Display Developments Blog

Ever wondered how they make those small enclosures for medical pills? Which process finds use in museums, souvenir industry, furniture, sanitary wares and even aeronautics? It is Vacuum Forming also known as vacuuforming. This simplified version of thermoforming was first used commercially by Robinson Industries in Michigan, USA. A plastic sheet heated to forming temperatures is held over a mould and is shaped by creating vacuum between the mould and the sheet. It can be used for both shallow and deep moulds but for the later, the plastic sheet needs to be pulled, mechanically or pneumatically, prior to the process.

Why Is Vacuum Forming Better?
The biggest benefit is its economy for small and medium runs of production. It is quick to set up and the tools used are cheaper, than in other methods. In addition, it lends itself to almost any design and there is no need to paint later as colour & texture are formed in during the process itself.

Some Issues
These issues are avoidable but require regular monitoring before and during the process. Moisture, if any, can form into bubbles inside the plastic, so the plastic sheet needs to be completely dried before the process. The mould should be regularly monitored to avoid webbing. Also, the angle, while forming, needs to be 3 degrees or more to avoid sticking of plastic to the mould. For long this was seen as a very sophisticated process but newer smaller machines have made Vacuum Forming a viable alternative to injection moulding.

Vacuum forming is used by Display Developments as well as Plastic fabrication. So contact us today and see how we can help you!

British Plastic Federation Director-General Peter Davis urged the plastics industry to examine the potential of Graphene.

Speaking from the Annual Meeting of the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network on 3rd May, he said: “Graphene is the strongest material ever measured, the thinnest material imaginable but with record thermal conductivity. It’s obvious that Plastics can be the carrier material but graphene can also add massive innovation to existing plastics applications.”

The theory behind the substance graphene was first explored by theoretical physicist Philip Wallace in 1947 as kind of a starting point when he was doing research trying to understand the electronic properties of more complex, 3D graphite. Graphene in itself however wasn’t discovered until 2004 in its full observable and testable form.

According to bigthink.com, “Some say that it will be heralded as one of the materials that will literally change our lives in the 21st century. Not only is graphene the thinnest possible material that is feasible, but it’s also about 200 times stronger than steel and conducts electricity better than any material known to man—at room temperature. Researchers at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering who proved that graphene is the strongest material ever measured said that “It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of Saran Wrap.”

Two Manchester-based scientists, Konstantin Novoselow and Andre Geim, were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics for their pioneering work on the discovery of graphene. Exactly a year after, the UK government has pledged £50m towards developing technologies from this super-strong material.

Whether you are interested in new product development or finding a high quality point of sale displays, contact Display Developments. Also, learn more about their plastic fabrication and assembly capability.

Good signage for the public is essential for many businesses. If the business has frequently changing information that it needs to put across clearly and attractively, chalkboards are a good and reasonably-priced option. A menu written up on a board gives out the subliminal message that this is a homely, customer-friendly establishment. Such boards can also be used by businesses in a training context, and hotels and conferences centres may usefully consider stocking them.

Benefits of using chalkboards

These boards enable businesses to change the information they are displaying to the public very quickly and easily. Restaurants and pubs with changing menus will find them invaluable. Whiteboards can be used in a similar way, but using chalk with a board has several advantages over whiteboards: chalk is cheaper than whiteboard markers and requires no special care; it has no odours; it can be used to create realistic and attractive pictures as well as text; and the contrast of white (and other pale colours) on black is more effective than dark on white.

Sourcing chalkboards

Businesses can buy such boards in small or large quantities easily online. Another option is to employ someone to create boards personalised to the needs of the business in question. A family signwriting business will be able to supply boards and artwork, and update this as needed. Artists are now designing and selling custom-made illustrated menus in this medium: people who possess a talent for drawing and equip themselves with good chalks or oil pastels can make signs which can really boost the business for which they are made.

Menu display cases and chalkboards can be found at Display Developments, so contact us today to see how we can help make your business stand out.

When visiting a city that you know very little about, the task of planning what to do while you’re there can be a bit overwhelming. Where do you find information on tourist sights in the city?

