Plastics as we broadly understand them today are synthetic or semi- synthetic products or raw materials, formed by polymerization, and largely derived from oil. Polymerization is the formation of polymers, i.e. repeated numbers of smaller structures (monomers) joined together. Modern advances in plastic fabrication, molding, casting, extrusion, cutting, bending, machining, gluing, welding, stamping of sheets, plastic engraving, fibers, and solid blocks mean that our imagination provides the only real limitations to what form plastics can take.

What’s so good about plastics?

Plastics are relatively light and very durable. The hundreds of different plastic varieties are recyclable, although it’s only in recent years that our society has begun to take advantage of plastic recycling. Plastics have great thermal and insulating properties (clothes, carpets, bedding, etc), are extremely strong, and resistant to many chemicals and water. Most notably, however, plastics have proven relatively inexpensive to produce, and are so versatile that they can take on almost any form and color.

What are the popular types of plastics and what’s the difference between them?

Acrylics
These were developed in the 1930s. Acrylics are particularly resistant to the weather and the sun. Acrylic is particularly effective as a ‘clear’ plastic as it transmits light brilliantly. Applications for acrylics include brochure holders, signs, display cases, boat windows, and point of purschase displays, to name a few.

Plexiglas
Often wrongly spelled as “Plexiglass,” Plexiglas is actually a brand name for a kind of clear thermoplastic resin that’s a cross between acrylic and polycarbonate.

Polycarbonate
First developed in the 1950s, these thermoplastics most popularly have engineering applications. This is due to polycarbonates’ strength coupled with their versatility and electrical insulating properties. Applications include machine guards, capacitors, gaskets, etc.

Perspex
This is a variety of polycarbonate. It is popularly developed in sheet form and widely recognized as a kind of ‘clear’ plastic.

Polypropylene
Another plastic developed in the 1950s with industrial applications, this is particularly suitable for hot fill packaging because it has low density but is very rigid. Other applications include carpeting and packaging.

PVC
Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) can be shaped and molded into an exceptionally wide variety of products. Chemical Plant Industry applications of PVC include water tight tanks, and ducting for Clean Air Systems.

PETG
Polyethylene Terephalate Glycol (PETG) is another industrial thermoplastic. Applications include frames, sign holders, and point of purchase displays.  If you ask most people, they’d be hard-pressed to tell you what plastics actually are, and even more hard-pressed to tell you the difference between the many types. The irony of this is that plastics are a central and essential part of daily modern life.

In-store advertising, such as point-of-purchase displays (also known as “POP” displays), directly influences 53-60% of consumer purchases, according to the Point-of-Purchase Advertising Institute. That’s more than half of all your sales. With numbers like these, it’s a good idea for retailers and restaurateurs to ad POP displays to the advertising mix. Types and styles of point-of-purchase displays vary, so it’s important to tailor your display to whatever it is you’re advertising. A lighted menu board may work for one scenario whereas ceiling danglers may work in another.

Benefits of POP Displays

No matter what type you choose, however, when executed well, POP displays can help:
1. Customers make informed buying decisions
2. Encourage impulse buys
3. Increase sales
4. Brand your company across multiple locations

Making POP Displays Work for You

Once you have familiarized yourself with the different types of POP displays and their respective benefits, you can begin to think about how to make your display work in your place of business. For example, if your business is a restaurant, menu boards, table tents, counter-displays, and floor stands can encourage customers to try new items, order add-ons, or ask for specials. You can also use POP displays to promote special products for sale inside your restaurant or advertise upcoming community events. Anything you can think of to boost traffic in and brand your restaurant can be promoted with a point of purchase display.
On the other hand, if your business is a retail store, shelf signage is invaluable to pointing customers in the right direction. When looking at a shelf filled with different products, customers are likely to pick up one that’s highlighted with a sign or tag. Whether you want to promote a product on sale, a new or improved version, or advertise a special benefit, shelf signage draws attention where you want it most.

Knowing What You Want

Some POP suppliers offer a wide range of displays; others specialize in one type. Finding the right supplier depends largely on the type of POP display you want to create. You can find anything from small sign holders to large signs but it helps considerably if you have an idea of what you want before you make a purchase! Search display suppliers online and look at their stock for possible ideas.

Getting Creative

Consider hanging signs from the ceiling or applying them directly to the floor of your business. Anywhere you can catch the customer’s attention is a perfect place for a point-of-purchase display, and a point-of-purchase display is the perfect way to grab the customer’s attention – and make sure they grab your product. Finally, if you execute your POP promotions well, you should see an increase in sales and traffic, and a positive difference in your bottom line.

Getting Started

Think you’re ready to start using POP displays in your business? Consider these tips when executing:

• Ask neighboring restaurants to add a table tent to each table offering customers a cross-promotion at your business.
• Use a local quick-print shop to print point-of-purchase signage and you can add new promotions to your store frequently without breaking the bank.
• Before you start designing promotions, walk through stores you feel comfortable in and check out their signage and point-of-purchase displays.
• If you have more than one store, or more than one POP display in a store, make sure they have the same look and feel in order to create a unified brand.

Good luck.

As a customer, you may be interested to know how some of our processes work. One of these processes is “cementing” acrylic pieces. In the manufacturing of acrylic display stands, brochure displays, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays, this is an important step that we undertake every day. Basically, we glue styrene pockets on to styrene parts and glue acrylic pockets on to acrylic parts. How do we do it? The first step is preparing the area to be cemented. Plastic edges need to be cleanly cut and properly machined. A chipped edge may result in “crazing” of the material, which would need to be finished on a jointer or a shaper. We’re careful not to polish the edges because this will produce a convex edge with rounded corners which results in a weak, unattractive joint.

Industrial Thermometer

Crazing may also occur if internal stresses from shop fabrication are too extreme. To eliminate this, we would anneal the piece at 180°F. Through the annealing process, heating and cooling time (in hours) needs to each equal the material thickness in millimeters, up to 6 mm. For example, you would heat a 3 mm thick sheet for three hours and allow it to cool gradually for three hours. For thin sheet, the annealing time should be at least two hours. It is not necessary to heat a thin piece for more than six hours, though it will not be harmful to the sheet if heating time is extended. Capillary Cementing: Capillary cementing is probably the most popular way of joining acrylic sheet. It works because of a low viscosity and because it allows solvent type cement to flow through a joint area by capillary action. This process yields a strong, transparent joint.

Acrylic Joint, Source: Natural Handyman

Of course, before we use a solvent or other type cement we review the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for that particular product. In addition, adequate ventilation must be provided and the manufacturer’s guidelines for proper use should always be followed when using solvents. The other key it to make sure all parts fit together properly. We then join the pieces together with masking tape or clamp them into a form that will support the pieces. Then, we hold them firmly in place. We do this for almost all brochure displays, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays we manufacture. If for whatever reason the cement does not flow completely into the joint, we tilt the vertical piece very slightly toward the outside. This allows the solvent to flow freely into the entire joint. Then, we tilt the piece back again for a square corner. The initial bond forms in five to ten seconds. We wait three hours before doing subsequent processing. Maximum strength is reached in 24-48 hours and continues to build for several weeks. If you need a brochure display, rack, counter display, donation / suggestion box or point of purchase (p.o.p) display, get in touch with us today