How One Residential Cabinetmaker Membrane-Pressed Its Way Into The Kiosk And Retail Display Business ATLANTA, GA — Piedmont Woodworking's thriving business in membrane pressing of damage-resistant components of kiosks and retail displays evolved from its pioneering days as a membrane presser of kitchen cabinet doors. The family-owned, commercial construction business relocated from England in 1988 and, with the intention of subcontracting to the construction industry, purchased a bankrupt manufacturer of kitchen cabinets in the Atlanta, GA, area. "Piedmont began building complete kitchen cabinets and other residential cabinetry for local home builders, but the market did not hold sufficient promise due to stiff competition and the limited supply of skilled woodworkers, so we expanded into commercial cabinetry by 1990," recounts John Colby, general manager. "It was a natural move due to our familiarity with commercial construction, but the scarcity of skilled labor essential for efficient production of quality cabinets remained an obstacle to growth," he says. The company was still producing residential cabinets at that time and, due to a high demand for white, was frequently spray painting with lacquer — a problematic finishing method that motivated the company to seek an alternative in the form of membrane pressing. "The headaches inherent with spray painting of cabinet doors disappeared in 1990 when we began membrane pressing with white vinyl," said Colby. The process involves heating, vacuum forming and pressing of a plastic sheet onto a flat or routed wood substrate, causing the sheet to conform to all top and side surfaces of the substrate. Because the sheet can conform to compound curves, one-piece membrane-pressed doors can bear a close resemblance to five-piece painted doors. Piedmont was the first in Georgia with a membrane press, and found it a challenge to produce quality components at the onset. Because the industry was in its infancy, quality MDF, adhesives and vinyls were hard to find, but the process overcame the difficulties of spraying MDF or solid wood with lacquer to produce cabinet doors having a quality white finish. "We saw a future in membrane pressing and thoroughly concentrated on reselling cabinet doors to other cabinet makers in the area. In short order, our competitors became our customers, and the side of our business that built complete kitchen cabinets dropped to nothing," says Colby. Today, half of Piedmont's business is comprised of membrane-pressed residential cabinet components consisting of over 200 door styles in standard and custom sizes for kitchen cabinets as well as bathroom vanities and closet systems, a niche that has grown tremendously over the past five years, according to Colby. All are membrane pressed using American Renolit's Vacuren® film in several shades of white as well as in solid colors and printed patterns. These films range from 0.2mm to 0.5mm in thickness, are produced in both vertical and horizontal grades, and are able to conform to fine details as well as deep recesses in routed substrates, with minimal thin-out. "Woodgrains have experienced significant growth over the last two years and now account for 40 percent of our rigid thermofoil sales, " says Colby, explaining that woodgrain patterns have become far more realistic, and are now available in patterns that match those of popular melamine boards and high pressure laminates. Starting in the mid to late 1990s, when the market for membrane pressed residential cabinet doors was flourishing, the number of competitors grew rapidly, prompting the company to seek additional markets for membrane pressed components. Piedmont began diversifying by using thermofoils to membrane-press bed heads, entertainment centers, mirror frames and other vertical components for manufacturers of hotel and motel furniture, mostly to replace high pressure laminates and achieve compound curves. "The ability to conform to virtually any shape routed into MDF board allowed three dimensional, seamless designs that improved aesthetics and allowed safer, rounded corners while eliminating the edge banding, visible seams and de-lamination associated with high pressure laminates and wood veneers," says Colby. What ultimately attracted Piedmont's current base of commercial fixture and kiosk customers to membrane pressing, however, was the ability to surface components with heavy-gauge sheet products that protect against damage, unsightliness and equipment failure in the field. "For components intended for high traffic environments, we specify Kydex® thermoplastic alloy in gauges from 0.028" to 0.040" (0.7mm to 1.0mm) almost exclusively," says Colby. Produced by Kleerdex Company, the proprietary sheet exhibits impact resistance to 18 ft-lbs/in, modulus of elasticity to 360,000 psi and tensile elongation to 6,100 psi, and is said to resist concentrated cleansers, allowing repeated cleaning of grime and graffiti with no staining or fading. It is available in a range of solid colors, surface textures and graphic patterns including granite and woodgrains, an assortment of which match woodgrain thermofoils of American Renolit, and high pressure laminates and melamine boards of Georgia Pacific®, Uniboard®, Tafisa®, Pionite® and Roseburg®. The trend among producers of surfacing materials to match one another's colors and patterns allows components to be produced using a variety of production methods and materials, yet match in appearance, offering woodworking shops and customers alike a new way to cut cost while improving performance and aesthetics. Today, Piedmont operates two membrane presses in addition to traditional woodworking equipment, surfacing a variety of residential cabinet door products with thermofoil films, and commercial furniture, retail displays and kiosks with heavy-gauge sheet, thermofoil films or a combination thereof. With names like NCR®, Verizon®, Sprint®, Factura®, Dell®, Waste Management®, AMC Movie Theater®, Coca-Cola®, Continental Airlines® and UPS Store® on its commercial products roster, Piedmont has found a success formula — one it will readily rethink should another market opportunity arise.
For information contact:
Piedmont Woodworking
4250 Davis Academy Road
Rutledge, GA 30663
1-888-247-9009
piedmont@piedmontwoodworking.com
www.piedmontwoodworking.com Kleerdex Company, LLC
6685 Low Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
1-800-325-3133
info@kleerdex.com
www.kydex.com |
