IF THE MACHINE YOU NEED DOESN’T EXIST, WE BUILD IT
About 85% of the machines that leave our Raalte workshop are built to customer specification. Founded in 2016, Crest continues more than four decades of laminating machine engineering that started at Sallmetall in the 1980s.
Every product that wins its market started as a production problem nobody had solved yet. That is where we come in, with a complete in-house engineering team that designs every machine around one thing only: your process.
Sometimes the answer is a proven Crest machine, adapted with the right peripherals. Sometimes it is a fully custom production line that has never been built before. Every machine in our portfolio can be customized, and if none of them fits, we start from a blank sheet. Roll-to-roll, roll-to-sheet, sheet-to-sheet or sheet-to-roll, in foam, plastics, glass, metals, rubber and beyond.
Whatever your tolerance window, material stack-up or cycle-time target, we engineer the most direct path from concept to consistent production.
CREST IN NUMBERS
- About 85% of our machines are built to customer specification
- Working widths up to 2,500 mm
- Panels and materials up to 130 mm thick
- Single-pass lamination of multilayer webs up to 2,200 mm wide
- 24/7 inline configurations with automatic roll changes
- Machines installed from Germany and Poland to India and Mexico
- Remote support via Ethernet on machines with extended PLC control
FROM FIRST SKETCH TO ACCEPTED MACHINE
Custom does not mean uncertain. Our process is designed to remove risk at every step:
- Application intake: we analyse your product, materials and cycle-time targets, and tell you honestly what is feasible.
- Concept & engineering: mechanical, electrical and software engineering under one roof.
- Build & assembly in our workshop in Raalte, the Netherlands.
- Testing with your materials: you accept the machine on proven results, not promises.
- Installation & lifetime support: commissioning, operator training, spare parts and service agreements.
BUILT ON REQUEST: FROM LICENSE PLATES TO MEDICAL PACKAGING
The best proof of our custom capabilities is what leaves our workshop. A production line for license plates. A web embosser for vacuum-sealed medical waste bags. A laminator for flexible displays. A barrier film laminating line, a liquid silicone laminator, a hologram laser marking unit. Different industries, different materials, one common denominator: a production challenge no standard machine could answer.
Where required, we deliver cleanroom-ready configurations, 24/7 inline setups with automated feeding, in-process cross-cutting and stacking, and smart changeovers that keep downtime to a minimum.
RECENT CUSTOM PROJECTS
Three examples of machines we engineered and built to order. Customer names stay confidential. The engineering speaks for itself.
Barrier film laminating line, flexible food packaging. A food-grade line that laminates PE, metallised PET and PE in a single pass at up to 2,200 mm working width. Infrared pre-heating and heated rollers activate the hotmelt, water-chilled rollers stabilise the web, and a dual-position turret winder changes rolls automatically, so lamination never stops.
Flexible display laminator, consumer electronics. A fully automated two-machine cleanroom line for rollable screens in e-readers and smartphones. A robot places glass carriers on a vacuum bed, the film is laminated, and a laser cuts it to the contour of each plate. See the flexible display laminator.
Inline laminator, extrusion. An inline laminator integrated directly into an extrusion line. A multi-cassette unwind system changes film rolls without stopping, for 24/7 bubble-free protection of rigid sheets. See the inline laminator.
WE BUILD FOR THE INDUSTRIES OF TOMORROW
Battery, smart glass, solar, hydrogen: four worlds where Crest custom machines run in production today.
SEE WHAT LEAVES OUR WORKSHOP
From inline laminators to hologram marking units: browse the custom machines we recently engineered and built.
CUSTOM SOLUTIONS, YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Can any Crest machine be customized?
Yes. Every machine in our portfolio can be customized and extended with peripherals such as unwinders, rewinders, cutting units, stacking and automation.
Do you build complete production lines?
We do. From a single machine to a fully integrated inline production line with feeding, laminating, cutting, stacking and winding, engineered and tested as one system.
What does a custom machine cost?
That depends entirely on scope. After the application intake you receive a clear proposal with budget and lead time.
Which materials can you process?
Foam, plastics, glass, metals, rubber, technical textiles and combinations of these, including delicate or coated webs that demand precise web-tension control.
How long does it take to build a custom machine?
Lead time depends on the scope of the machine. For many projects around three months from order is realistic; complex inline lines take longer. You receive a firm lead time together with the proposal.
Can we test with our own material before delivery?
Yes. Every custom machine is tested in our Raalte workshop with your own materials before it ships. Acceptance is based on proven results.
Do you build cleanroom-ready machines?
Yes. Crest builds cleanroom-ready laminating machines, for example for flexible displays and battery cell stacks, with contamination control and specialised material handling.
Can a new machine be integrated into our existing production line?
Yes. We design machines that fit into existing lines, such as an inline laminator inside an extrusion line, and align line speed and handover points with your upstream and downstream equipment.
Can you upgrade or rebuild an existing machine?
In some cases, yes. After a feasibility check we can extend an existing laminating, cutting or winding machine, for example with a new unwinder, rewinder or cutting unit. We will tell you honestly whether an upgrade or a new machine is the better investment.
What information do you need for a proposal?
Your product and materials, roll or sheet dimensions, working width, target speed or cycle time, and the problem you want to solve. Samples help. After the application intake you receive a proposal with budget and lead time.
What support do you offer after installation?
Commissioning, on-site operator training, spare parts and service agreements, plus remote support via Ethernet on machines with an extended PLC control system.
LET’S BUILD YOUR MACHINE
Tell us about your product, material and process. Our engineers will tell you honestly what it takes.