Royal Artillery Monument

October 29, 2012

This imposing military model was made for Peter Hicks Ltd. to be used as a centerpiece for official events held by the Royal Artillery. The intricate relief carvings were sculpted by hand, then cast in a specialist material that provided a realistic base for artworking into the texture and colour of Portland stone. The detailed fontwork and text was delicately carved out with our CNC machine to ensure precision. We have made a range of military models over the years; however, these have usually been cutting edge pieces of prototype hardware, such as the BMT Mastif. With the Royal Artillery Monument we had to replicate the intricate stone sculpture and relief work around the base.

Ghosts in the Garden

October 9, 2012

Client: Splash and Ripple This innovative project for the Holburne Museum in Bath, created to be used in nearby Sydney Gardens, was designed by Splash and Ripple as a part game, part story, part immersive sound scape. The stories of real characters from the Garden's history are accessed via a special 'Georgian Listening Device', in the shape of a small treasure chest. One of our specialist scenic artists art-worked simple wooden boxes to create convincing replicas of a mystical Georgian treasure chest. Visitors are invited to carry the treasure boxes around the gardens listening to the 'ghosts' whose stories are broadcast through a GPS enabled Minirig audio player concealed in the box, each location triggering a different story. A short video can be viewed here.

Pourty

September 24, 2012

Client: Jon Rathbone When potty training their children, Jon & Lucy Rathbone found that every potty they tried would allow the contents to dribble over the sitting area and sides when being emptied. This got them thinking about what features would make for a “better” potty. Shortly afterwards Jon approached Amalgam with a request to develop his innovative ‘Pourty’ potty design into a working model.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

September 21, 2012

Client: The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trustees This timber model of the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge was based on an earlier design proposal rather than the method of construction which was finally used. The model includes vacuum cast resin components to replicate the cast iron elements of the original design, and is on display at the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is an engineering icon of Bristol and we were proud to provide this model.

66th Scale Seawind Turbine

September 21, 2012

Client: Seawind In 2009, Seawind began to develop and design a 2MW wind turbine. The project also included the supervision of the assembly, the commissioning and the certification of the unit. Many design factors were considered, and it was concluded that a conventional three bladed wind turbine with an optimised drive train consisting of a planetary gearbox, three point support, and a new blade design would prove to be a competitive, reliable and efficient product, able to compete on an international market. Amalgam made two models for the project; the 1:66 scale model seen here, and a 1:20 model detailing the internal motor and blade mounts.

20th Scale Wind Turbine

September 21, 2012

Client: Seawind This model details the internal workings of the wind turbine developed by Seawind. The standard turbine layout was developed to include a planetary gearbox and redesigned blades to create an efficient and reliable product, capable of competing not only in the domestic Chinese market, but also in American, European and Asian markets. Amalgam made two models for the project; the 1:20 detail model seen here, and a 1:66 model of the full structure.

Stereolithography Architectural Model – Bogota International Convention Centre

September 20, 2012

Client: Zaha Hadid Architects We produced this stereolithography architectural model of a design for the Bogota International Convention Centre for Zaha Hadid Architects as a 3D printed part. The clear resin, which was polished prior to painting, allows light to be transmitted silhouetting the two-toned painted silver exterior. A short video can be viewed here. Stereolithography Architectural Model making is a cutting edge technique that we at Amalgam have added to our range of tools used to produce the very best architectural models. In some cases (Such as this one) the 3D print forms the entire model - or at least a significant part of it. In other cases we simply use it to offer an affordable way to achieve what would otherwise be a complex and therefore costly geometry to produce. Stereolithography aside we also use our in-house Objet polyjet printer to produce highly detailed parts and Selective Laser Sintering…

Sensagest®Functional prototypes

September 20, 2012

Client: Pure Ability Limited Functional prototypes are an essential part of any product development process. Sensagest® is an accessible nurse call system designed to be used in spinal injury hospitals, care homes and the home of people with spinal injuries and other conditions limiting movement. Sensagest® combines state of the art touch sensitive technology with advanced gesture recognition software, enabling patients to control domestic equipment in their environment. This not only enhances the quality of life for the patient, but also benefits the health care provider. The gesture-sensing interface replaces the traditional button interface which is frequently difficult to use for a person with limited control over their finger movement, for example those with spinal cord injuries, arthritis and the elderly. The product won a prize for Best Patient Independence Innovation in addition to the overall prize in the Bone and Joint Innovation category in the Medical Futures Innovation Awards…

1/4 scale Setu Chair

September 14, 2012

We used additive manufacture (also known colloquially as 3D printing) as the starting point in creating these scale reference models for leading furniture designers and manufacturers Herman Miller. The process allowed us to create a 'kit' of parts from the digital CAD we were supplied with. These parts were then cleaned up and finished by hand, and carefully prepared for tooling and vacuum casting. Parts created by additive manufacture are best regarded as being pure shapes. Once a component has been printed, it needs to be meticulously cleaned by hand and spray-finished to an appropriate level, whether pure gloss or heavily sparked. For look-and-feel models with no functionality, or for fine details on an architectural model, this is the end of the process. Models which require a greater level of durability, or those which will be used in real-world conditional testing, will need to be taken to the next stage…

Myyfeed bottle

September 14, 2012

The Myyfeed is a highly compact, portable, all-in-one device that has been designed to simplify the process of mixing baby milk formula. It stores a measure of hot water (that is kept hot) and a measure of Formula milk powder (that is kept dry), enables them to be mixed when necessary without the need for measuring, and serves as a feeding bottle, all in the same device. A fresh and warm feed can be made quickly, as and when needed. It eliminates the need for pouring or measuring hot water and Formula milk powder at the moment when a feed is required, and reduces any accidental spillages which may occur. Ash Reza recently appeared on episode four of Be Your Own Boss, and demonstrated the Myyfeed prototype we made to Richard Branson.