INNOVATION | DESIGN
Above: Covestro featured a Sample Bar on its stand at Fakuma 2017
functional and aesthetically pleasing. In many sectors, it is the designers who ultimately decide on the material. Covestro is therefore expanding its dialogue with designers and providing them with information about its products, while at the same time learning more about their needs in return. As a supplement to the Sample Bar, the company has developed a Sample app to support designers in making their visions a reality. The award-winning Covestro Sample Lab app can be downloaded on Google Play and from the App Store.” PolyOne has a dedicated industrial design service called IQ Design Labs. As a compounding group, it says it fills a gap between the design support offered by major polymer producers – which is focused solely on that supplier’s materials – and the needs of independent design firms, which may have limited understanding of polymer
In January, the Pro-K Awards 2018 were presented to winning companies in recognition of new products where plastics materials are integral to their designs. The Gold Prize went to the PA-based Combisystem Fruit Collector (below) from Gardena, Germany, part of Husqvarna Group
science. “PolyOne is unbiased when it comes to base polymers,” says Chris Bray, Global Director for IQ Design Labs at PolyOne. “We formulate materi- als to meet the specific needs of an application, drawing from a full spectrum of base resins, colorants, additives, fillers, and reinforcements. Our team within IQ Design Labs mirrors this approach, collaborating with manufacturers and providing in-depth design support across a full range of polymer choices.” The benefits of collaboration are fully realised if the polymer experts are involved in all stages of a product’s development, and so the IQ team helps designers and engineers ‘connect the dots’ between selecting the right material and colour, designing each component, and choosing a production process. According to Bray, as a rule of thumb, 85% of a new project’s costs can be traced back to the initial stages of product development, so getting those stages right can be the difference between success and failure for OEMs. He says: “Keep in mind that ideation and design concepts are only optimised if you understand what comes later—the material selection and manufacturing process. This is why our service offers a distinctive benefit, because we’re able to combine expertise in design, processing, and polymer science.” The IQ Design Labs team works on projects in
nearly every industry in which thermoplastics are used, including transportation, sporting goods, electrical/electronics, packaging, and consumer goods. In one recently completed project, it
The judges praised the closure and two-in-one design of Mepal’s Lunchpot for food on-the-go, made using PP and PETG
Tupperware designed this PP infusion insert so that tea can be prepared in its
ThermoTup 1.0 litre hot water jug without the need for refilling
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COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2018
www.compoundingworld.com
Pro-K Awards 2018
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