At Laser Crystal, our bespoke crystal awards and trophies are fully customisable and made-to-order, whether you’re ordering one unique piece or a thousand awards each etched with the recipient’s own name. Over the last 25 years, we’ve honed our processes and expanded our capabilities to allow us to meet tight deadlines and produce massive orders without ever skimping on quality.
So, how long does it actually take for us to make a bespoke crystal trophy? What technology do we use, and how does it allow us to manufacture each crystal award individually?
Keep reading to find out more about how we create our bespoke trophies and exactly how long it takes us…
The Bespoke Trophy Creation Process
Step 1: Quote
Every order starts in the same place and with the same thing: an idea. You may know exactly what you want, or you may have a few requirements in mind that need a creative touch to bring to life. Either way, the first stage of the bespoke crystal award creation process is to tell us your requirements – we’ll then send you a selection of different crystal shape ideas, and a quote.
To help kick off the journey, we’ll need to know a ballpark figure of how many pieces you want, how large or small you want your awards, and of any shapes you have in mind. If you have a maximum budget, let us know that too, and we’ll do everything we can to provide you with what you need. You can also let us know your desired delivery date or deadline.
We’ll also need to know a rough idea of the 3D design you want etched into your awards. This might be your company logo, or you may have something else in mind. This will help us to understand the complexity of the artwork we’ll need to create. This is also the time to tell us about any personalisation requirements – will each award be customised with the recipient’s name or award category?
If you would like your logo included, or text in your brand’s font, please let us know. Full details of our artwork requirements can be found here.
Step 2: Design
Once you’re happy with your quote, your order will be passed over to our creative design team, who will work their magic and produce some 3D visuals for you to consider. This 3D design will be a digital creation of exactly what your bespoke trophy could look like. It’ll be a 3D object in real life, after all, and we find that this is far more effective than simply showing you a 2D image. You can have a look at it from all angles to decide whether you’re happy with it or would like some changes made.
The laser engraving technique we use doesn’t allow for the application of colour during the engraving process, so we also offer colour printing which allows you to add colour and other design elements to your engraved trophies and awards. Let us know if you’d like colour added to the surface of your piece.
For larger orders, we can also provide a pre-production crystal piece for you to see and hold in real life before you make the final decision.
Step 3: Creation
We use state-of-the-art manufacturing and design technology to create your bespoke crystal trophies. We’re the UK’s leading manufacturer of 3D laser-engraved awards, and we create every piece using a specialist engraving technique called sub-surface laser engraving (SSLE).
SSLE uses laser technology to create tiny bubbles inside the glass, which then come together to create an intricate, precise image. This allows us to engrave virtually anything so that it appears as if suspended in the crystal, as opposed to a traditional engraving which would be on the surface of the award. We use our specialised CAD software to either take your design or the design we’ve created for you and convert it into coordinate dots which are used for the laser engraving process.
For this process to work, the glass must have a very high optical transparency. This is why we use optically pure crystal glass for all of our trophies and awards.
Our 24-hour automated production facility in Poole has the capacity to manufacture both individual pieces and large orders of over 1000.
Step 4: Delivery
We deliver both across the UK and worldwide, with an average lead time of 3-5 working days from design approval to dispatch of your order. The length of the artwork creation process depends on how complex the design is.
As standard, we use a courier service that delivers on the next working day, but we also have an express delivery option should you need your order sooner.
The final delivery time of your order also depends upon other factors such as the quantity of crystal pieces ordered, the complexity of the 3D model you require, as well as any optional extras you would like such as wooden bases, colour print, or branded sleeves. We recommend getting in touch with us in good time so we can put together a schedule which works for your event or desired delivery date.
Ready to order your own Laser Crystal Bespoke Trophy?
At Laser Crystal, we create bespoke 3D crystal awards for the most memorable of ceremonies. As the UK’s leading 3D engravers, each crystal art creation is made from flawless optical quality crystal, forming awards and gifts that you are proud to present. From employee recognition awards and long service awards to sports awards and achievement awards, every order can be fully customised to suit your needs.
Browse our full range or let us know your requirements and we can recommend a selection of shapes and designs.