MoDiP Closed 30th September - 3rd October

As we are getting ready to open our new exhibition, MyPlastic/, we will be closed to the public this week.  If you need any assistance please email modip@aub.ac.uk or phone 01202 363255.

What could these be?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

BXL photographic archive #0023

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows a street litter bin.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0564

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

What is this?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Saving Lives: Design for Disaster Relief - 2013 Design Innovation in Plastics Student Design Award

We are pleased to be able to exhibit the winning designs of the Design Innovation in Plastics Student Design Award. The competition is jointly sponsored and run by the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) and the Worshipful Company of Horners, whose collection is on loan here, with continued support of Bayer MaterialScience as the principal industry sponsor.

The brief

The competition brief was to design a product - mainly in plastics - that would alleviate the suffering of disaster victims. It had to be readily transportable in high volume to stricken areas and easy to use in potentially chaotic and challenging environments. Consideration had also to be given to the re-use and disposal of the product.

Winning designs

FIRST PRIZE: Project Sting designed by Chris Natt, Royal College of Art 

Chris wins £1000 plus a placement at Bayer MaterialScience, Leverkusen, Germany

 

Project Sting is a hypodermic vaccination syringe for infection control in the developing world. It replaces the traditional three-part syringe  and incorporates features that distinguish it from any previous syringe system. A re-usable master element accommodates a vaccine cartridge and uses a flexible diaphragm to dispense the vaccine. In addition, the syringe reduces the spread of infection by preventing accidental needle puncture of the skin, and also includes anti re-use features. The syringe reduces the spread of infection by preventing accidental needle puncture of the skin, and also includes anti re-use features. 

SECOND PRIZE: Rain Pod designed by James Scott, Northumbria University

James wins £500 plus a placement with Innovate Product Design, Wiltshire

 

Rain Pod is a tent providing shelter during monsoons that can also harvest clean drinking water. Disease from contaminated water kills more people around the world than violence. At present, no tent collects rainwater for safe drinking while providing emergency shelter following a disaster. This tent, however, can filter rainwater and also filter tepid water through a combination of bio-sand filtration and ceramic filtration, two systems that use filter materials that are in abundance around the world. A float within the pod works independently to prevent overflow by changing the angle of the roof as rainwater is collected. Rain Pod avoids the need for sending large quantities of water to relief camps.

 

 

 

THIRD PRIZE: Zebro designed by Thomas Hamilton, Loughborough University

Thomas wins £250 plus a placement with PDD, London

 

 

Zebro is an emergency leg splint for use in mountain rescue type situations. It is designed with an innovative cable system that forms a secure and even fitting around a leg injury. It uses ratchet dials for the first time to adjust and tighten the cables, and weighing less than 1kg, it is the lightest re-usable splint on the market. The shell is moulded from sheet polypropylene and fully radio-transparent so that it can pass through a CT or MRI scanner without having to be removed, thus reducing the risk of further injury. The splint fits all sizes, packs flat and is easy to assemble without tools. 

 

 

 

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Biodegradable Disaster Casket designed by Josh Allsopp, Northumbria University

Josh wins £100 plus a placement with Brightworks, Somerset

 

 

The retrieval and processing of the deceased following a disaster is often inhumane and degrading creating a highly traumatic and stressful environment. Disaster Casket is a more dignified alternative to the body bag, designed to make the process easier and more efficient while greatly reducing trauma. The casket is made from polypropylene with a biodegradable additive and can be either thermoformed or injection moulded. The design features multiple carrying positions as well as being able to nest for transport and stack when occupied; a pocket for documents and an integral body sheet is also included in each casket.  

Supporting documents supplied by the designer:

Josh Allsopp pdf1 Josh Allsopp pdf2 Josh Allsopp pdf3 Josh Allsopp pdf4

MERIT AWARD: Safe Place designed by Michael Heppenstall, Northumbria University

Michael wins £100 plus a placement with HellermannTyton

 

 

Safe Place is a waterproof container for storing personal documents, digital data and valuables for use in areas where there is a threat of flood or other disasters. It was inspired by the designer’s personal experience when his home was damaged by the Morpeth Flood of 2008, and consists of an outer casing with an inner container strengthened by moulded ribs. It contains a silica gel gas diffuser for absorbing moisture and conserving documents, and a marker light is fitted at one end that can last for up to ten years. Future containers could be made in different sizes and colours. 

 

 

 

2014 Competition:  Innovation through play – design for learning

The competition is an annual event. The theme for next year is: 'Design for Learning - Innovation Through Play'. Find out more at: www.designinnovationplastics.org/competition.htm. The competition is open to students at any level. Why not give it a go?

Susan Lambert (Head of MoDiP)

BXL photographic archive #0022

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows a bag of tomato concentrate in a drum.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--02971

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Do you know what this is?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.


Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Itera plastic bike

The other day I spotted a plastic bike in a display of vintage bicycles.

In the 1980s Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer, brought out a mostly plastic bike.  It was introduced in 1982 and by the end of production in 1985, 30,000 bikes were made.

This plastic bike was not popular for a number of reasons, mainly because it was so different from the norm, but also because the material broke easily on impact.

The idea of a plastic bike does not sound quite so futuristic today as it would have done in the 1980s.  Many road bikes are now made of carbon fibre a material with more strength than the fibre glass from which the Itera was made.  In the 1980s carbon fibre was an expensive, new material used only in high end manufacturing. For example, 1981 saw the first carbon fibre monocoque introduced to Formula 1 racing cars by McLaren. If this bike was made of the same material it simply would not have been affordable.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

BXL photographic archive #0021

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows a church steeple remaining after a fire.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--08242

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Do you know what this is?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?

Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Mini Marcos

On Sunday we stumbled upon a gathering of classic cars in Christchurch.  One car that caught my plastics spotting eye was this bright yellow Mini Marcos. 

This particular example dates from 1980 but the Mini Marcos was introduced by the British Sports Car manufacturer, Marcos, in 1965.  In fact a Mini Marcos took part, and finished, the Le Mans 24hour race in 1966.

 

The monocoque body is moulded in fibre glass also known as glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and is mounted on a Mini subframe. The car was sold in kit form as well as complete cars. 

In 2005 Marcos Heritage Spares Limited relaunched the car using the original moulds and jigs. More information can be found at their website.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

BXL photographic archive #0020

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows a copper-clad circuit board.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0876

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)