A Robotic Cardboard Exhibition Stand

Cardbot was to be the feature piece of the exhibition stand. Standing at an impressive 3.5 metres tall, it could not be missed. Claire White, Design Specification Consultant at Antalis provided the creative direction for this animatronic display. It took the notion of the ‘future’ always being intertwined with robotics or technology, but flipped it in on its head to demonstrate that sustainable materials such as those offered by Antalis are the future, and companies have the power to embrace the future now. From her creative vision, our Head of Design, Becca, and 3D Designer and Cardboard Engineer, Dean, developed the concept further, establishing how this vision could be made a reality. The large-scale robot was built entirely from Xanita board, including the intricate control panel hosted on its body with dials and buttons. To make Cardbot even more lifelike, we introduced vocal technology that utilised our Managing Director, Nathan’s, son Etienne, who applied his specialist music production skills to deliver a robotic version of Nathan’s voice.

Applying cardboard engineering, Dean was able to develop CAD drawings of the robot, taking into consideration each component, from the robotic arms to the mechanical body. Using this method, we were able to share prototypes with the Antalis team before the build to ensure Cardbot met their expectations. To add to this, the CAD drawings acted as a highly-detailed blueprint for the print and production teams who, utilising our advanced machinery, were able to follow the design with impeccable accuracy.

Whilst this bionic boxed robot was the focal point of their display, there was still a matter of creating the remaining 4m x 3m open space exhibition stand, which following suit of Cardbot would be created entirely from Xanita board. Between Cardbot and the exhibition, we printed an impressive 40 sqm of Xanita board. To not draw attention away from Cardbot, Antalis opted for a simple layout on the walls and plinths. However, the design was out of this world (literally). Following the futuristic theme, the team chose an outer space view of Earth for the back panel and moon surface graphics for the floor. To create the photographic-quality moon graphics, we applied Antalis’ Coala walk and wall, fire and slip rated, self-adhesive textured floor vinyl.

As with all of our projects, our specialist machinery enabled us to create this intricate and futuristic masterpiece. For Cardbot we used both our swissQprint Nyala 4 flatbed printer and our Zünd cutter to print and cut the many components that slotted together to create the impressive robot structure. For the wall and floor graphics, we utilised our Efi Vutek, which has the capability to produce photorealistic quality graphics at production speeds, with a dual-resolution capability of 600 dpi or 1,000 dpi.

As a forward-thinking sustainable material supplier, it was integral that this stand took an eco-centric approach. As mentioned earlier on, the stand and Cardbot were primarily made from Xanita board, which is a 100% repulpable, closed-cell fibreboard manufactured from a part-recycled Kraft core. Aside from the materials, this project prioritised sustainability through: • The machinery used – Our production equipment was carefully chosen based on its sustainable credentials. For example, swissQprint’s Nyala 4 flatbed printer LED systems are not only highly energy-efficient but also environmentally friendly, producing no ozone and minimal rejects or waste. • Produced in a sustainable facility – Our facility runs on solar power from our photovoltaic solar panels, and we operate an accredited zero landfill policy. Considering sustainability at every stage of production led to an impressively lower carbon footprint of 130kg Co2e, which would have been at least 3 times the amount if the stand was created from wood and painted.

As always, a cardboard exhibition stand with this level of complexity would not have been possible without the expertise of our team. The team that made this project possible included: • Jonathan Staniforth – Project management • Becca Kelly – Creative design • Dean Sharp – 3D CAD designs From brief to final installation, this project spanned several weeks and achieved Antalis’ goal of demonstrating what is possible with sustainable materials.