Speedy Parts for F1-Themed TV Ad
Working within an extremely short time frame, Proto Labs, the world's fastest resource for custom injection moulded and CNC machined parts, helped Wimbledon-based Asylum Models & Effects Ltd produce 9,000 complex plastic 'bricks' for a high profile Santander television commercial featuring British Formula One drivers Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton.
Asylum Models & Effects (www.asylumsfx.com) has an impressive track record of model making and special effects projects in the film and television industry, work that sometimes encompasses large engineering challenges. So when a film production company secured the contract to support Santander in its desire to produce an ambitious commercial featuring a giant Formula One car made of interlocking 'bricks', Asylum was selected to help meet the technical and creative challenge.
"The brick concept had been used in previous Santander commercials but they were only 'virtual' bricks created by a computer," explains John Pennicott, project manager at Asylum. "This time, because Lewis and Jenson were to be shown interacting with the bricks, they had to be real."
Once the initial design had been defined, CAD models were sent to Proto Labs, a company Asylum had engaged previously on other successful projects. Proto Labs uses patented software running on a super-compute cluster to automatically analyse customer 3D models, generate a free online interactive quote and deliver it back within one business day. If there are aspects of the design that could cause issues during the manufacturing process, these are indicated in the quote. Customers can also change factors like material, surface finish, quantity and lead-time instantly seeing how it affects pricing. Importantly, the price on the quote is real, not an estimate.
"The quote came back with suggestions for minor tweaks such as angle relief on certain faces for mould release purposes," says Mr Pennicott. "We also adjusted the quantity of gloss finish and made sure the gate area was hidden. After some close liaison with the Proto Labs team, we had complete confidence in Proto Labs. With their online quotation, one click was all it took to get the ball rolling."
"When you see the commercial it looks easy but it was actually very complex," states Mr Pennicott. "Fortunately, the accuracy of the bricks produced by Proto Labs meant they stacked together perfectly in every direction – like a dream!"
