WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Attendees of the June 8 Closets and Wood Pro conferences will tour the manufacturing facility of Ultrapan Modern Finishes, a company that specializes in surfacing panels with decorative acrylic films.
The tour will spotlight Ultrapan’s technology and processes, including its cleanroom where a specially formulated PUR moisture curing hotmelt adhesive is applied to bond the surface material to the substrate. Visitors will also learn about Ultrapan’s ability to produce high-volume runs using rolls of material versus custom jobs using single sheets at a time.
Ultrapan’s product line includes Ultra-X acrylic high-gloss and super matte panels. Both the high gloss and super matte panels feature a hard-coated lacquer, scratch-resistant surface.
“High-gloss acrylic panels became very popular in Europe about a decade ago,” said Darren Mindlin, sales manager of Ultrapan based in Coral Springs, Fla. “It took a while for the North American market to embrace high-gloss, but now it is really taking off. Five years ago, you might have seen a closet with high-gloss used for drawer faces or an island, but now we’re seeing complete closets made with high-gloss panels.”
Mindlin said one of Ultrapan’s biggest competitive advantages is its ability to offer customers a wide range of substrate materials and thicknesses. “We do a lot of panels using ¾-inch MDF but we’re not limited to that. We can do things like ¼-inch, 1-inch, 1.5 inch, plywood core and fire-rated cores. If someone needs a bunk of mirror-like white gloss panels, no problem. But we can also make one orange gloss panel if that’s what the customer wants.”
“Most people who are into technology leave here blown away,” Mindlin added. “I recently had a custom cabinet guy visit, who said, ‘Wow! What you are doing here is amazing.’”
I In addition to seeing Ultrapan panels made, attendees will be able to see them fabricated into components at Doormark, another stop on the tour. Ultrapan and Doormark are also exhibiting at the Closets Expo and Wood Pro Expo Florida June 9-10 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
The afternoon tour package also includes a visit to The Closet Company, a manufacturer of custom closet and home storage solutions.
About the Closets Conference & Expo and Wood Pro Expo Florida
The Closets Conference & Expo is the annual national event for closet and home storage professionals. It is co-located with Wood Pro Expo Florida (WPE), a regional marketplace for woodworking professionals. The events are organized by Closets & Organized Storage and FDMC magazines respectively, each part of Woodworking Network. The twin-billing event is scheduled for June 8-10, 2021, at the Palm Beach Convention Center in Palm Beach, Fla.
The Closets Expo and WPE both lead off with a separate full-day conference on June 8, followed by the two-day expo, June 9-10, featuring woodworking machinery and supplies. Additional educational programming is offered on both days of the expo. Tours of local manufacturing plants and the popular Top Shelf Design Awards networking reception are also key components of the event.
For information about exhibiting, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Laurel Didier, publisher of Closets & Home Storage. For inquiries about WPE, contact Harry Urban, publisher of Woodworking Network.
Additional Woodworking Network events
Wood Pro Expo Lancaster, Oct.14-15, 2021, Warehouse at the Nook, Lancaster County, Pa. -- Annual woodworking trade show and conference
Executive Briefing Conference (EBC) Sept. 8-10, 2021, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Annual forecast of economic, technology and design trends for the North American woodworking industry.
Woodworking Machinery & Supply Conference & Expo (WMS), Nov. 4-6, 2021, International Centre, MIssissauga, Ontario -- Canada's national woodworking show.
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