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issue: July 2004 APPLIANCE Magazine
Plastics & Plastic Parts
Plastic Triplets: Metallic Look Enhances Refrigerator Design |
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by David Simpson, Contributing Editor
Modern appliance producers increasingly find themselves navigating between appealing designs that will attract customers and low production costs that will maximize profit margins. |
Appliance
producer Fagor Electrodomésticos (Mondragon,
Spain) faced this situation with its Innova Luxury refrigerator
line. The line, which features a unique metallic look, was
available in the second quarter of 2004.
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order to present a consistent, striking look
through a new refrigerator line, Spanish
producer Fagor used a combination of ABS
and Visualfx resins from GE
Advanced Materials. The materials provided
the desired metallic look while keeping down
internal costs. |
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During the development process,
Fagor quickly identified a key element to the success of
the line. All parts, from the internal and external displays
to door trimmings, ventilation grills, and roofs, had to
appeal to customers in look and feel, while maintaining
a consistent color. Color match was vitally important,
as the many parts had to match not just within each refrigerator
unit, but across the complete line as well.
“GE
Advanced Materials had the quality materials we were
looking for,” says Losu Zabala, managing director
of Fagor’s Refrigerators Business. “Their
materials allowed us to achieve the metallic look we
desired, while keeping our own internal costs down. They
also offered superior technical service compared to their
competitors, saving us time and energy during the development
process.”
After working with GE’s technical support resources
in the development phase, Fagor chose CYCOLAC FXS610SK resin
for the refrigerator parts. CYCOLAC is an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
(ABS) thermoplastic resin said to offer outstanding flow,
toughness, and dimensional stability even at elevated temperatures.
Used in combination with Visualfx resins, Fagor was able
to create a metallic look with a reflective sheen. The Visualfx
resins are designed to provide a palette of finer texturing,
shades, and special effects. |
The Visualfx resins also gave Fagor the ability
to maintain a consistent and high-quality color across each piece
of the
line. As an added benefit, the use of the resins allowed a
cost-out opportunity by eliminating the need for an additional
paint application. Fagor used a mold-in color option to achieve
a flow-line free appearance.
“Our technical, product management, and marketing resources
were used by Fagor during its concept and design phase, which
helped enable the company to create its innovative refrigerator,” says
Paola Babka, global marketing director, Consumer Markets, GE
Advanced Materials (Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands). “This
is crucial to help maximize the end result and achieve the
always-present cost-out goal. Our globally available products
and services helped deliver a materials solution for the company
and allowed us to play a key role in contributing to the innovative
nature of their unique and expanding product line.”
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