INDUSTRY NEWS
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BASF’s design factory enables industrial designers to choose a plastic from a palette of 20,000 different colours and 50 surface textures.
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German chemical company BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) has introduced a “design factory” to help industrial designers gather information and assistance for their projects. The Designfabrik employs a team of specialists to provide advice on a range of topics including the selection of optimal processing methods and materials. “To an ever greater extent, design is becoming an integral part of the corporate policies of our customers,” explains Christian Bonten, head of the design factory. “Our package is aimed at helping our customers to convert their ideas more quickly into actual products.”
The service is available for all of the company’s plastics. The group’s colour library comprises some 20,000 different colours, including 957 shades of red and 1735 different shades of white. In addition, up to 50 surface textures are offered, resulting in 1 million possible material combinations. Available surface textures include smooth, glossy, leather, corrugated, dimpled, rough, and soft. According to the company, surface characteristics play an important role in appearance of colour. For instance, the same colour can appear differently on a glossy surface than on a matte or corrugated surface. The design factory also features light booths that show how colour tones appear under various kinds of light.
For more information: BASF AG, Carl-Bosch-Str. 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany; phone: +49 621 6043348; fax: +49 621 6049497; e-mail: info.service@basf.com; Internet: www.basf-ag.de.
