Perstorp Open Innovation Challenge To Creatively Applying Capa™ Thermoplastic

Perstorp Open Innovation Challenge to creatively applying Capa™ Thermoplastic

23-Jun-16

Perstorp announces the winner in its Innovation Challenge, a competition launched in September 2015 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its unique Capa™ caprolactone thermoplastic materials. The purpose of the contest was to crowdsource ideas for creatively applying Capa™ Thermoplastic to address future challenges in this ever-changing world.
The winners of the Innovation Challenge is the Flexii, for flexible furniture from Kashyap and Chintan Gohel. The two brothers are students at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Juja, Kenya.
Flexii is a concept for making furniture out of Capa™ Thermoplastics which increases its versatility in design. The plastic furniture can be repaired easily and remolded into new forms and designs in franchise-like nationwide remolding centers. Flexii also incorporates the idea of combining Capa™ Thermoplastic with other materials to improve their properties, such as recycled timber, broken glass and other recycled materials. Overall, the remoldability aspect of Flexii and Capa™ reduces the need for disposal of used and broken furniture in landfills. Where it is not profitable to remold products, they can be fully biodegraded by composting them: Capa™ Thermoplastic is fully and fast biodegradable.

The jury’s decision was based on the fact that Flexii takes full advantage of the beneficial properties of Capa™, says Jesper Fahlén, global Product Manager Capa™ and jury representative. “It’s a creative idea with strong potential. What we have seen in terms of design so far is really appealing and prototyping is already ongoing. This is a new and explorative area for Capa™,” Fahlén notes.
Kashyap and Chintan Gohel say that over the coming year they plan to explore blending different materials with Capa™ Thermoplastic to create beautiful furniture and art, and hopefully pioneer the business of remold furniture in East Africa. “Eventually we want to have Flexii remolding centers integrated into every city, and give people the chance to design their own furniture and have it 3D printed or crafted with Capa™ Thermoplastic, on its own or in combination with other materials.”