Two huge red Murex shells, shrouded in red light, hang mirror-inverted opposite each other and carry on a poetic conversation. “Gastromancer” is the name of this impressive art object with a deep meaning and was created by the well-known artist Monira Al Qadiri.
We had the honour of contributing to the realisation of this artistic vision. On behalf of the agency SMA (STOP MAKING ART), we first CNC milled these two art objects from PU 50kg/m³ and then covered them with 2-3 mm GRP laminate. This choice of material ensures a low overall weight and at the same time high stability of the sculpture. Finally, the sculpture was to be displayed hanging without the need for special reinforcements at the suspension points. A loudspeaker was installed invisibly in the hollow “auditory canal” of the shell by means of a magnetic plate.
For the suspension, connection points were attached and the surface was roughly sanded for a subsequent surface coating. The final red sand coating of the two shells was applied by the client SMA.
Art exhibition: Mutant Passages in Bregenz
We are thrilled about the constructive cooperation with SMA and look forward to realising further works of art.
The snails turned out super nice, the artist was very happy with the result and the sound thing worked out too.” (Client)
The double sculpture “Skater” was created by the artist Birgid Helmy from Wiesbaden. With her design, the artist convinced the jury and won the competition Art on the Building at the Karmeliter Realschule Plus.
We at ACCENTFORM supported the artist with our services in the realisation of her idea. The 3D data provided by the artist served as the basis for the milling work. She obtained this data by scanning her self-created 3D model. We milled the two life-size figures from SikaBlock M440. To make the sculptures weatherproof, they were encased in GRP. In this project, the later attachment on high steel poles had to be taken into account. To counteract the possible wind load, we reinforced the statically relevant parts of the sculptures with CFRP. The figures were then painted according to the artist’s exact colour specifications. The artist painted the details on the faces of the two young skaters herself.
The artwork now shines four metres high in front of the renovated façade of the Karmeliter Realschule Plus in Worms and appeals to pupils and passers-by alike.
We were commissioned by renowned American artist Fred Wilson to collaborate on a special work of art, “Mother”. This artwork celebrates the beauty of “Mother Earth”. It is a multi-level sculpture of twelve globes tilted at various angles and surrounded by Fred Wilson’s signature black “drops”. The imposing sculpture extends over several floors as a permanent installation in Terminal C of La Guardia Airport in New York.
This exciting project presented us with a variety of challenges. As a basis for the later earth balls, we first produced 12 hollow spheres from 6-8 mm thick GRP layer. The size of the spheres varied from 0.46 m up to a gigantic diameter of 3.36 m. The spheres had to meet various requirements due to their subsequent placement in the airport terminal: They were to have a non-combustible surface in accordance with ASTM 84 Class A. Furthermore, they were weighted down with additional weights so that they would not sway too much in the event of an earthquake. For the installation of the sphere, a suspension from the ceiling was provided. For this purpose, a very stable internal steel suspension device had to be constructed. The largest sphere had to be divided into four equal sections to make it transportable.
After all the spheres were surface treated and sanded smooth, they were given a coat of black paint, which the artist Fred Wilson intended to be the base color. The next challenge was to turn all the spheres into globes. The contours of a world map were applied to the black surface with the help of a CNC machine: For some only the continents, for others also individual 195 countries of the globe.
The large “drops” that are part of the installation are made of 100 percent aluminum. They were milled at our partner Industrie Mechanik Böger Maschinenbau GmbH and further processed by us to give them a high-gloss black surface.
When the work on the globes had progressed, Fred Wilson personally got a picture of the process on site and worked out the further “tactics” together with our team. During further stays of several weeks, Fred Wilson had added a strong structure to many of the continents on the globes by his own hand. The globes were then all painted differently by hand according to very precise color specifications. The handwork was done by Fred Wilson on site with the help of some creative helpers. This cooperation was a good opportunity to bring the likeable artist also a little piece of Germany and its culture closer 😉
In the end, the globes were given a coat of varnish. The final hurdle was packing and shipping the elements to America and setting up the installation in Terminal C of La Guradia Airport in New York. Our staff was on site in October 2022 to provide technical support and bring the work to a successful conclusion.
The eye-catcher “Mother” at the airport of Delta Airlines will continue to attract the attention of passengers for many years to come. It was a great pleasure for us to get to know Fred Wilson personally and to accompany him on his major art project.
Video about Fred Wilson´s artwork “Mother”:
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ACCENTFORM has been commissioned by Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG for the high-performance forage harvester of the Big X 480-630 series. The organically shaped body segment in the typical Krone green-beige colour gives the agricultural machine an unmistakable appearance and ensures visual recognition on the market.
