Our Thinking

When we refer to ourselves as the Replex family, we’re not just using clichéd wordplay. The Replex team consists mostly of long-term, dedicated employees. Not only do we spend countless hours together as co-workers, but we’ve developed an intimate bond that was forged...

It is critical to use the right type of adhesive to correctly and securely bond mirrors to their backings, because of the multi-layer structure of the mirror. The reality is that most bonding occurs on a mirror’s back coating, which means the adhesive has to bond the...

There are two predominant methods of thermoforming that can be used to create shapes out of plastic substrate: free blowing and molding. The overwhelming majority of Replex mirrors are created by free blowing. Free Blowing: Vacuum Pressure vs. Air Pressure During the...

In order for plastic to be reflective, it has to be coated with a layer of metal. That metal layer, however, is so thin that it is extremely vulnerable — and it needs to be protected. Without it, the metal can easily be scratched, chipped or chemically attacked,...

Any manufacturer can boast about the level of their quality management system — and many do. But when a company has ISO 9001 certification, they don’t need to boast. This certification means that an accredited third party has audited their entire operation and...

Two types of coatings can be applied to acrylic to change the way water behaves when it comes in contact with the plastic: hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Without a coating, acrylic is neither hydrophobic nor hydrophilic. Replex doesn’t apply such coatings in-house, but...

Many people assume that plastic is plastic, but saying all plastic is the same is much like saying all wood is the same or that all metal is the same. Replex primarily uses two different types of transparent polymers (clear plastics). Each polymer has different...

Defects are part of plastics manufacturing. When a defect causes a halt in production, the manufacturer has to dig deep to find the source of the problem, following a method, asking the right questions and using whatever intellectual tools he or she has to attack the...

Those of us in plastics manufacturing know to keep an eye on products throughout the entire production timeline. Consistency and continuity in quality control is the key to identifying and remedying errors and defects in an accurate, timely fashion. When a defect...

In order to produce quality plastics with no defects, the manufacturing process needs to begin and end with stringent quality control measures. Choosing quality raw-materials suppliers launches the process, and then we ensure our in-house manufacturing has all the...