Bionic spheres

CUSTOM-MADE MERCROBES – THE NEW VARIETY OF SHAPES FROM A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

With bold, powerful colors in stimulating combinations, the new brand identity of a leading pharmaceutical company presents the true nature of science instead of the clichéd world of sterile laboratories. The organic world of forms inspired by cell structures is always fascinating and unusually shaped. The organic world of shapes was the inspiration for bionic spheres.

Strong partners are needed to stage this variety of colors and shapes spatially and haptically at international congresses – no problem with ACCENTFORM, even in a short time.

With the commission to build a total of 24 bionically shaped spheres, the challenge was born to achieve the almost impossible within 17 working days. This is because the following special features had to be considered in the production approach:

• the bionically shaped surface
• with ø 1m – despite 15 mm wall thickness, keep the weight as low as possible
• for ø 2m – division into quarters with invisible connection

Thanks to perfect cooperation with CNC model making, ACCENTFORM was able to start preparing the 1 m models of the northern and southern hemispheres for mold making after just four days. After another four days, the final models for the 2-meter sphere were processed, which had to be constructed in a much more complex way with its inner and outer shell.

BIONIC SPHERE Ø 1 M

For the small sphere, an adhesive resin was used after the first layers of laminate in order to achieve a wall thickness of approx. 15 mm after sealing with further layers of laminate. After curing, the halves were demolded and handed over to the grinder, who cut the individual sections to size. Once the northern and southern hemispheres had been united and fine-tuned, the equalization work and painting preparations began. On the eighth day, the first 1 m balls were painted in the company’s exciting color palette.

BALL Ø 2 M

For the large spheres, the approach was somewhat more complex: after completing the four production molds (north-south hemisphere / inner-outer shell), the individual shells were laminated as usual. After a complex mold construction, the hemispheres were cut in half again to meet the requirement for an easily transportable quarter division. Another requirement was to “hide” the connections as well as possible and to make them tradable worldwide. ACCENTFORM engineers developed a simple and easy-to-use connection that allows the individual parts to be fixed and released in a concealed manner using a special tool and a simple handle. The final paint job in the bright corporate colors brought the Merkroben to life.

Pictures from production

Conclusion:
Despite the tight schedule and certain challenges, the ACCENTFORM team was able to master this special assignment very well. The 24 balls are an eye-catcher at various events around the world.

Project details bionic spheres