Go from ordinary to extraordinary with laminated plastic
What do you see when a big, shiny, new truck drives down the road? We see the different laminated plastic pieces that make that truck standout and withstand all types of weather and wear and tear. Now, you might think (and this is pretty common) that laminated plastic is an upgrade to your custom thermoform product that you can’t afford, but in most cases this 100% customizable finish is more cost effective than paint and definitely looks better.
What is laminated plastic?
Laminated plastic is when we take the main plastic substrate for your project and apply a decorative laminating film to it. We can either apply your chosen decorative lamination during the plastic extrusion process or after the plastic sheets are formed.
“With these decorative films, you can make your plastic thermoformed product stand out,” said Jon Larson, Allied Plastics OEM Sales Manager. “Make plastic fantastic! The ability to decorate and customize your parts is almost endless.”
Endless options with the right plastic types
Plastic is one of the most durable products out there, and applying a custom laminating film won’t affect that – in fact, most often the lamination adds durability, more weatherproofing and has the ability to include UV inhibitors to prevent color fading.
“These laminated plastic components are built to look good and make a statement, but they’re also built to get dirty and make it through some tough environments,” Larson said.
From bumpers on heavy trucks with a chrome laminate, or laminate that we match to the branded paint color to boat consoles with wood grains, to even a metallic flake finish – the possibilities of laminated plastic are endless.
Lower price tag, better look
The word “custom” comes with visions of dollars signs to most people, but when you’re looking at getting a thermoformed plastic part laminated that’s not always the case.
“With our process and options, our laminated plastic should be a more cost-effective solution vs. painting,” Larson said.
Not only will the price tag likely be lower, but the quality and look of the product will be better.
“I 100% believe the finished look of laminated plastic looks better than a painted plastic,” Larson said.
Have you ever looked at the outside of an orange peel? If you haven’t…it’s bumpy, there are imperfections and the color is dull. With laminated plastic you can achieve a better depth of image, a higher gloss finish, and consistency across the entire product with fewer imperfections.
“There’s no orange peel finish here…unless that’s the custom laminate you’re looking for,” Larson said.
If options are endless, where do I start?
We have several laminate samples for you to get ideas from, but if you have an exact idea of what you want, we can also work with that.
We could work with our laminate vendor – who has hundreds of options – to see if they have a match, or we can get the film supplier to make a custom film if minimum order requirements are met.
“A completely custom finish built around your brand or idea is definitely a possibility,” Larson said.
We know you want to see how you can make your custom thermoformed plastic components look better! Let’s talk about your ideas.