By Cassandra Balentine
Rigid substrates are commonly used in display and point of purchase (POP) environments. A number of rigid materials are printed to directly, like foamboards and plastics, including acrylics, HDU, polycarbonates, polystyrene, PVC, and styrene.
“Plastics like acrylic are used in a variety of solutions, including retail displays, LED fixtures, signage, and other design features. Often, these materials are used for permanent and semi-permanent solutions,” offers Bill McNeely, Jr., president, Acrylic Design Associates. “Due to its relatively low cost and weight, foam materials are frequently used when creating large, cut-out letters for semi-permanent or temporary applications.”
Above: PLASKOLITE has a broad product offering available for display and POP.
Supporting Dimensions
Plastic- and foam-based rigid materials are utilized to produce three-dimensional (3D) displays and structures.
There is certainly an increased interest in 3D displays and structures. “We see customers migrating to digital acrylic or PVC due to the excellent adhesion characteristics. This eliminates additional rework and product movement during the fabrication process, saving time and money,” shares Scott Walton, national sales manager, sign and graphics, PLASKOLITE, which now owns VYCOM.
“Today’s sophisticated technologies—CNC cutting machines, wide format, direct-to-rigid substrate printers and design software—have enabled designers to create extraordinary, eye-catching, practical, 3D products. The momentum for 3D displays, fixtures, and signage will only continue to grow as marketers and merchandizers factor these capabilities into their plans as the technology and cost barriers fall,” offers Charles A Kunze, director, product management and marketing; graphic display and industry and transport divisions, 3A Composites USA.
To support demand for this type of work, Kunze says as a U.S.-based manufacturer of these materials—FOME-COR, SINTRA, GATOR—3A Composites offers run-to-size and cut-to-size options. “For large orders and special projects, we can provide custom sizes, which can maximize material yield.”
Size requirements for these materials vary widely, depending on the project. “We handle everything from small table-top displays to custom signs with nine-foot tall letters. Foamboard can also be printed with a wood grain and serve as a less expensive lightweight alternative for things like ceiling lattices,” explains McNeely.
McNeely says Acrylic Design Associates asks its design engineers to “begin with the end in mind. Our team works with our clients to understand their goals and to then design and engineer solutions that minimize waste and use recycled or other eco-friendlier materials wherever possible.”
Another way Acrylic Design Associates helps its clients is by providing a free carbon savings estimate. “This estimate calculates the savings from using recycled acrylic in place of virgin acrylic—and is based on an academic study that we commissioned in 2022,” says McNeely. “We also explore other options for reducing waste and cost. By using specially formulated inks, for example, we are able to print directly onto aluminum composite material (ACM)—and then bend the ACM into signs or other shapes without having the ink crack or chip. Other suppliers typically look at these types of projects as requiring a vinyl overlay—but our technology eliminates the need for that extra layer, reducing both cost and waste.”
The Sustainable Debate
As pulp-, paper,- and fiber-based materials are introduced as eco-friendly alternatives to plastics, acrylics, and foamboard, there is still a demand for these mediums.
“The interest in sustainable solutions continues to gain steam and the motivation to use eco-friendly products has never been higher, while the availability of relevant products is growing daily. However, traditional product solutions for graphic display—paper-faced foamboards, plastic-faced foamboards, and expanded PVC boards—have collectively served the market well, providing a range of solutions that are cost-effective, flexible in application, robust, lightweight, and familiar to the trade. To be competitive, eco-friendly options need to offer minimal trade-offs—quality, durability, and cost—in order to facilitate more widespread use and higher growth. Eco-friendliness alone is not enough, the products must meet the market needs for performance, durability, and value as well,” shares Kunze.
“Our clients have been asking for a recycled alternative to virgin acrylic for years, which is what led us to introduce Recrylic,” says McNeely. Recrylic is a line of certified, recycled acrylic. It is designed to look, perform, and cost the same as virgin acrylic, with reduced carbon emissions by 90 percent. “This makes it a great alternative for virtually any project that might otherwise use virgin acrylic,” adds McNeely.
It is also important to note that in some cases, recycled acrylic may actually be a more eco-friendly alternative compared to a composite paper-based material that includes various bonding agents. “Of course, we do also print on paper-based substrates to create certain displays, so the answer really depends on the context,” says McNeely.
“There is no question that the demand for eco-friendly products is on the rise. Products that are sustainably sourced, manufactured, and recyclable have growing appeal in the market,” shares Kunze. “3A Composites is committed to extending our range of eco-friendly products in 2024, bringing new products to the market that are sustainably sourced, recyclable, and efficiently manufactured and delivered to the market.”
In addition to its acrylic offerings, 3A Composites has offered DISPA—a 100 percent recyclable paper display board for several years, which Kunze says is ideal for short-term display and POP.
Recycling Considerations
Another aspect of sustainability is recyclability. And even if a substrate can be recycled, doesn’t mean it is always easy to do.
“Ultimately, the optimum solution for recyclability is to make use of existing recycling programs,” shares Kunze. “That being said, we continue to investigate practical recycling or take-back programs for our current products. Additionally, making foamboard and plastic boards recyclable is a major area of improvement for our future product development efforts.”
The VYCOM Recycling Program, launched in 2019, and now through PLASKOLITE takes back printed and unprinted PVC, acrylic, and HDPE sheets as well as cuts and drops from finishing and fabrication. The material is repurposed into long lasting, performance products.
Walton says that to date, VYCOM has recovered over 8,000 pounds of scrap from four signage and graphics trade shows.
McNeely points out that Acrylic Design Associates is able to collect used and scrap acrylic for recycling as new Recrylic sheets. “One of the nice things about acrylic is that it can be recycled an indefinite number of times as itself.”
Acrylic Design Associates can accept used acrylic that is any color—printed or painted. However, it can’t accept acrylic that has film, tape, or vinyl applied, as these are “too prohibitive to remove as part of the recycling process,” shares McNeely.
McNeely points out that there is no cost for this program, other than the sender’s cost to get the materials to Acrylic Design Associates. From there the company handles the cost to send materials to its supplier for recycling.
Rigid Requests
The range of rigid options continues to grow. While new paper-based options gain acceptance, the need for acrylic or foamboard solutions is the right choice for certain jobs and is still in demand.
Apr24, Digital Output