When you arrive at your holiday destination, you want to know information about the local attraction and events that are happening over the next couple of weeks at the surrounding pubs, clubs and other venues. Usually this information is available in hotel foyers, holiday park receptions and at camping and caravan parks in the form of racks of leaflets and notice boards.

Whether you are looking for somewhere to stay or somewhere to eat the tourist information kiosks have all the answers. Tourist offices and information points will help you to discover all corners of the city! It can provide useful information about interesting places to see, bus timetables, which bus to catch to see ‘that’ place, maps and other related services. As well as providing information on local services and attractions, it sells local wares and promotes the work of local artists.

There is an extensive network of Tourist Information Offices and Visitor Information Points around UK. Travel advisors are usually more than happy to advise tourists and to provide assistance and information. Generally, travel brochures contain a brief summary of important places, the location including a map, Geography, Major cities, Well-known places, Historic Landmarks, Recreation and Outdoor Activities, Entertainment, Climate, Transportation, Arts and Culture including museums and theatres, Local languages and Food.

Whether you need leaflet holders or brochure holders, contact Display Developments today to see how we can help your marketing displays really leap out at customers.

Can you imagine cutting CO2 emissions and purifying water with plastic? A plastic membrane which is similar to the membrane found in plants has been developed as part of an international collaboration involving researchers from Hanyang University in Korea, the University of Texas and CSIRO. The discovery was announced in 2007 in the international journal Science.

This innovative plastic membrane not only allows carbon dioxide and other small molecules to move through its hourglass-shaped pores, but, also prevents the movement of larger molecules like methane. The secret to the new plastic lies in the hourglass shape of its pores, which help to separate molecules faster and using less energy than other pore shapes.

“The ability of the new plastic to separate small molecules surpasses the limits of any conventional plastics. It can separate carbon dioxide from natural gas a few hundred times faster than current plastic membranes and its performance is four times better in terms of purity of the separated gas,” said Dr Anita Hill of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering.

Commenting on the subject, director of the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Dr Tom Hatton said: “Because it is so much more efficient than conventional plastic membranes, this material has huge potential to reduce the environmental footprint of water recycling and desalination.” It remains to be seen if commercial companies are interested, either for water desalination or for natural gas processing plants.

Display Developments’ fabrication and assembly team provide a range of essential plastics manufacturing services with full custom fabrication ability. Learn more about their plastic fabrication and assembly capability. They also offer display products such as brochure holders and menu display cases.

In-store campaigns have returned to relatively low-tech tactics, but with more of a sophisticated strategy than ever before. Low-tech doesn’t mean low-impact. Marketers are now relying on old standbys like shelf-talkers and end-cap displays.

Shelf-talkers, POS displays, in-store specials – they’re all meant to help grocery shoppers make up their minds. Moreover, collaboration between retailers and manufacturers has grown increasingly complex.

Manufacturers competing for shelf space are paying more attention to what retailers want from in-store promotions.

Campbell Soup, an American producer of canned soups and related products, opted for shelf-talkers rather than more expensive sampling or end-cap displays. Many grocers think shelf-talkers are overused, but Campbell “felt something on-shelf would help shoppers locate the product a lot faster” among hundreds of soup varieties.

To introduce some new recipes Campbell’s promotional agency and Performance developed a 2-sided shelf talker that included both a wheel with the general meat categories and fold-out take-one pads with the detailed recipes.

The wheel was printed on a heavy vinyl and the body of the talker was printed on a lighter vinyl, folded and taped. The wheel was attached to the body of the talker, and the reinforced take-one pads were then taped to the talker. The shelf talker is designed to stick out on the aisle and can be a point of sale display.

Nowadays, manufacturers with direct-store delivery use their own delivery staff to handle merchandising, and can easily customize displays to each store.

Display Developments offer shelf edge talkers that are manufactured in 1mm clear pvc and can be displayed above and below shelf. The company also offers brochure holders, chalkboards and display cases.

Developing intelligent and relevant retail package design solutions is one of the most cost efficient ways of using your marketing budget to influence the purchase decisions of consumers at retail. At least this is what manufacturers believe.

