Rototek: Design Bugs Out

Aim of Project:

If hospital equipment and furniture is designed to be easy to clean and easy to use, it will stay cleaner.
Initiated by the Design Council, ‘Design Bugs Out’ challenged suppliers to the NHS and designers to bring the traditional hospital bedside cabinet into the 21st century, improving the patient environment and reducing the risk of healthcare related infections.

Materials Used:

Medium Density Polyethylene

Brief Description:

Existing bedside cabinets are difficult to clean. Their complex internal spaces, inaccessible surfaces, angular joints and rough, absorbent materials can harbor liquids, dirt and bacteria.

Bristol Maid, a leading manufacturer and supplier of hospital furniture partnered with Bristol based design consultants Kinneir Dufort to investigate the possibility of developing furniture that would be formed in a minimum number of pieces.

As the design progressed, rotational moulding was identified as a suitable process for manufacturing the furniture. Using this technology it is possible to manufacture parts in one piece with smooth surfaces and with corners which allow for easy cleaning.

Rototek was approached to assist in developing the bedside locker and to give advice on the rotational moulding aspects of the design. As experts within the industry, with a reputation for producing innovative solutions to rotational moulding problems, designers at Rototek were able to consult on key elements of the design proposals including, materials, wall thicknesses, parting lines and surface finish. Special consideration was also given to the design of the mould tool required to produce the part ensuring that any post moulding work was kept to a minimum. A mould produced from CNC aluminium ensured that the highest quality would be achieved.

The solution is a revised version of the traditional bedside cabinet made from durable, wipe-clean plastic. The backless cabinet design eliminates hard-to-clean areas, and the continuous rotationally moulded form with smooth surfaces and no joints requires minimal assembly.
The cabinet is formed from a total of four parts, all of which are completely recyclable at the end of their useful life.

The design was enthusiastically reviewed by hospital staff, patients and press during a showcasing tour of leading UK hospitals during 2009 and has since gone on to win the Plastics Industry Industrial design award 2010 and The Horner’s Award

Delivery of production units to hospitals started in April 2010 and

Companies Involved:
Rototek Limited
Bristol Maid
Kinneir Dufort