Overview of Big X body parts, manufactured by ACCENTFORM:
Front protection, three-part
Side protection, three-part
Side flap, two-part
Tailgate
The GRP surfaces up to a size of 2.0 x 3.5m can be produced extremely economically in quantities of over 250 units per year using the conventional RTM process. With the help of the photo gallery and our video, you can easily follow the individual production steps from cutting the glass fibre mat, RTM injection and assembly of the components to delivery of the GRP cladding.
The RTM process (Resin Transfer Moulding) at ACCENTFORM offers the advantage of a finely divided work content due to the designed production structure.
This makes it possible to quickly and safely train employees in the individual production steps. This ensures process-reliable production and high flexibility in the output quantity.
After the trimming necessary for the process – which at ACCENTFORM is carried out by a robot – reinforcing and adaptation parts are glued to the inside of the body parts.
To ensure a permanent and secure adhesive bond, the KTL-coated metal parts are bonded using a 2K MMA adhesive.
Production using the RTM process:
Zuschnitt Glasmate
Lackierkabine – Gelcoat spritzen
Einlegen des Glasmattenzuschnittes
Verschließen der Form
Anschließen der Vakuumtechnik
RTM – Injektion
Roboterbeschnitt
Montage und Prüfen
Oberflächenfinish – Polieren
Auslieferung – Transport
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Another body part produced by ACCENTFORM is required by Krone for the AX series of loader and chopper transport wagons. This GRP fairing is manufactured using the hand-laminate process.
vor der Halle 5 – Serienfertigung
kurz vor der Auslieferung, auf Transportgestellen
Krone AX-Ladewagen
ACCENTFORM body kits are delivered on special transport racks that guarantee safe transport to the customer’s production line.KRONE
Für reisebegeisterte Abenteurer und Liebhaber der Freiheit ist ein Wohnmobil das Reisemittel der ersten Wahl und ein mobiles Zuhause.
Für die Firma Capron produziert ACCENTFORM in einer Serie von ca. 600 Stück pro Jahr die Frontverkleidung für beliebte Wohnmobile der Marke Sunlight und Carado. Die integrierte Wohnmobil-Front mit eigener Markensprache besteht frontseitig aus nur einem GFK-Teil. Die Rückseite setzt sich dagegen aus acht geklebten und montierten GFK-Teilen zusammen.
Alle Segmente der Wohnmobil-Front werden im RTM-Verfahren produziert. Anschließend übernehmen unsere Robotersysteme das Besäumen der Kanten und der Ausfräsungen. Zusätzlich erfolgt eine Querverstrebung aus Metall, sowie die Montage von zwei Lüftungsgittern.
At this newly built transfusion centre of the Mainz University Medical Centre, it is already apparent from the outside what the inside of the building is all about. Symbolically depicted giant blood corpuscles decorate the side view of the modern building. The design for this impressive façade design was created by the Marcel Balsen & Marcel Friedrich Weber consortium and won first place in the “Kunst am Bau” competition.
ACCENTFORM was commissioned by Balsen & Weber Gbr to mill the relief-like blood cell structure. The overall image was divided into more than 40 segments according to a specific grid. We milled the individual segments from special facade styrofoam and delivered them to the customer. The individual parts were then assembled on site, directly on the building, and covered with plaster in the same way as the rest of the façade. The large-format blood cell relief thus literally merges with the building.
PS stands for expanded polystyrene and is usually referred to as Styropor®. The material has a very light weight and can be easily shaped into the desired form by milling, sawing or hot wire. The surface of EPS/Styropor® is open and not resistant to moisture, so objects made of this material are not suitable for outdoor use without a coating. Styrofoam surface can be easily painted, coated or laminated, which increases its durability and stability and extends the range of applications. As a rule, styrofoam and hard foam models are intended for further surface coating by GRP/CFRP in hand laminate process or special painting. In the following table we present some possibilities of surface coating with their advantages and disadvantages.
Styrofoam object without coating
The desired object is milled by machine according to 3D data and the Styrofoam surface is kept uncoated. This variant is inexpensive, yet not well suited for outdoor use and repeated use.
Coating Polyurethane
The object is coated with a 2-component and solvent-free polyurethane coating. The coating is very UV light stable, high gloss, fast drying and available in RAL & NCS. This unique coating is color fast and is used in interior and exterior applications.
Coating Epoxy
The object is poured over with an epoxy resin. The material can be poured or painted or trowelled over various surfaces. After a few hours, the material hardens to a very hard and resilient plastic that can be easily sanded and painted. It is classified as flame retardant according to DIN 4102 B1 and is suitable for indoor and outdoor use without hesitation.
