24 January 07 - Breaking the mould: Formerol makes it personal
A sculptor's accidental discovery of a new polymer, Formerol, shaped by hand and “cured” at room temperature to a tough soft-touch material, is leading to the development of highly personalised tools and products.
A chance discovery in 2003 by Jane ni Dhulchaointigh while researching for a post-graduate masters in Design at The Royal College of Art has opened the way for the development of highly personalised tools, furniture and other products.
Jane founded Formerol Ltd to exploit a unique - though quite accidental - discovery in the field of polymer science. She discovered a rubber-like material (which she named and registered as Formerol) capable of being shaped by hand and then curing - "going hard" - within hours at room temperature.
Formerol Ltd is currently developing its first products with a number of customers in different market sectors, so as to minimise exposure to any one sector. One of their early partners is a global manufacturer of premium tools for the professional trade, seeking to reduce the incidence of physical discomfort and RSI that manual craft-users can be prone to.
Jane has been backed by the Department for Trade & Industry, and NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts). A case study looking at the founding and business development of Formerol Ltd can be accessed via the link below:
DTI Case Studies - Formerol
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