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METICULOUS PLANNING REQUIRED TO ROLL OUT NEW TRENDS IN PLASTICS DESIGN
Cost-effective, innovative plastics designs are the result of painstaking planning. In order for the plastics industrial design (ID) to flow into the next generation, researchers usually follow a three-step process - scouting the next trend, blending ID with design engineering, and cultivating the celebrity designer crossover. The current trend in plastics design is to give products a smooth, edgy, metallic plastic or brushed aluminium look and metamerism effect, wherein the colour changes at different viewing angles. Soft-touch thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material overmoulded onto rigid substrates is another trend that has finally taken off. The next design trend is likely to be a combination of hard and soft looks, such as brushed aluminium with wood. Meanwhile, resin suppliers continue to introduce decorating products, adding variety to the design palette. 'For instance, custom moulders are considering a material that can be applied through an electrostatic powder coat process,' says Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Dr. Donald V. Rosato. 'Using this process, metal products such as housewares, plumbing, and door handles can be 'plated' with plastic rather than chrome.' With design and industrial engineers working in tandem during product development, aesthetics have received as much attention as function. Manufacturers rely on ID to add value to a product that has become a commodity. Customers also tend to take greater interest in designs when well-known architects and designers work on consumer products. These designers will also look to accomplish design and ID goals with a single material and avoid assembly and two-shot moulding in order to reduce cost of design without having to concede on the elegance of the solution. Greater interaction between design engineering and ID is expected to help achieve better product differentiation and faster time-to-market. At the same time, there should also be some distinction of their ideas in order to avoid greater compromise. Concepts of concurrent or simultaneous engineering have subtly made their way into the design-engineering field. Design for excellence (DFx) methods such as manufacturability and assembly are rising to prominence as new variables including recycling and decorating are being incorporated in the overall design process. 'Plastics fabricators are expected to earn huge revenue by seeking out and working with customers that design their products for the market first and the process second,' notes Dr. Rosato. 'These products may be more difficult to produce, but mastering the difficult projects separates the successful from the 'me-too' plastics manufacturers.' The marketing of successful plastics product design is possible only through a completely optimised convergence of the form and function of ID with plastics material and process selection, manufacturability, and recyclability. Plastics Design-Emerging Technology and Trends, part of the Chemicals and Materials vertical subscription service, examines over 110 plastics design related trends from a leading-edge, company-specific focus, in a concise yet comprehensive format. It describes and defines the value of plastics product design engineering in the important plastics design segments of ID, fundamental plastics design, plastics companies in design, design houses, market segment product design examples, plastics design resources, and global industry design awards. Title: Plastics Design-Emerging Technology and Trends
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