Sustainability With Flat Cut Acrylic At Gemini
As a wholesale manufacturer, we identify ways to leverage quality and efficiency while limiting our environmental impact to deliver signage solutions. Investing in our manufacturing facilities and materials allows us to minimize waste in our extruded flat cut acrylic production process. How we manufacture our extruded flat cut acrylic products directly impacts how we can recycle these materials and maximize production resources.
Superior In-house Quality
At Gemini, our flat cut acrylic starts with our state-of-the-art extruder plant. We extrude our own acrylic in 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch thick sheets, allowing us to produce cost-effective acrylic sheets quickly in-house. This benefits our customers by controlling quality and providing shorter lead times without us having to purchase extruded sheets. We laser-cut designs on our acrylic sheets with exacting precision and create beautiful, sharp letters and logos.
More Choices With Consistent, Lean Processes
In 1977, we started acrylic production with two thicknesses and five to six colors. Throughout the years, we have upgraded our equipment and streamlined processes. Today, we offer eight thicknesses and can virtually match any color provided, offering more choices for versatile designs. As designs vary from order to order, our manufacturing and recycling processes are consistent.
- We receive a customer order for flat cut acrylic letters and logos between 1/8 inch to ½ inch thick.
- Our advanced technology then groups orders to maximize the usable space on the acrylic sheet.
- Then, the letters and logos are laser-cut, providing a clean, precise edge.
- The acrylic skeleton is separated from the letters and logos to be taken, sorted, and recycled by sheet color.
- The scrap acrylic is transferred to the appropriate facility for further processing.
- After receiving the scrap acrylic, our machines regrind the discarded acrylic.
- The recycled acrylic is added to new materials to make another extruded acrylic sheet.
By recycling our scrap acrylic, we use significantly fewer new materials to make additional extruded acrylic sheets. Our custom inkjet printing technology lets us print directly on the acrylic substrate with dimensionally stable, highly saturated color inks to reproduce virtually any image or design. Our inks are tested for UV resistance and are UV-stable. We are also fully equipped to paint acrylic letters and logos with standard or custom paint colors. Through this process, 100% of our internally generated extruded acrylic scrap is recycled, and up to 45% of our extruded acrylic products contain recycled material.
As we manufacture high-quality products, customers can expect consistency and feel good about partnering with us. We put sustainability into practice by staying true to our values and taking pride in thinking and planning for the long term. Read more about Gemini's environmental stewardship and how our values align with our collective future.
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Gemini is a wholesale manufacturer of solutions that identify, direct, and protect the world. For over 55 years, Gemini has been an industry leader producing made-to-order dimensional signage, plates, plaques, cast bronze memorials, industrial protective cases, and plastic parts. Gemini is a second-generation family-owned business headquartered in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, with production facilities throughout North America. For more information, visit geminimade.com.
