Client Background
The brand of flowers we are representing had a desire to improve their product presentation by using custom flower vases that would complement their minimalistic design style, which is prevalent in Canada. They were in need of a supplier that could provide them with consistently good quality transparent glass vases with good proportions, and reliable batch production. They chose Mosteb for our proven expertise in precision glassmaking and our ability to balance functionality with aesthetic harmony.
Project Requirements
The client required:
- High transmittance glass for high quality floral display
- Stable vase proportions for different flower arrangements
- Smooth inner curvature for better positioning of flowers
- QA of quality for repeated bulk orders (bulk orders)
Challenge
The vase design was deceptive in its simplicity. The fact that they wanted the vase to be very transparent made its manufacture very difficult. The design looked simple but a high optical clarity was difficult to achieve. Transparent glass may experience small internal bubbles or surface imperfections, which could impact the appearance of the premium glass especially when lit under retail lighting. Another thing was that the perfect mouth diameter and the inner curvature had to be very carefully looked at because if the match was not right then the flowers would lean in an awkward way or the waterline that was there just for aesthetic reasons would be disturbed.
Manufacturing Challenges
The technical team went through the processes very thoroughly and came up with the following two points which were the main reasons for the troubles:
- The temperature at which the glass was initially blown was such that the tiny bubbles that were to be found in the molten glass could hardly be eliminated.
- The alignment of the mold and the rate at which it was cooled affected the shape of the inner surface and thus the variations that compromised the stability of the floral arrangements.
What we did to solve the problems was that we not only worked closely with the client’s floral designers but collected the exact measurements and visual preferences so that the manufacturing precision and artistic function could be on the same level.
Solution
- Optimized Melting and Cooling Control – Changed furnace temperature and cooling gradients were monitored to remove trapped gases and to achieve optical clarity.
- High-Precision Mold Redesign – Utilized CNC technology to remodel the molds for ensuring that the mouth diameters were consistent and interior curvature was smooth.
- Enhanced Inspection Protocols – Implemented a three-stage visual inspection under polarized light aimed at identifying micro-bubbles or refractive irregularities before packaging.
- Prototype Collaboration – Worked with the client on various 3D-printed as well as sample prototypes to finalize not only the ergonomic features but also visual symmetry prior to going into full production.
Result
The last set of custom-made flower vases was beyond what the client had anticipated – the transparency was impeccable, the flowers became stable in the most natural way, and the elegant visual flow that was done to lift the presentation of their arrangements was there.The created custom flower vases were transparent, dimensional and functional. The client achieved successful use of the vases for top quality floral displays, and continued to work with Mosteb on further design and size options for vases.
