At Levy Recognition, we produce our medals and medallions in house. From the conceptual design, to the mold and pouring of the metal, to the placement on your award, we commit to every step to ensure your award looks just like the design we sent you.
Below we’ve outlined our process, which correlates with the accompanying video. Be sure to watch how your custom awards and trophies come together.
Artwork and Design
First things first – artwork. Majority of the time, clients will send us logos to be incorporated into their medals and medallions. With the logo in hand, we can cultivate a design around one, or we can create a rendering from scratch.
Building the Mold
Once the artwork is approved by our clients, we can begin building the mold. Every medal and medallion will need a unique mold. Molds can take from three to six hours to set.
To make the molds, plastic emblems with the design engraved in them are placed in a special plastic and “cooked.”
Once the designs are set in the plastic, pewter lines are drawn from the center to each medal insert. These pathways allow the pewter to fill each cavity and any excess to drain out.
Pouring the Pewter
Metal blocks are melted to become liquid which can be poured into centrifuge machines. The mold is placed inside the machine and the liquid metal is poured from the top. It enters at the center of the mold and carries through the pathways to fill each mold.
It only takes about 40 seconds in one of these machines for the metal to have become solid again.
Polishing the Medals and Medallions
Once removed from the mold, the medals are polished all over. This ensures they’ll be super shiny once placed on your awards, and that there are no blemishes.
Plating the Medals and Medallions
Some awards need the medals to be plated before they are attached. Plating the medals increases the shine factor.
We plate our medals in either gold, silver, bronze or pewter. Whichever color matches your custom design and brand best!
Placing the Medals on Your Custom Award
Medallions are placed through a machine which attaches the ribbon to the medal ring at the top.
Medals are hand placed on each award. Liquid silicon and double-sided tape are utilized to guarantee the medals will stay attached to the base.