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Fantastic Plastic

Fantastic Plastic Figure A (27KB)

Wellington design students have produced a series of innovative yet practical designs for a range of common plastic items to win praise from lecturers and industry sponsors alike. Leading custom injection moulders and suppliers of rubber and polyurethane elastomers, Ludowici NZ Ltd, sponsored a design competition entered by all 29 industrial design students at the School of Design at Wellington Polytechnic.

Ludowici marketing assistant Lelca Wigzell, says the award provides an opportunity for the students to learn about the aesthetics and the practicalities of working with modern plastics, as well as giving the industry the chance to work much more closely alongside the design school. A total of $1800 was awarded to five students, whose designs included a package for Ceylon thread tape, improved versions of the common tri-knob, and a bath plug with a thermometer for testing children's bath water.

Lecturer Ross Stevens says the objective was to teach the principles of injection moulding, and many students went to a great deal of trouble to first make silicone rubber models, then used a syringe to inject the polyurethane into the models to produce the final prototypes. From there many developed complex computer graphics including 3D models, making a thoroughly professional job, he says. Ludowici divisional manager Barry Pett then provided a technical appraisal and assisted with the judging, while general manager Mark Slane provided a critique on the marketability of the products.