How are Hama beads made?

I've been crafting with Hama beads for many years now, and every time I pick one up I wonder how they are made, and what the Hama bead factory looks like! So I thought I'd do a little bit of research into the history of the beads, how they are manufactured, and see if I could find some videos of the process!

There is lots of information about Hama beads on the official Hama Beads About Us page, so that's the best place to start. I learned that the beads are made from polyethylene and the boards are made from polystyrene. Interestingly, according to the website, both the beads and the pegboards can be recycled with normal household plastic waste. The fact that Hama beads are made from single use plastic has been bothering me for some time, so it's really good to know that they can be recycled. I'm almost certain that I couldn't put the individual beads into my own recycling bin, but it definitely sounds like it's possible to recycle any unwanted fused projects.

Hama beads were first produced in 1971 by Maalte Haaning Plastics A/S, with the Hama brand name being registered in 1984. The name comes from the first two letters of the surname of the company's founder (HA) and the first two letters of his first name (MA). Originally the beads were glued onto pieces of cardboard or plastic trays, and at the end of the 1970s the ironing technique was developed.

The Hama bead factory is located in Nykøbing, Denmark and products are sold to more than 50 countries worldwide. You can watch a fascinating video tour of the factory here:

I love those massive buckets full of beads, imagine being able to run your hands through them! I also enjoyed seeing the enormous creations that have been made using Hama beads. In front of the factory there is a safari park made with life size Hama bead animal creations which you can go and visit. Maybe I need to arrange myself a trip!

Information sourced from the Hama beads official website.