Feature Story

Getting Innovative With Substrates
By Robert Hendricks, Consultant
Robert Hendricks Communications
Chesterfield, MO.

Exhibit builders are pushing the creative envelope by drawing upon new substrates, as well as fabrication techniques that make the most of a substrate's properties. Take the case of Artisan Complete in Markham, Ontario (near Toronto). Design strategy and careful materials selection combine to make the most of limited floor space in their trade show booth.

"The intent of the design was to create an ‘environment' in the 20' x 20' floor area," said Merrill Howard of Artisan Complete. "In order to maximize the limited floor space, a central hub was created with the counter while illuminated lightboxes anchored the corners. Overhead archways joined these parts together and created a canopy for the booth -- giving the space width, depth, as well as height, while maintaining an open and inviting character in its presentation."

Key to booth success was the selection, and fabrication, of materials for components of the booth, which involved:

• Metal stands, each containing a double facing of lightboxes, placed in each of the four corners of the booth. The lightboxes were clad with Kapa® Bloc material, a composite board with a core of foamed polyurethane and melamine impregnated paper liners, manufactured by Alcan Composites USA Inc., St. Louis, MO.
• Four metal uprights, attached to the counter, spaced apart with a 12" metal band to support the copy panel. The outsides of these uprights were clad with Kapa Bloc.
• Arches, which tie together the four corner units to the center unit, made from Kapa Bloc. Each arch was 144" long (made up of two 72" sections) and was joined with metal connectors, which also acted as spacers.
• A Viking ship that "sails," suspended by wires from the ceiling at the exhibit hall. The ship is constructed entirely of white double-wall corrugated. A 110-v. motor drives a custom-made aluminum linkage to which the 12 oars, made from plastic tubing, are attached. The Artisan Complete logo was digitally printed on the canvas sail.

There were 22 sheets (48" x 96") of Kapa Bloc in 3/4" thickness used for the booth. Each sheet was screenprinted one color metallic on two sides and router cut to final size.

"Materials were chosen for several reasons," said Merrill. "Rigidity from the Kapa Bloc was definitely required for spans of this length. Light weight was another factor. Two people assembled and erected his display, and the only tools required were a screwdriver and foam tape. Also, the Kapa Bloc has an excellent printing surface, as well as a smooth finish after router cutting."

The overall booth was designed by the Artisan Complete industrial designer in the company's Permanent Display Department. The Viking ship was designed and produced by one of the company's structural designers in the Temporary Display Department. Artisan Complete was established in 1971 as a screenprinting company for the sign and advertising industry. Four years ago, they expanded to include the creation and production of temporary and permanent displays. The company focuses on the growing POP advertising display market, Merrill indicated.

Surface Finishes And Colors

While Kapa Bloc is relatively new to the North American marketplace, many other substrate innovations in recent years are variations in surface finishes and colors of previously existing products.
Consider Sintra®top material, also from Alcan, a product which offers the same fabrication ease as Sintra Material, the original rigid board of moderately expanded polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Yet, in addition to a high-gloss, surface finish, Sintratop material offers a higher degree of UV resistance and greater moisture resistance than many types of alternative substrates.
In fabricating one display, Harrison-Williams Fixtures Inc., St. Louis, created giant-size "crayons" from Sintratop material -- taking advantage of the high-gloss surface to replicate the shiny surface of crayons.
"These crayons were simply drape-formed over a plywood mold, so no expensive tooling was required," said Casey Harrison, president of Harrison-Williams. "Heating cycle time was short, the same as for classic Sintra material," Harrison said. The material used was 3mm thick, and it was heated in a small infrared oven for even heat throughout. Ribs were CNC cut and epoxied into place to keep the crayon shape. The cone fronts were also CNC machined and heat formed over a drape mold. Graphics on the outside of the crayons (in Sintratop colors of yellow, blue, red and black) were standard matte vinyl letters, to provide a contrast with the gloss finish.

The look of metal and lava, fabricated from Sintra® material.

Another designer/fabricator, Dillon Works! Inc., Mukilteo, WA, has used Sintra material for a cut-out logo featuring a character swinging a sledgehammer. The Sintra material is painted to look like steel on a lava-look base. Fabricated for a Kirkland, WA, ad agency by the name of Brandhammer, this creation gives the impression of strength and mass from a lightweight but rigid material. In addition to working with plastics, woods and metals, the company has a Soft Goods Shop with the capabilities of a typical industrial sewing shop, as well as the ability to dye fabrics. Other materials sometimes used include leather, heavy canvas, faux fur, fleeces, as well as foam rubber. Yet, due to creative design and fabrication, it can be difficult to tell one material from another in the finished product.

So, while one fabricator made a plastic material look like crayon wax and another made the material look like brushed metal, yet another fabricator made a metal composite material look like paper!

When Dibond material (two sheets of aluminum bonded to a thermoplastic core from Alcan) was relatively new, Condit Exhibits of Denver, CO, fabricated it into curves to look like paper. At that time, the material came pre-finished in white. The paper looking "scroll" was then suspended above the exhibit, leading through rollers symbolic of the printing process. The scroll became a focal point for the exhibit below -- an exhibit for Mail-Well of Denver -- to communicate its image as an envelope manufacturer and a high-quality commercial printer. More recently, Dibond material has been introduced in colors of hunter red, caution yelllow and ultra marine blue, as well as silver metallic, bronze and butler finish, a brushed aluminum finish with a polyester clear coat.

An Increasing Trend

Innovation in substrates is a trend that's likely to increase, according to James P. McCrmick, senior group vice president of Alcan Composites USA Inc., which manufactures a variety of creative sheet materials. It's a trend driven by the need of exhibit and display builders to obtain precisely the product they want for specific applications. It's a trend that will require "continuous new product development," he maintains. That helps explain why the Sintra family of products now includes Sintratop material and Sintra®fix material (classic Sintra material coated with a "hi-tack" adhesive and a removable release liner).
When it comes to the creative use of substrates in exhibits and displays, look closely. It may be hard to tell wherer the manufacturing ends and the design/fabrication begins. eb