DuPont shopping trolley

This trolley is constructed entirely of reinforced Zytel, a thermoplastic glass reinforced resin manufactured by DuPont Engineering Polymers. The trolley was created by a worldwide consortium including Carte 2000 of Sydney, Australia; DuPont's European Design Group; Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) of Datchet (UK), and moulding specialist Plasto A/S of Andalsnes, Norway). The project set out in 1997 to showcase the capabilities of the new material developed by DuPont. The trolley was seen as appropriate for 21st century shopping with it being compatible with computer-readable product checkout machines; metal trolleys would cause interference with this technology. The design team wanted the trolley to be easily recyclable and renewable; corrosion free; hygienic and easy to clean; ergonomic for ease of use by shoppers; lightweight and manoeuvrable. The curved 'soft' surfaces were needed to prevent customer injury and protect shop displays from damage. Zytel provides a high performance material with mechanical strength, impact resistance, and excellent surface finish. The use of gas assisted injection moulding on a product of this size was a challenge as this production method was usually used for much smaller pieces. The trolley was was moulded by Norwegian moulder Plasto and the tooling was made in Austria by Haidlmair. It has won numerous design awards, including Winner of 'New Product Award', and the 1999 Horners Award in the UK, the Modern Plastics Design Award (USA), and the Design Council Award (Norway).

moulded: "Material >PA+GF15< Part No. 18461. Design Reg No. 2069777. Patent Pending. Basket Volume 60 Litres. Nominal load 60 kg. DuPont Engineering Polymers. Carte 2000. Industrial Design Consultancy Ltd. Plasto Technology A. S. Norway." (underside)

AIBDC : 004236