The In-Depth Guide to Custom Machined Awards
Machined Custom Awards In Detail
Beautiful sculptural trophy forms can be created using machine technology.
Custom machined sculptures are among our most requested recognition awards. In this blog post, we’ll overview machined awards and show examples of custom awards we’ve created for clients.
What Are Machined Awards?
Machining is a production method where blocks or sheets of material are cut into custom shapes. These pieces are then finished and hand assembled. Instead of pouring liquid material into a mold, as with our cast sculpture award process, our creative machining process starts with solid blocks or sheets of material like aluminum and acrylic.
Many of the custom machined award designs we produce require extremely precise measurements. The initial files used to guide machined award production are prepared using computer-aided design (CAD) software. With computer driven coding, machines are coded to generate the “sculpting” process. The machined award pieces are then polished and hand assembled.
Our heritage in fine art, combined with our industrial design prowess and technological capabilities gives us the widest breadth of techniques to produce technically advanced and unique high-end awards.
Driven by the direction of our account supervisors and industrial designers, our machined awards are intricately designed to be produced using:
Lasers
Waterjets
Machine tools like lathes and milling machines
Machine centers controlled by sophisticated CNC (computer numerical control) systems.
Benefits of Machined Custom Awards
Not every project is the best fit for machined awards, which is why we include it as one of the many creative award design paths at Bennett Awards. At the start of your project, we will work with you in a collaborative, consultative fashion to determine the best approach to meet your specific requirements.
With that in mind, listed below are some of the variables that may steer your custom award project in the direction of machined awards.
Modern Aesthetics
Your custom award can make a large statement about your organization. Establishing a brand is a creative endeavor that can be strengthened at every touchpoint of communication. Machined awards have the design capacity to be unique, elegant, and modern, in ways other awards are not. This tangible element of branding can make an impact on the recipient and the entire awards program as a whole.
Precise Measurements
If your custom awards require extremely precise dimensions, details or consistency, machined awards may be the best option to achieve this. Sculpture awards created using a casting process have more inter-award variability than awards that are fabricated using design software combined with machine tools.
Unique Paints And Coatings
Awards cut from metal can support a variety of paint and powder coating finishes at an affordable price point. We detail the color finishes below.
Streamlined Production Process
If a client needs a custom award with a short turnaround time, a machined award can eliminate the production time needed to create a mold and model.
3 Popular Finishes for your Machined Award
Outlined below are some of the most common finishes for custom machined awards. Our team works with each client to find the best fit and finish for each project.
High Polished, BeadBlasted, Brushed
There are three options that leave the metal in its raw, finished form.
We can opt to high polish the surface to give it a mirror-like appearance. (Pictured).
Another option for machined award finishes is to bead blast to dull the surface. This is the look of most apple products.
We can also provide a custom brushed finish, a scored finish, or even a custom grind finish to achieve the look you're after.
Anodized
Anodizing is perfect for adding color to an award while still keeping the raw material features (metal grain) intact.
Anodizing is an electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish.
The finish quality of the color is dependent on the finish of the metal.
A high polished metal will produce a glossy look, while a brushed metal will produce a duller, flatter finish.
Powder-Coated
Powder-coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing powder, not a liquid like paint, making it much easier to apply color to areas that traditional painting cannot reach.
This finish is best for covering large areas with a single color. Like anodizing, powder-coating finishes have a limited palette, so matching a custom branding color may prove difficult. But, unlike anodizing, there are literally hundreds of colors to choose from.
5 Custom Awards That Are Machined
1) Toronto International Film Festival Awards
We worked with TIFF to create a new, unique custom award design for these prestigious awards.
The design was based on a geometric, vertically oriented rectangular sculpture with an open cavity in the upper portion.
The awards were fabricated in aluminum, and bead-blasted gold.
The TIFF logo, award name, and recipient name were all engraved directly into the surface of the award.
2) EMCOR Board Of Director Logo Awards
The design for these awards was inspired by EMCOR’s logo.
These unique awards were created from stainless steel.
They were powder-coated in a matte finish with EMCOR’s corporate color.
The awards were mounted on a two-tier white marble base with silver-fill engraving of the recipient name.
3) Nickelodeon HALO Awards
We worked with Nickelodeon to create a new custom award design that honored the iconic orange color.
Teen honorees received awards in the form of custom fabricated aluminum batons.
The batons are approximately 12” long by 1.5” in diameter, and anodized in orange (the Nickelodeon brand color).
Each end of the baton has acrylic rings to accentuate the design.
The Nickelodeon HALO AWARDS logo is engraved on the front of each baton, and the words “HELPING AND LEADING OTHERS” on the back.
Finally, fabricated aluminum stands are created to hold each baton.
4) EA FIFA Team Of The Year Awards
Bennett Awards worked closely with Electronic Arts to create a unique, spectacular design.
The centerpiece of these awards was a sculpture in the shape of a crest with sculpted images of the TOTY logo.
The crest was fabricated from aluminum, and then bead-blasted, polished, and then painted gold.
The crest sculptures were mounted on unique icosahedron-shaped bases.
These bases were also machined from aluminum, and then powder-coated blue. The award bases were accented with gold plated engraving of the award information.
5) Nokia Bell Labs Ai Innovation Award
These custom recognition awards featured a sculpture of a human head profile with connected nodes on the brain region of the profile.
The profile and nodes were created from waterjet cut aluminum.
Blue acrylic was embedded behind the aluminum nodes.
The conference’s “Ai” logo, also cut from aluminum, was affixed to the outside of the nodes and acrylic.
The sculpture was then mounted on an engraved hardwood base to complete the custom awards.
Who We Are
We’re a family-owned business, comprised of a tight-knit team of friends and talented artisans that takes great pride in every award we create.
To begin the process of a custom award design, contact us today to start the conversation.