Company manufactures interlocking plastic bricks for television advertisement
Proto Labs
Injection moulded and CNC-machined parts
Proto Labs — which produces custom injection moulded and CNC-machined parts — helped Asylum Models & Effects to manufacture 9,000 complex plastic ’bricks’ for a Santander television advertisement.
Identical bricks
Each identical brick is shaped like a double 'chunk' of chocolate
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Identical bricks
Each identical brick is shaped like a double 'chunk' of chocolate
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ABS bricks
Measuring approximately 300mm in length by 100mm in width, the ABS bricks are pigmented with the Santander brand red and can be easily interlocked with one another
Asylum Models & Effects was approached by a film production company that had been selected to help Santander create the advertisement — which featured a Formula One car made from interlocking ’bricks’.
The company initially used a computer program to determine how best to create the car using the bricks and how many would be needed. It was decided to use a steel ’skeleton’ in the interior to reduce the number needed, but even so 9,000 injection moulded bricks were required to be delivered within eight weeks.
CAD models were then sent to Proto Labs, which used software running on a super-computer cluster to automatically analyse them and generate and deliver a free online quote. This included suggestions for minor alterations such as the inclusion of angle relief on certain faces for mould release purposes.
The client was also given the option to change factors such as material, surface finish, quantity and lead-time, and instantly see how it would affect pricing. Proto Labs then used injection moulding to produce the bricks.
Key benefits of product application
- The bricks were delivered to Asylum on a regular basis, enabling them to meet their tight deadline
- The bricks were easy to stack and interlock
- They were pigmented with Santander brand red
- Asylum was able to adjust the quantity of gloss finish and make sure the gate area was hidden
- The online quotation was easy to use
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