History

1979 D&K Custom Machine Design gets its start with the introduction of the Accu I, the first automated cutter for the two-side thermal lamination process. Automation has finally been brought to the thermal laminating industry. We occupy one small building in Elk Grove Village, IL. 01
1981 D&K’s most significant contribution completely revolutionized the industry when they introduced the first affordable one-side thermal laminator – the System 27. Prior to its successful introduction, industry professionals said it couldn’t be done because of the curl associated with laminating on only one side of the sheet. D&K’s patented curl device makes it all work. 02
1982 The first of many patents is issued – this one for the “flying Knife” blade on the Accu III, one-side separator. 03
1984 First extrusion line installed at D&K. Finding the various film companies’ quality and performance irregular, D&K International was established to expand into the manufacturing of our film, allowing for control of production and significantly increased levels of quality. 04
1985 300th one-side laminator installed. We now occupy two buildings in Elk Grove Village, IL.
1985 Not content to dominate the one-side thermal market, D&K carves its niche in the two-side market as well, introducing the Double-Kote® system. 05
1985 The patent for D&K’s proprietary de-curling mechanism – which allows for successful one-side lamination with no curl – is issued. 06
1987 Film business grows; second extrusion coating line installed. D&K offers custom film slitting at no extra charge, redefining industry standards. No longer are customers forced to conform to standard size rolls. We now occupy three buildings in Elk Grove Village. 07
1987 D&K Europe is established in Redditch, England, offering film converting and equipment sales and service to all of Europe and the Middle East. 08
1989 Our 10th anniversary. 100th D&K cutter sold. 09
1990 Third extrusion coating line installed; we’re now producing over half a million rolls of film per year. 010
1993 We open film warehouses in the southeast and southwest, vastly improving product availability and delivery times to coastal customers. 011
1993 Laminex, Inc. is acquired by D&K. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company continues its presence as an industry leader in the manufacturing of photo/video ID products, card fabrication, and pouch/AV laminators and lamination accessories. 012
1994 Revolutionary NT Roller introduced – coated with D&K’s DuraKote™ and heated without oil or water, the roller redefines the way the industry laminates. 013
1995 We’re now producing over a million rolls of film per year. Our film production capabilities increase again; this time by a third. More expansion is expected soon. Due to ongoing growth, we now occupy five buildings in Elk Grove Village. 014
1995 Laminex acquires Datacode Systems, further enhancing the Laminex ID product line. A major card fabricator, Laminex designs and produces a full range of conventional and computer-compatible ID cards, including proximity, mag stripe, and Wiegand wire. 015
1997 Opened a film warehouse in Dallas. Our fifth extrusion line is installed. We also introduced the revolutionary System 3215. 016
1997 Introduced the revolutionary System 3210. 017
1998 We now occupy six buildings in Elk Grove Village, IL. Producing 1.25 million rolls of film.
1999 Introduction of Venture Coating Technologies – a new pressure sensitive manufacturer. VCT, under the expression™ brand name manufactures pressure sensitive laminates, mounting adhesives, thermal laminates, heat-assist laminates, and specialty films. VCT manufacturing facilities are located in Janesville, Wisconsin. The sales office is located in Elk Grove Village, IL. 018019
1999 Closed our Atlanta warehouse.
2001 Closed our Sparks, Nevada warehouse and opened one in Tustin, California. This location better serves our West Coast customers. 020
2001 Sold our Photo ID Division, Laminex to ID Shop, Inc., Greenwood, South Carolina.
2002 Introduced SuperStick®, a revolutionary new film designed specifically for the digital/on demand marketplace. SuperStick™ will adhere to and enhance most new printing technologies, including Xerox, Canon, Xeikon, and more. 021
2003 D&K is celebrating their 25th year this year!
2003 Introduced the System 2760 machine and the Expression® 42” Pro machine. The System 2760 is a one-sided laminating system specifically designed for todays on demand, short-run jobs. The Expression® 42” Pro is a versatile and operator friendly laminator featuring heated, turning rollers which can accommodate a broad range of laminating films – including pressure sensitive. 022023
2004 Venture Coating Technologies announced that it has changed its name to D&K Coating Technologies. A sister company of D&K Group, Inc., Venture Coating Technologies entered the wide format, digital marketplace in 1999 as a custom coater and manufacturer of pressure sensitive over laminates, mounting adhesives and specialty films. 024
2005 Introduced new line of Wide Format equipment including the EXP 42 Pouch, EXP 42 Plus, EXP 62 Plus, EXP 63 and EXP 83 Roll Laminators. 032
2007 Launch of a new website in September with new look and feel. D&K Coating Technologies expansion is completed adding an extra 20,000 sqft. to make room for a new coating line that will increase D&K’s capabilities for custom and Toll coating. Introduction of new generation 3 Minikote which is designed for the educational and professional applications. 025
2008 Introduced the Double Kote Digital, a finishing system designed to tackle the increasing trends in digital applications. The introduction of the EXP 55 Plus, a new wide-format roll laminator designed specifically for wide-format pressure sensitive projects. 026
2009 D&K Group celebrates its 30th Anniversary. 027
2010 D&K Group Acquires Bienfang Framing Products, a global manufacturer of framing supplies and accessories. 028
2011 D&K introduces the Double Kote PVC Card System, a faster and revolutionary new way of manufacturing cards using PVC roll film 029
2012 D&K launches an e-commerce system to accept wide format film and equipment orders directly through the corporate website 030
2013 D&K introduces the Brilliance line of value pressure sensitive laminating films and window mounting adhesives 031