Most production processes have some waste material, and injection moulding is no different. When the colour or material is changed, raw plastic escapes the mould and ends as a plate on the floor, which are usually thrown away. In a project called Scrap Life, a group of German designers decided to use this scrap material to make stools, by simply attaching metal tubes.

Injection moulding uses a ram or screw-type plunger to force molten plastic material into a mould cavity. The material solidifies into the shape of the mould.

However, when the colour or type of plastic is changed, plastic is poured onto the floor, creating a pile of colourful melted plastic, which solidifies into a plate shape, each of them unique. Before the Scrap Life project, these plates had no use and were burned.

The group of designers were inspired to use the scrap material after a fieldtrip to Northern Italy to an injection moulding factory in 2013. They ended up in the company’s backyard, where the slates where piled up to be thrown away.

The designers experimented with the plates, pressing heated steel tubes into them. This resulted into the stool, which are each unique, thanks to the different blends of colours and materials.

The stools are for sale on the Scrap Life website.

Photos: Scrap Life