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An Overview of our Sculpting Services

We are in the run-up to our third annual Halloween Pumpkin carving competition, the #AmalgamCarveOff, and being professional makers we are in with a good chance - however, the competition is stiff. With sculpting vegetables at the forefront of most people's imaginations this week, it's worth talking about the sculpting services we can offer, the projects we've worked on, and the role this traditional skill plays in the age of 3D printing.   Animals and Props Our sculpts tend to be one-off, bespoke pieces, but in some cases serve as casting masters to create multiple copies in different materials. The Big Midge for BBSRC has been artworked to high levels of realism, and beyond hand-making and paint finishing required no further processes.   The Rats of Medusa, for the BBC fantasy series Atlantis, took some thinking about how to create a texture that was both fur and stone. We settled on…

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Recycling Displays at RWM 2015 – educational interactives and resources

Recycling Displays visits RWM to spread the word on developing educational interactives and resources   Recycling Displays representatives Will Sheer and Rob Mackay are at RWM at the NEC in Birmingham this week, promoting our range of educational interactives, games and new products in the pipeline. Recycling Displays has been working for over twenty years to support education about recycling and waste management. Our experience has shown that children are mainly learning from their parents' example at home - so Recycling Displays has been exploring how to improve the level of engagement for reducing and re-using our waste through their education. We believe children and young people need a greater understanding of issues affecting sustainable production of food (packaging) and manufacture of products (materials), if they are to use that knowledge in their working lives and positively influence the future. So we are seeking feedback about the support teachers and educational settings…

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The Building Centre presents The Physical Model in a Digital Age

interactive architectural model

Continuing our theme of interactive models, our own Chris Conlon will be speaking on 21 September at The Building Centre in London. The Physical Model in a Digital Age focuses on how we can combine digital and physical realities to create interactive architectural models which enhance the impact of a design. The image above is an example of an interactive table that Amalgam and Intergalactic are offering clients in the EMEA region.   For years, we've been exploring how people can interact with architectural models at a greater level – to switch colours, specifications or highlight underlying infrastructure in a master plan. Chris Williamson of Weston Williamson + Partners will also speak, and can comment first hand on how important it is for architects to create an engaging model to represent their design.   So Amalgam is moving forward with the help of Intergalactic, an award-winning digital agency, to unite…

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User Experience and Interactive Models. to educate,entertain and inform

user experience

Most of the models we create are display pieces or prototypes for a variety of different industries - architecture, marine, product design and so on. Physical models have consistently proven themselves to be invaluable assets when developing and testing new designs, engaging with other people or communicating ideas.   A static display model is a proven tool to draw in the audience, however, an interactive model becomes a powerful component in creating a memorable user experience. Interactive models can be used to achieve a number of goals, including:   - COMMUNICATING COMPLEX PROCESSES TO THE UNINITIATED   - TESTING OR MARKETING A NEW IDEA, ENGAGING WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS   - BRANDING, CEMENTING A BRAND IDENTITY AND CREATING AWARENESS   Complex Processes On an individual basis, placing a user in a narrative - such as a game - allows new information to be processed easily, and can be an enjoyable user…

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An overview of our CNC machining services

CNC services Bristol

At Amalgam we provide a range of premier CNC machining services. This covers machining forms from client-supplied CAD, to being able to offer a complete end-to-end design and fabrication service. We can develop technical drawings based on conceptual images, machine the parts and assemble the structure, all completely in-house. We can also arrange for transportation and installation of larger projects, as we did with the range of EDF Energy interactives. Beyond simply being a cutting tool for sheet material, we are constantly developing new and better techniques for using the CNC within our workshop. In this article we’ll be going over some of these applications, which in turn are services we can offer our clients. Substructure Design and Fabrication This Rooftop Yurt was one of three constructed for the Timber Frame Company as an interlocking skeleton of ribs cut from sheets of plywood. The structure was then skinned with timber and copper creating a sealed environment. By…

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New Marine Models at Hamburg SMM Show

The last few months have yielded some fantastic and challenging projects, including innovative furniture, several new Marine models, strange creatures and new possibilities opening up with our packaging design service.   The SMM in Hamburg, Germany wrapped up last week, where two of our models were on display. The first was the HF4 model for Mojo Maritime, featuring a huge loading crane system and smaller knuckle cranes.   The Swath model for Qinetiq features a unique baseboard design incorporating the 'sea' as a structural support for the model, indicating the position of the vessel in the water. The reflective baseboard shows the detail below the waterlines, including locomotive elements and the complex forms of the hull.   Both models were fabricated with a combination of advanced computer controlled processes and hand-finishing skills, particularly to preserve the sharp lines and broad, unbroken planes of colour of the designs. These models add to…

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Architecture Exhibitions and Chimps

Architecture Centre Exhibition

Installed at the Architecture Centre down on Bristol Waterfront, the Living City is an interactive architecture exhibition where an analogy is drawn between the city and a human body. Users are encouraged to think about what is needed to create a balanced, healthy urban environment.   The centrepiece for this exhibition is a model we made for the Center for Sustainable Energy some time ago; in its original context the PlanLoCal model shows how various low carbon technologies can be installed in rural and urban settings. In its new role in this exhibition, the model features an interactive element, where users can place magnetic icons along the sides of the base to highlight key points within the 'city-body', such as energy, transport and recycling. The exhibition also features key documents and case studies, and runs until the 10th of August. You can see some images up on the Architecture Centre's Facebook page. Be…

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Tidal Turbines, Milan Design Week and Brutalism

SeaGen Tidal Turbine MCT

This week we have been ramping up the marketing of our recycling displays and have been taking orders for a few products from the range; as these projects are completed we will be updating the website with photos of these new builds. These engaging and informative displays are usually used by councils and recycling officers to communicate important information about recycling.   Also our SeaGen Tidal Turbine for MCT has been in the news this week. This popular model has made a few media appearances over the years and has so far survived nearly four years of touring and public engagement.   We are also enjoying the trickle of photos coming out of Milan Design Week which have made their way into various Twitter feeds and photoblogs, showcasing the range of product design this year has to offer. Another event in our calendar that we're looking forward to is the…

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Offshore power generation models

The government is to make big changes to the way it subsidises renewable energy, it has announced. BBC news 4/12/13.  As market leaders in the field of producing offshore power generation models we are obviously interested in this subject and thought it might be a good moment to remind the world of some of the work we have done in the area. Amalgam are of course well known for scale models and exhibition pieces such as the e.on offshore wind generation model display shown in the header to this article, a closer view of the same model is on the left here. We also produced a range of scale models of the Seagen Offshore power generation design shown in the three images below. We also have a long history of producing functional prototypes and test rigs such as this Spectral Marine Energy Converter (SMEC) working scale model which we designed…

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Come and talk Product Prototyping at Venturefest 2013

Venturefest 2013

Venturefest Bristol 2013 Is, once again, organised by Science City Bristol in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board.  This years event is taking place on Thursday 14th November 2013 at the UWE Conference Centre in Bristol.  Bristol prototyping and model making specialists Amalgam will be there,  offering free advice on Product Prototyping, general product development and a range of allied subjects, all relevant to inventors, innovators and designers looking to turn their good ideas into commercial realities.   The Venturefest show is in it's third year and promises to be better than ever. Our stand at the 2012 show drew a steady stream of visitors throughout the day asking a wide range of questions about Product Prototyping,  Product development, CAD, 3D printing and much more besides.  This year we are back, with a range of samples showing some of the processes we can offer for product prototyping, case studies of previous…

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