Client Background
The brand we are working with is a premium candle company from Denmark, who wanted to introduce a new range of custom small candle holders inspired by the concept of Scandinavian minimalism. The collection had to look neat, be uniform and be of good quality for mass production.
The client required glass products which had a sense of luxury but were also durable enough for use in both retail and hospitality settings. Their demands of dimensional accuracy and visual uniformity were too high for standard market products.
After considering some options, we chose Mosteb because they had the knowledge and experience with precision glass fabrication and custom project development.
Project Challenge
The task of making these small candle holders is fairly straightforward, but manufacturing them consistently in large quantity is a challenge of its own.
The size of the glass is relatively small and even a small deviation from the molding process will be visible on the glass. Product appearance, packaging compatibility and customer perception could be impacted by inconsistent wall thickness, uneven rims, or slight dimensional differences.
The client required:
- All units are uniform thickness
- Consistent opening diameters
- Smooth and symmetrical rims
- Maintenance of quality in mass production
- An elegant final touch, in keeping with the Scandinavian design aesthetic
The biggest challenge was to keep these requirements while achieving production efficiency.
Engineering Approach
Our engineering team did an in-depth examination of the current production and design needs.
The investigation found that the alignment accuracy of the mold is the most important factor that affects the dimensional consistency. However, small glass holders come with stricter tolerance, so any small variation while molding may lead to uneven distribution of glass and imperfections in the molding.
We addressed these risks in three major areas:
- Precision Mold Optimization: The mold structure was redesigned and optimized for providing more uniform glass distribution and alignment accuracy during the forming process.
- Process Stability Improvement: The manufacturing process parameters were optimized to obtain the stable temperature and the balanced flow of the glass and to decrease dimensional variation between the batches.
- Collaborative Sampling: Several prototype testings were made and discussed with the client. Feedback was used throughout the revisions, until all the visual and functional requirements were met.
Production Solution
Once validated, we started a controlled production process, which involved:
- High-precision mold manufacturing
- In-place, real-time temperature and forming condition monitoring
- Better dimensional checks in manufacturing
- Improved dimensional checks in manufactured units
- Scrupulous batch sampling procedures
- Final quality check prior to packaging
All production stages monitored for consistency from first unit to last.
Results
The project successfully created a high quality and high value collection of custom small candle holders that aligned with the client’s design and quality requirements.
Key outcomes included:
- High dimensional uniformity in different production batches
- Beautiful, even edges and fine finishes
- Uniform thickness of wall for better quality effect
- Less variation in production than previous suppliers
- A reliable supply of the client’s expanding range of products
After being introduced, the new line had been well received by retailers and consumers alike for the simplicity of its design and quality of its workmanship.
The project’s success gave the client the confidence to continue working with Mosteb as their manufacturing partner in future developments of glass candle holders.
Conclusion
It’s neither a matter of scaling up a bigger design for the small candle holders, nor is it just about making a copy of a large design for the small candle holders, but it’s about creating a great design for the small candle holders. To guarantee quality and stability in production, it is important to have precision tooling, a stable production control system, and quality management.
With the innovative mold design and the high standards of the manufacturing process, Mosteb was able to introduce a product that would create a successful commercial product from a technically challenging idea, thus enhancing the premium positioning of their Scandinavian candle range.
