It's a marvelous material - made to very high standards right here in Mantis!

Corrugated Plastic Sheet- the marvel material that is finding new applications - like boats

The generic term might be 'fluted board', 'hollow board', or 'twin-wall sheet'; it is known as Coroplast in the USA, plus dozens of other names elsewhere. It's extruded from Polypropylene, is lightweight but strong, waterproof, and recyclable.

But did you know it has hundreds of other uses besides flat signage? Andy McCourt found one surprise example on a trip to Anaconda - a boat. The foldable 'Origami' Kayak is the brainchild of a USA team at Oru Kayak. The material is actually 10mm Coroplast (they call it OroPlast) - ingeniously scored and die-cut to be assembled or re-packed in around five minutes. There are six versions for various conditions - calm lakes and inlets to beachside surf; open and closed tops with spray skirts.

All are made from corrugated plastic-type Polypropylene (PP) material and, scored on a large CNC router, maybe with a bit of heat. It's not a toy, it's a real, tough Kayak for repeated use - the folds have been tested for 20,000 reps without weakening. The PP is UV treated.

Corrugated Plastic Sheet -not just for signs Corrugated Plastic model plane

2mm/4mm Corrugated Plastic model plane!

It might not be Kayaks, but how about strong, reusable produce packaging? Already I see many 'Toblerone' triangular tree-trunk protectors made from PP fluted board, nicely printed close to roadworks. They can also be used for decorating bollards, crowd, and vehicle control posts and can carry advertising messages.

Paper-based corrugated board is undoubtedly an option too, but water and wear are the enemies if repeated use is envisaged. Corrugated Plastic Sheet PP packaging products are exceptionally tough and weather-resistant. It's a marvelous material - made to very high standards right here in Mantis!