Apparently consumers have a very different purchase decision pattern. “Two-thirds of shoppers decide on their store brands purchases in the store and at the shelf versus traditional CPG product purchases, which are predominantly (80 percent) decided at home,” says Thom Blischok, global President of Symphony IRI.

According to Store Brands Decisions, “Shoppers have permanently altered their buying habits. “We are not consuming as much as we have over the past 25 years and shoppers are more enlightened” searching for affordable, nutritious and safe products.

IRI study finds that 55 per cent of consumers only buy store brands from store banners they trust; 47 per cent choose to shop at certain stores because of a retailer’s store brands; and while 53 per cent of customers prefer stores that have a large variety of store brands.

It has become common for those in consumer products to state that 70 percent of all decisions on what brand to buy are made at the shelf. A 2008 study from OgilvyAction shows that 39.4 percent is the real number of consumers who wait until they’re in a store before deciding what brand to buy. About 10 percent change their minds while in the store and 20 percent leave a product on the shelf that they intended to buy.

Whether it’s 70% or 40%, the key point is the great opportunity that retailers and their suppliers have to dramatically influence consumer buying behaviors. Everyone recognizes the impact of sampling and product displays on sales.

From leaflet holders and display cases to point of sale displays, Display Developments have the right display equipment to get your brands noticed and your products sold.

Brochures and flyers are known as effective marketing tools, with a format that showcases your products, services and company with style, effectiveness and readability. Whether for a mailing piece, tradeshow materials or a sell sheet, brochures are perfect.

Nowadays, brochure designs are superbly designed for effective marketing campaign purposes. Brochures can be folded in a variety of ways to compliment the design aesthetics and desired result of your brochure or flyer. One can get brochures in Trifold, Half-fold, Bi-fold, Gatefold, Z-fold, Roll fold, Double Parallel Fold and more!

As its name suggests a trifold brochure is a type of brochure that has barrel fold. Three folds will form the part of its design. Tri-fold brochure designs are commonly used by a lot of companies since this standard type of brochure fold is very practical due to the availability of software or program it is used in making a tri-fold brochure.

Its design can be done using Microsoft word. The page set up option in the Microsoft word can be used to create a trifold brochure design. Simple pictures and content can be added to the brochure. Later the print out can be printed with a professional printer on a glossy sheet or it can be printed by a normal DeskJet printer. But for professional finishing, the printouts must be done with the professional offline printers. Out of all brochure designs, a trifold brochure is the most captivating. There is possibility to show difference in the content and design of each fold. However there can only be subtle difference, a total mismatch will make the content and design less alluring.

Make sure to use leaflet holders and brochure holders to display any type of information or advertisement in an organised manner and to provide proficiency in order to avoid falling or cluttering on the floor or trash!

Since the very first man made plastic was created in the 19th century, varieties of plastic and methods of plastic fabrication have come a long way, not to mention the diverse uses of these processes. Currently there are several categories and types of plastic open to molding and manipulation such as Bakelite, Nylon (a thermoplastic), Polythylenes, PVC (of the more familiar home-insulating variety), Acrylic and Teflon to name but a few. Each has a variety of distinctive features and characteristics which determine the way in which they are fabricated and for what purpose.

The State of the Industry

Plastic fabrication serves a wide variety of purposes, many of which are open to further creativity and innovation in terms of new or less expensive methods, interesting creations, more functions and wider varieties and combinations. As new engineering and welding methods advance with modern technology and research, there are endless possibilities to where this industry could expand to in the coming decades.

Purposes of the Process

Plastic fabrication serves, and will likely always serve, a crucial role in industry, businesses, homes, engineering fields and construction. The purposes it already meets include such a diverse spectrum of factors, from house insulation and retail POS, to laboratory equipment and photographic tools, that the potential for even more interesting uses is huge. Plastic is an everyday material which has become essential to daily life so the methods and functions surrounding its treatment are highly relevant and potentially lucrative activities.

If you’re looking for plastic fabrication services, contact Display Developments. They have over 50 years of experience and also offer other manufacturing services such as vacuum forming.