DuPont’s Surlyn thermoplastic alloy has been overmoulded on a glass perfume bottle for a novel aesthetic effect, and improved protection against damage or breakage.The bottle concept from Italian glassmaker Bormioli Luigi, marketed under its Linkx brand, was devised by French luxury design specialist QSLD. The twisted shape of the glass inner bottle is “accentuated in perfect transparency” by the thick walls of the Surlyn cube which encases it.
The overmoulding project is a collaboration between Bormioli Luigi, DuPont and Italian injection moulding specialist Pibiplast. Bormioli Luigi's patented Sparkx glass formulation is cited as stronger and more durable than ordinary glass, with especially high transparency.
The properties of Sparkx also make it suitable for subsequent overmoulding (either entirely or partially) with Surlyn.
Corrado Lusetti, marketing manager at Bormioli Luigi, commented: “Linkx gives free rein to one’s imagination in terms of shapes, colours and optical effects for bottles. The glass provides high resistance to alcohol and other chemicals and a luxurious sense of weight. The Surlyn shell can be used to magnify and enhance the visual effect of the bottle, as well as rendering it far less susceptible to damage or breakage. At the same time, the material's favourable tactile properties make the bottle both smooth and pleasant to the touch.”
QSLD president Christophe Guichard added: “We have emphasised the shape contrast by our selection of colours. Charcoal grey was an obvious choice for the Surlyn outerlayer in terms of the mood we wanted to create, and we found gold to be the best colour to enhance this smoky effect.”
