Operation Transformation

Print Shop: PUZZLE | wearepuzzle.com
Location: Akron, Ohio
Tools and Supplies: Drytac ReTac Textures Canvas, Drytac ReTac Textures Woodgrain, 3 – and 6-mm Pa|ram Palight Foam PVC Sheet White, 1/4 -in. Optix Clear Acrylic Plastic Sheet, UltraBoard foamcore panel, Avery Dennison MPI 2903 EZ-Apply 3-mil calendered gloss adhesive-backed vinyl, Avery Dennison DOL 1380Z Cast matte laminate, CET 500 flatbed UV printer, HP Latex 365 printer, Mimaki CG-160FXII 63-in. cutter, AXYZ 5 x 10-ft CNC router, Seal Image 600 laminator

ANYONE WHO PURCHASES the naming rights of a building can expect to have a huge project on their hands. Not only do signs need replacing, but sometimes there are entire floor plans that need remodeling. This was the case for Kaulig Companies when they bought the naming rights for the club level at University of Akron’s InfoCision Stadium. Ahead of the 2022 football season, Kaulig needed the help of its longtime project partner, Puzzle Creative Solutions. Aptly named, Puzzle put together all the pieces of designing, fabricating, and installing an incredible branding package.

Puzzle used multiple substrates and multiple printing and finishing processes to turn what was basically a blank canvas into a club floor, complete with floor-to-ceiling wall murals, woodgrain vinyl-wrapped TV columns, and numerous dimensional graphics. Going back to the basics, the company used Drytac Retac, a material the team has trusted for 20-plus years. Laminated with a Seal Image 600 laminator and cut with a Mimaki CG-160FXII 63-inch vinyl cutting plotter, the material covered nearly 70 percent of the wall space. The other 30 percent was covered with dimensional elements that consisted of 3- and 6-mm Palram Palight Foam PVC Sheet White, 1/4-inch Optix Clear Acrylic Plastic Sheet, and UltraBoard foamcore panel (polystyrene face) WBB. Using two printers, CET 500 flatbed UV press and an HP Latex 365, Puzzle had an amazing turnaround, completing a 20,000-square-foot club floor in less than 30 days.