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By Suzanne Vangilder
Customers of EuroCraft Cabinets have a strong preference for plywood kitchens (see “Investing in Flexibility,” page xx). And there is nothing wrong with that–until they ask for high-gloss acrylic on plywood. Acrylic is typically laid up on an MDF substrate because surface imperfections telegraph and mar the high-gloss finish. Achieving such an unconventional lamination without compromising quality requires a specialist.
“During a Stiles Executive Briefing Conference, we toured Premier Eurocase in Denver,” said Jeff Canter, vice president of EuroCraft Cabinets “With Andy’s technology, we knew he would be able to modify his Reflekt high-gloss panels to meet our customers’ plywood demand.”
Andy Wilzoch, president of Premier Eurocase, invests in flexible technology that he believes is the future.
“The craftsman is gone. It’s the machines that produce quality,” Wilzoch said. “We are about producing the best finished product, and you can’t do that unless you have the best processing equipment.”
In this case, the solution was found in Wilzoch’s Class-100 (ISO 5) PUR clean room, a specialized environment within the greater 300,000-square-foot facility.
“It’s got the Burkle PUR line inside, and it is where we process all of our sensitive materials,” Wilzoch said. “If you don’t have a clean room and you are laminating high-gloss acrylic, you’re going to have a problem. A piece of dust in the air will create a bump.”
All of Premier Eurocase’s Reflekt products start with scratch-resistant acrylic from Senoplast that is UV stabilized to retain color and luster without polishing.
“The challenge with plywood is there is a little bit of telegraphing, even with fine sanding,” Wilzoch said. “So we adjust the glue levels and do a little more filling. Those are the Premier things we do because our customers have special needs and we are willing to develop solutions. There is no magic to it. It just has to be perfect.”
The PUR line goes far beyond laminating high-gloss.
“Everything we invest in is flexible, so we can move from industry to industry. We do all of our sensitive materials in the clean room. We laminate aluminum to honeycomb for people,” Wilzoch said. “Our work is very diverse, but it’s all the same stuff. It’s not like I have five separate companies … I am one company that uses all the same machines to support different industries.”
