The RPC Design team has completed construction on a purpose-built foam modelling studio that will enable its designers to rapidly make mock-ups of packs in order to test and modify them before release.

Based at RPC Rushden, the team has been successfully making 3D printed models for some time, but until now, printing costs and the time involved in creating suitable CAD data can make the process time-consuming and expensive.

"We realised there was a step missing in which we needed to produce 3D models quickly and easily, test them in-use, and modify them until we were satisfied,” explains Brian Lodge, Design Manager at RPC Design.

“It's a lot more difficult to work sculpturally on a screen than it is in the round, where designers can resolve difficult areas of pack design before converting them to digital data."

An additional benefit of the foam modelling studio is that it provides customers with a chance to alter their packs' proportions and ergonomics before they commit, resulting in more effective and easier-to-use solutions that better enhance brand image.