Coating casting-laminating system
The object is coated with a liquid 2-component casting and laminating system. It consists of a combination of liquid water-based acrylic resin and mineral powder. By varying the base materials used, materials with a wide variety of properties are created.
Molded parts made of this material can be demolded and machined after only 40-90 minutes. It is weatherproof, UV-resistant and suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
The material cures without shrinkage under low heat generation. Light, thin and very strong laminates can be produced by layering or laminating with glass fiber scrim.
Coating Adhesive primer/filling paint/brush with texture
The object is coated with a primer/adhesive primer based on acrylic copolymer. Filler paint is then applied with a brush. Filler Paint is a water-thinnable acrylic paint with a very high solids content and extremely high filling power. Suitable tools are used to give the surface a texture and then a metallic paint is applied.
Coating Adhesive primer/filling paint/brush without texture
The object is coated with a primer/adhesive primer based on acrylic copolymer. Then Filling Paint is applied smoothly with a brush. Filler Paint is a water-thinnable acrylic paint with a very high solids content and extremely high filling power. Finally, an appropriate metallic paint is painted.
Coating Adhesive primer with gun
The object is coated with a primer/adhesive primer based on acrylic copolymer. The primer is applied with a gun and then painted with a metallic paint.
Coating with GRP (fibreglass plastic)
The object is first painted with a solvent-free two-component coating compound based on polyurethane. Then covered with several layers of fiberglass soaked in the resin by hand (hand laminate method) in layers. After curing, the surface, sanded, filled and painted with as desired. This surface is particularly smooth, strong and weather resistant.
COATING WITH POLYUREA
The material polyurea impresses with its properties of flexibility, wear resistance, water and weather resistance, as well as very good chemical resistance. The two-component polyurea system usually reacts very quickly, which is why this material is always processed mechanically with 2-component mixing systems. read more
For other coating options not listed here, please feel free to contact us by phone at 05721-93708 – 0 or by E-mail: We will be happy to advise you individually according to your needs.
The final design of the surface is done according to your wishes and color specifications. You can choose from the entire range of RAL colors up to metallic effect paints.
However, the quality and cost of a paint job vary considerably. In order to apply the optimal coating and painting, the location and purpose of your object should be considered in advance.
The game manufacturer Ravensburger is known worldwide for its board games and puzzles. In order to arouse the curiosity of customers, it strives to set up some popular game figures in front of the shops.
For this purpose, ACCENTFORM recreated a number of the game figures in sizes between 1.2-1.5 metres. These were four characters from four different games: the rabbit from Lotti Karotti, the penguin from Plitsch-Platsch Pinguin, the cockroach from Kakerlakak and the mole from Mole Company.
First, 3D models were created from the 2D figures. Then the greatly enlarged play figures were CNC-milled into a hard foam and encased in GRP using the hand-laminate process. Finally, priming and airbrush painting took place. Particularly important was the adherence to the corporate design. A base plate gave the objects a pedestal that protects against falling over and theft.
ACCENTFORM was commissioned by the German Armed Forces to produce two large ostrich sculptures after winning a tender.
The birds, which are a good two and a half meters in size, were initially carved by hand from templates. To give the sculpture stability, the feet were welded from solid steel tubing and attached to a steel pedestal. In order to obtain a hard and weatherproof surface, the bird sculptures were completely covered with a 2 mm thick layer of GRP using the hand-laminating process.
After the surface was filled, sanded and primed, the pair of ostriches could be given a realistic appearance by airbrush painting. Since May 2018, the giant ostriches have adorned the traffic circle near the Hardenberg barracks, greeting passing visitors to the garrison town of Strausberg.
The wild mustang Spirit is the hero in a well-known Super RTL series and is now known not only to girls between 6-9 years. He is a special friend and soulmate of 12-year-old Lucky and accompanies her daily on her exciting adventures.
On behalf of the advertising agency PIE Five Marketing, ACCENTFORM produced a true-tooriginal 2m high Spirit figure made of GRP for the children’s TV station Super RTL. First, the body was milled from Styrofoam on a CNC machining center using the CAD files supplied. In order to obtain a hard and weatherproof surface, the soft Styrofoam surface was coated with a 2 mm thick GRP layer using the hand lay-up process. In order to create a smooth and even surface, the entire area must be filled, sanded and primed. This work process is very time-consuming and essentially affects the product quality. Professional painting by graffiti artist BeNeR1 breathed life into the horse sculpture. To protect the airbrush painting and for a nature-identical look, an extremely matte clear coat was finally applied. The finished sculpture is mounted on a mobile base plate with four wheels to ensure mobility at changing exhibition locations.
