StackaWraps are photo-realistic replicas of items such as bottles and cups printed on fabric and held together by an internal skeleton.
The marketing and promotional material is boxed in a flat-pack for cost-effective transportation against fibreglass and Styrofoam products.
Richard Mark Peter produced what he calls world-first software that can turn a flat photo into a 360-degree full wrap-around replica without without stretching or distorting the image.
Uses include retail POS, in-store demos, product launches, pop-ups, events and roadshows, festivals and exhibitions, film props and window dressing. Shapes include beer and coffee-cup forms.
The software converts the flat photo into a 3D image, which then generates a series of panels using a patented process. The software also maps out custom-shaped bulkheads.
Panels of fire-rated fabrics such as nylon roll off large-format kit printed with dye-sublimation inks. They are then cut and sewn together to produce an outer jacket with a zipper.
Bulkheads slot over a central metal tube to create a skeletal frame covered with a tightly fitting jacket. A typical 5ft replica takes five minutes to put up after taking out from its box, said Peter.
“We manufacture StackaWraps for the likes of Communisis, SP Group and Williams Lea but we had to outsource production.
“Our plan now is to licence the software to UK-based fabric print companies where they will manufacture StackaWraps under licence.”
Licences will cost around £6,000 and Peter's company, StackaWraps.com, receives a 15% royalty per unit, plus £120 per studio hour for producing the initial software files for 3D rendering and laser cutting to create the bulkheads.
Peter said he was looking to sell four to five licences. His biggest order had been for 500 units but he had quoted several companies for 5,000.
Typical licensees would be large-format printers producing dye-sublimation fabric banners and POS work, with laser cutting capability to create the bulkheads and a sewing team.
“I feel the licencing side of the business direct to printers is interesting and innovative news for the industry,” said Peter.
Below: StackaWraps are printed on fabric and held together by an internal skeleton
