Unique Letters Spell Exhibit Success

You might expect a company by the name of Polyplastic Forms, Inc. to create a trade show exhibit of all-plastic material, but this one was able to achieve an industry "first." Large dimensional letters (30" high and 12" thick) in red Sintra® Material spell out "Poly" on a booth created entirely of the foamed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) board. Introduced at a recent trade show, the newly developed process of forming the letters from foamed PVC board is proprietary to Polyplastic, according to Tom Garrett, president of Polyplastic Forms, Inc., Farmingdale, New York.



The process can produce letters up to 96" high and has produced letters 24" thick. The letters are formed to be hollow; yet the combination of process and material allows them to remain rigid, as well as lightweight. Garrett said the process grew out of an assignment to develop archways over the aisles at a retail chain. That assignment required archways that were thick and heavy looking but lightweight. "We decided that the process would lend itself well to creating dramatic letters that meet the special requirements of exhibit use," he said.

Another focal point for the Polyplastic exhibit is the "Poly Parrot," an 8'-tall parrot that's 6" thick. It represents what has been the company's logo for more than 50 years. Cut from Sintra Material using a computerized process, the parrot features multi-colored feathers and a red sport coat. Poly Parrot rotates on top of a 10' tower. Two other towers, each 8' high, are situated at corners of the modular 20' x 20' exhibit. The exhibit's floors were fashioned from bright white Sintra Material. Later, green material was added to form an exterior border. One of the exhibit's modules has a wall 7' high x 7' wide. Hanging on the wall are products of Sintra Material which have been manufactured for clients. Trusses connecting the towers feature signs that hide wiring for display lights. Other display and storage elements using the foamed PVC board are cabinets and a display table that also holds samples produced for the company's clients.

"The design has allowed good utilization of space, and we've had a lot of compliments about the exhibit," said Garrett. "It seems to attract a lot of attention." Polyplastic has been designing and fabricating products from plastic since 1940. "We have been able to achieve good results using traditional machinery as well as computerized equipment to work with Sintra Material," said Garrett. "We like using lightweight but rigid, durable materials –– materials which are easy to work with, regardless of the equipment used. Of course, colors are important, too, and I think our exhibit illustrates that."

The material for this project was obtained from Commercial Plastics, the largest independently owned plastic distributor/manufacturer of plastic sheet, rod, tube, film and resin.

Sintra Material, introduced to the American marketplace in 1980, is manufactured domestically by the Benton, Kentucky plant of Alcan Composites USA Inc.

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