At Coda Plastics we work with a wide range of different markets such as medical, food and household, offering innovative plastic packaging solutions and prototypes. When we were contacted by Unique and Practical Ideas Limited to put together a concept for with their flat packed Flower Tower idea, we were looking forward to start the project.
The original model that UPI designed was made up of a plastic dinner plate with a piece of drainpipe glued to it and sprayed to make it look like a single piece of moulding. For the watering tube they used a standard PVC pipe with holes drilled into it as well as some outer sleeves cut on a CNC cutter. The sleeve was held onto the base by inserting some small plastic clips that you generally use in DIY furniture assembly and was very tricky to use.
The Base
We took this initial concept model and designed the product for mass production. The base was designed in 3D on our Solidworks CAD system and was developed for injection moulding. Our designers decided that the need to use clips could be changed, so they designed a moulded in clip feature instead. This helped reduce the part count in the final product which resulted in a reduction in the final cost of UPI's maximising profit.
The Watering Tube
The watering tube was a big issue for the pack as being a solid piece meant that the packaging was going to have to accommodate a 900m tube. We designed a tube connector which could be moulded in different colours depending on the hole size, meaning that the tube could be supplied in sections and be assembled by the end user.
Product Packaging
The last stage of the project was the development of the actual packaging the product would be supplied in. As the sleeves were approx. 900m square, it was not plausible for the packed product to be this size as retailers would not be prepared to provide this much shelf space. UPI's strategy was for the product to be a mail order product, so the smaller the packaging was, the lower the postage cost would be. We took on this challenge by manufacturing the sleeves with folding creases which enabled the packaging to be reduced by 25% than its original size. To see how the Flower Tower works, watch the video below.
We finally had the design developed and the product completed, meaning we could begin manufacturing the Flower Tower. The entire process took 16 weeks, from the initial contact with UPI Ltd to the supply of the finished packed product. Once the product was ready and packed, we were able to handle the logistics for UPI Ltd and delivered pallets of the product to their retail warehouses.
If your business has a product or an idea and is looking for a company to produce an innovative design and prototype, please feel free to contact us on 01692 501020 or email us on sales@coda-plastics.co.uk.
