Employees of a Slovenian company in the foundry and steel industry wanted to give their CEO a replica of the Gazela award the company had received, so he could keep it at home. Chemets made a silicone mould from the original award and, using vacuum casting, produced the replica within a few days in Kremenit, a material made of modelling plaster and ceramic powder. The replica has every detail of the original and differs from it only in colour and base.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Client: A team of employees at a Slovenian company supplying the foundry and steel industry
Occasion: Award, gift for the CEO
Starting point: The original award
Process: Silicone mould, vacuum casting, optional painting on request
Material: Kremenit (modelling plaster and ceramic powder)
Dimensions and weight: 240 × 150 × 135 mm, 2.2 kg
Number of pieces: 1
Lead time: 3 days from enquiry to delivery
The original award stayed at the company. The employees wanted the CEO, who had led the company through years of growth, to have his own copy at home. They brought the original to Chemets and wanted it to look identical. They asked one question: “How realistic will the final piece be?”
Behind the question was the team’s concern that the replica would lose detail or look cheap, which would reflect badly on the people who gave it.
A poorly made gift from a team to its CEO reflects on the team first.
At Chemets, the route was clear from the first conversation. When a physical original exists, the shortest route to an excellent replica is a mould taken directly from the original. Silicone captures the shape and surface with every detail, so the project needed no 3D scanning, modelling or intermediate prototyping.
Three days were possible because the route did not go through a 3D model.
The team received an excellent replica of the Gazela award measuring 240 × 150 × 135 mm. The shape of the original is reproduced in full, while the replica is in a different material and colour and stands on its own base. The CEO treasures it.
The project ran without corrections and without an intermediate prototype. Chemets set the colour of the replica through surface finishing, and the team chose the base themselves.
Three days were possible because the route did not go through a 3D model.
The team received an excellent replica of the Gazela award measuring 240 × 150 × 135 mm. The shape of the original is reproduced in full, while the replica is in a different material and colour and stands on its own base. The CEO treasures it.
Yes. The silicone mould remains usable after the first cast, and because Kremenit does not wear it, the number of casts from the same mould is theoretically unlimited. The indicative price is €550 for making the mould and €75 per cast, excluding VAT. The same process suits gifts for a company anniversary, a retirement or employee awards, wherever you need several identical pieces.
With a single piece, the mould accounts for most of the cost. Each additional piece costs only the cast.
“If you have a physical original, bring it in. The shortest route to an excellent replica is a mould, not a 3D model.” — Barbara Wilkesmann Hočevar, CEO of Chemets
Yes, if the physical original is available for making the mould. A silicone mould captures the shape and detail of the original, and the cast can be made in a different material and colour. Intellectual property rights need to be checked first.
No. In this project, the starting point was the physical original, from which the mould was made. When there is no original, Chemets prepares the shape through 3D modelling from a sketch, a photo or a description.
The Gazela replica was made in three days because the original was available. When the shape still has to be developed, the lead time is longer, as it includes modelling and approval of the shape.
Roughly €550 for the mould and €75 per cast, excluding VAT. Chemets prepares an exact quote based on the size of the object, the material and the finishing.
If you are looking for a unique business gift for a CEO, a team or a partner, all you need to do is bring in the original or describe your idea. Chemets will check which route is shortest for your object and prepare a quote; send an enquiry. To learn how to choose a gift that is not in any catalogue, read the blog Unique business gifts: what is possible when the catalogue isn’t enough.
