Gallery (Click on images to enlarge)
Product Information
‘Bol’ is a fun and functional table piece that sets out to challenge the notion of what a fruit bowl can be.
When a piece of fruit is dropped into the centre of the closed bowl, gravity and the form of the branches act together and make the bowl expand outwards. In its opened state, the bowl can accommodate up to 10 pieces of medium sized fruit. The open branch design allows for more air to circulate around the fruit, keeping if fresh for as long as possible. When not in use, the bowl can be collapsed again for easy storage.
The polycarbonate Bol is available in a variety of different colours and translucency options as shown above. Click here for the plywood version.
Features
- Made from food safe injection moulded polycarbonate (Makrolon) making it nearly indestructible.
- All panels are held together using cold construction techniques.
- Comes assembled and ships in a sturdy recyclable cardboard box.
- Available in a wide range of colours, with custom colours available for larger runs.
Specifications
Materials:
Polycarbonate (Makrolon)
EPR O-rings
Steel ring (Oxidised) |
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FAQ (Click on question to expand)
Does the Polycarbonate version of the Bol contain BPA?
The short answer is yes, BPA or Bispehnol A is a key part in the chemical make up of Polycarbonate plastic. The use of BPA has received a great deal of public attention recently as there have been concerns about BPA leaching out of Polycarbonate and other polymers under certain conditions. The leaching occurs when a polycarbonate container is exposed to conditions where it is repeatedly heated and cleaned, such as the intended use of a baby bottle.
The response to BPA leaching varies greatly on who is relaying the message, with the plastics industry noting that the amount of BPA that leaches out is 400 times lower than the safe level of BPA. However, many companies such as Nalgene and Camelbak have released BPA free versions of their products in response to consumer demand.
The manufacturers of the Bol fruit bowl have personally assured me that the grade of Polycarbonate used is perfectly safe for the intended purpose of storing and displaying fruit and it is the same grade as what is used in medical devices. Under intended use, the Bol will not be exposed to the conditions necessary for the BPA to leach out. Polycarbonate is still the best polymer to use at this stage due to its price, availability, clarity, strength, and recyclability.
For more information please visit the following links or perform your own search for BPA related articles:
http://www.bisphenol-a.org/about/faq.html
http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/technical/bpaInfo.html
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/bisphenola/bpauses.htm
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/its-time-to-pan.html#previouspost
What does the large O-ring do exactly?
The large black O-ring around the outside of the Bol serves to keep tension on the branches and giving it that satisfying “snap” when it opens and shuts. You can take it off if you want and it will still work, but it won’t react as it was intended to.
What do you mean by cold construction?
Cold construction is a term used to describe a method of joining two or more parts together in a non permanent way, meaning that the individual components can be removed or repaired if damaged rather than the whole product being thrown out. It also means that the materials can be easily disassembled for recycling, reuse, or disposal at the end of its life.
Why don’t you make the Bol with a Biodegradable plastic?
This is where things get interesting… When the first production samples were being made, investigations were carried out into the use of various polymers, including PLA (bioplastic), Nylon, Polypropelene, and Polycarbonate. Upon receiving the samples I was adamant that PLA was the way to go. That night I went to celebrate with friends at the beach and left the samples in the car. When I returned in the morning I found that the PLA version had deformed due to sunlight heating up the car.
Upon further research I learnt that PLA has a very low heat deflection temperature which means that it starts to deform at about 50 degrees centigrade. From a practicality point of view it would be quite embarassing to have a customer asking for his or her money back as their fruit fell onto the floor after their new fruit bowl was left near a sunlit window. I also learnt that it is (partly) produced with genetically modified corn which I am strongly opposed to. For more information check out this article.
Where did the idea come from? And why is Bol spelt like that?
The Bol Fruitbowl was originally developed as second year project as part of the Bachelor of Product Design at
Unitec Auckland. The idea was to create a table centre piece that would help spark conversation and intrigue and my take on this began with a simple premise. We take fruit from a tree, so what would happen if we were to put it back?
The name for this product was derived from the Spanish word “Arbol”, meaning tree. This was then shortened to Bol in reference to the fact that while it is similar, it is not quite a bowl (at least not in the traditional sense).
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