Kyoraku, a Japanese plastic products manufacturer, is now using BASF’s speciality plastic, Ultrason, to add a unique tableware design to its household goods portfolio. The Amberware design is made of Ultrason E 3010 nat, an injection-moulding and extrusion polyethersulfone (PESU) that improves toughness and high chemical resistance.
BASF
Kyoraku's Amberware.
The honey-coloured tint of the PESU material will provide a light, transparent amber colour to the plates. This provides a unique, singular design appeal even after years of usage. Additionally, the use of this material ensures the plates will be lightweight, have high heat and microwave resistance, and that they do not crack. The plates can be cleaned with various cleaning agents and are dishwasher-proof. With these durability benefits, the Amberware plates promote a sustainable lifestyle and support a circular economy through the avoidance of single-use plastic while also limiting packaging waste.
Compared to the porcelain alternative, Ultrason-made tableware is known for being lightweight with a high break resistance. As a result of Ultrason’s high stress crack resistance, Kyoraku offers a lifelong guarantee for cracks and chipping on Amberware.
Plastic products can suffer from fading colour due to natural UV exposure, which is usually considered a sign of deterioration. This means they could easily break and slowly lose their physical and chemical resistance. Amberware ensures that the balance between colour change and high performance remains after long-term use and ageing.
“The concept of Amberware is easy: It is a plastic product that is designed to be used for a long time – and its ageing can be witnessed without any concerns regarding its safety and performance,” said Koichiro Yoshida, senior manager at Kyoraku. “We invite our customers to see the amber colour enhancing the design over time, living with the plates and keep using them for a long time. When we first came across BASF’s Ultrason and tested it for its properties, it reminded us of precious amber, which shines golden and unbreakable after millions of years – and as a result, we selected this super BASF engineering plastic as the material for our new tableware concept.”
Additionally, Ultrason has a high temperature resistance from -30°C to +180°C (short term up to 220°C). There are no design limitations regarding shape, colour, and transparency for household and catering goods made of the BASF PESU.
“Our co-creation with Kyoraku is the perfect example of how our customers realise the sustainability potential of Ultrason and turn it into an advantage for consumers and society”, said Nami Lohbeck from Global Business Development Ultrason at BASF. “Amberware helps consumers to consciously decide on sustainable articles in everyday life. This is due to the numerous benefits Ultrason is offering by extending the lifetime of its applications: it improves resource efficiency by enabling durable articles, ensures safety after repeated usage and cleaning and reduces packaging waste by promoting the change from single-use to multiple-use articles.”