Plastics bring functionality to household products

Plastics have long since secured a place in European kitchens and homes. However,

designers continue to push the limits of plastics’ versatility and durability to

produce highly desirable products that deliver both pleasing aesthetics and outstanding

functionality.

German housewares maker Koziol introduced its Kasimir cheese grater at the Maison &

Objet fair in October last year. Produced as a single part injection moulding in

transparent styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) polymer, the hedgehog-like device is available

in four transparent colours and in a clear version.

The grater measures 100mm by 156mm by 66 mm and is priced at less than €9. Koziol says

the quills on the back of the product, which double up as the grater blades, are tough

enough to handle even hard cheeses Parmigiano.

Kasimir has already picked up a German Pro-K consumer plastics products association

award for the Koziol design team and will be one of the featured products on the

association’s stand at the Ambiente trade show in Frankfurt this month.

Born in Sweden’s display at Maison & Objet included a number of plastics items

developed by French designer Pascal Charmolu. The newest of the products on display was

a combined bootjack and shoehorn in red, black, green or white polycarbonate. The 390mm

by 90mm product is intended to be hung on the wall when not in use.

Other exhibits included a sleek mailbox manufactured in glass fibre reinforced plastic

(GRP) and offered in a choice of 10 high gloss coloured finishes. This stylish design

picked up one of the 29 Design Plus awards at Ambiente 2009 and was nominated for the

2010 design prize of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The company also showed Charmolu’s ergonomic polypropylene 7.5-litre watering can and

a window-mountable bird feeder, the latter made in UV-resistant SAN and rubber.

Teerachai Suppameteekuiwat chose ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) for Qualy’s Autumn

Leaves wedge-shaped maple-leaf shape door stops, which measure 147mm by 183mm and are

up to 38mm thick.

Meanwhile, through-coloured rotational moulded UV-resistant HDPE is used for the Ublo

garden chair collection, designed by Cedric Ragot for Qui est Paul. The same material

and process is also used for Ragot’s Kenny barstool, also produced for Qui est Paul,

which the company describes as “origami in plastic”.

While very much a household product, the double-heart baking mould thermoformed in

liquid crystal polymer (LCP) by Klaus Kunststofftechnik of Memmingen, Germany, picked

up an innovation award in the German TecPart competition (other winners are detailed on

page 26-27)

The mould is manufactured using a modified thermoforming process and a new Ticona

thermoformable Trex 541 40% mineral-filled grade of Vectra LCP. It withstands long-term

exposure to temperatures of up to 250°C, while offering advantages over metal of

ductility, design freedom and low thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity is said to

be so low that the tray can be removed from the oven without gloves.

According to Ticona, this new LCP grade provides high melt strength and three times

higher melt viscosity than other 40% mineral filled LCP grades, making it suitable for

processing by sheet extrusion and thermoforming.