Beverage Tray Makeover: Slip-Free With TPE

Even a product as common and mature as a beverage tray can benefit from a little injection of TPE. A father and son team of designers, Dick and Rick Wright, set out to improve the venerable 12-inch beverage tray used in bars, restaurants and sports venues worldwide.

The first improvement was the addition of a handle on the bottom to give servers a better hold. To keep the tray from getting wet when sitting on the bar, four small feet were added to the bottom. GLS Corp.’s Versaflex TPE is overmolded onto the handle.

Versaflex is also molded onto the top surface of the tray. The TPE can be printed to personalize the tray for venue or product-related promotion.

“There are difficulties getting ink to adhere to a TPE surface,” recalls Mark Bennici of MB Manufacturing, whose firm was charged with imprinting the tray surfaces. A proprietary ink formulation solved the problem. “Purposefully destroying the TPE surface would be the only way to remove the ink.”

The Versaflex material was chosen for its ability to repel water, alcohol and cleaning solvents, and reduce slippage.

GLS Corp. 815-385-8500