HELPING YOU UNDERSTAND BADGEMAKING
There are numerous steps in the badgemaking process, and if any part of that process is not handled by experts the results can be very disappointing, so we will explain the processes.
ARTWORK
Your design might come to us as a rough sketch, a sample of a badge you have had made previously, a printed copy of your logo or crest, or even just an idea that you describe to us. For example you might want a circular badge with a baseball partly protruding outside the circle, and a batter running. Artwork suitable for converting into a mold is very different to artwork prepared for printing. Without a full understanding of those differences a design could be a dismal failure.
DIEMAKING
(Also called mold making) This is where our skilled craftsmen shine. They can copy your design in mirror reverse on pieces of tool steel. They know what all the lines on the art represent, and with great patience they cut away parts of the surface of the steel, at the same time leaving the raised and intricate details that keep the enamel in place. They polish some areas and in other parts, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of tiny dots, they mark the surface to give it a matt appearance. Finally the mold is case hardened.
ENAMELLING
The enamellers have printed copies of the design placed next to the badge holders where the plated items are securely held. Using styluses and sometimes tiny soft hair brushes the dedicated enamellers place exactly the right amount of the correct color enamel in the small recesses where the enamel is indicated in the artwork. Sometimes the recesses are so small that the enamelling is done under a magnifying glass on a stand.
ROBOTS
True, robots only “know” what their highly qualified engineering controllers program for them, but the result is that the enamelling can be done at high speed and with total accuracy. Our use of robots helps considerably in cost reduction, benefiting our customers, but it also helps speed up the whole process, meaning that customers can count on quicker delivery.
