MYTO chair: Innovation in plastic

Many innovative products were unveiled last month at the 2007 K plastics trade fair, which was held in Duesseldorf, Germany. Among these products was the MYTO cantilever chair, created by award-winning industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. It is made entirely from giant manufacturer BASF’s proprietary Ultradur High Speed engineering plastic. This plastic has the reputation of being “easy-flowing,” because of its construction from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and through the use of nanotechnology. Hence, even though it is a monobloc sort of chair, it doesn’t have the bland lines often seen among seats in that category. There are parts of the chair that have thick and thin cross-sections, giving it a graceful appearance that is pleasing to the eye. It would be a suitable partner for today’s bistro cafe tables.

According to a press release from BASF, the MYTO chair took just over a year in all to create, from the conceptualization to the manufacturing process. The Italian manufacturer Plank did their job well in making the chair’s serial part and in their role as product marketer. All the parties involved did admirably in fulfilling the requirements needed before the MYTO chair could be created and shown to the public for the first time. It’s no easy task to create something that is not only sturdy, comfortable and attractive, and one that is somehow different from all the others in the market. Through the use of technology concerning plastic formulation and the injection molding tool, the necessary requirements were fulfilled and the MYTO chair was unveiled.

Grcic is head of Germany-based Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design, and many of his works are not only commercial successes, they are showcased in prominently in design museums too. This collaboration with BASF and Plank on the creation and manufacture of the MYTO cantilever chair is but another well-earned feather in his cap.