was repeatedly applied the same each time, ensuring a perfect unblemished finish. 

Once sprayed, two layers of 23.75k gold leaf from Florence, Italy, is applied by hand and carefully brushed to form a smooth and even finish.   

  

 

Motor enabled: the small but powerful Dyson digital motor V9 sits in the handle, not the head, making it much more ergonomic and comfortable to hold. Its 13-blade impeller spins at up to 110,000rpm, generating 3.5kPa of pressure and propelling 13 litres of air up to the amplifier every second. 

 

Fast and focused: with the motor in the handle, there’s space in the head for Air Multiplier technology, the same technology used in Dyson’s purifying fans and humidifiers. The jet of air that exits the loop creates an area of low pressure, which draws in surrounding air through inducement and entrainment.  Air is drawn in by the motor and then amplified by three times. It produces a high-pressure, high-velocity jet of air for fast drying and styling. 

 

Helps protect natural shine: a glass bead thermistor and microprocessor carefully controls a double-stacked heating element. The exit air temperature is measured 20 times per second, helping to protect hair from extreme heat damage. 

 

Settings and attachments: there are four heat settings, including a cool shot and ‘always cool’ option, and three airflow settings. Dyson engineers have designed three magnetic attachments – a styling concentrator, smoothing nozzle and diffuser – to further control airflow, allowing people with different hair types to achieve a range of styles.

 

More about gold

 

Gold is one of the most used and highly regarded materials. It has the highest corrosion resistance of all the metals and does not oxidize, so it does not tarnish or change its colour over time. As one of the most malleable elements, it can easily be manipulated, rolled or beaten. 

 

The art of gilding was first recorded over 4,000 years ago. Since then, the process of gold leafing has been used to illuminate manuscripts, statues, buildings, sculptors and artwork. 

 

- £75m: Total spend in R&D on developing the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer 

- 2 year warranty on parts and labour

- Availability: The new Dyson Supersonic™ 23.75 karat gold is available from: October 10th for pre-order only at the Dyson demo store in The Dubai Mall and online at shop.dyson.ae. Full launch as of October 26th at following additional outlets Harvey Nichols and Bloomindales in UAE.

- Price: AED1,899