On the 1st of May, the sixth edition of the Trail Tren Burra race / @trailtrenburra took place in Zaratán, Valladolid, with the participation of 400 runners and the sponsorship of NomadTech.
The trophies and medals were created by Alicia Fernández, the founder of Pica Pau Pau / @picapaupau.wood, using two of our desktop CNC machines: the Red Fox milling machine and the OKU Laser cutter and engraver.
This collaboration highlights the numerous possibilities and uses of digital manufacturing.
Design and CNC manufacturing with Red Fox and OKU Laser
Starting from the theme of the project and the race logo –which features the silhouette/figure of a donkey in a geometric style– Alicia prepared several sketches and proposals.
Afterwards, working closely with the organisation, they redesigned and made the final changes until reaching the definitive design.
Once finished, the next step was to create the parts list for each component. In this case, Alicia drew them on a tablet using Procreate, a raster graphics editing program for digital painting.
Next, these drawn pieces are transferred to the computer, where the measurements are adjusted using Inkscape. After inputting the parameters, the milling/cutting of all the pieces is done with the Red Fox desktop milling machine.
Subsequently, the engraving of the categories –and other design details of the trophy– is done with the OKU Laser.
To complete the process, all the pieces are glued together. And with that, the trophies are ready for the race!
Models and materials of the trophies
Alicia made two models in different sizes: 10x12 cm and 8x9.5 cm. As for the materials, she chose pine wood and acrylic. A perfect, elegant and very durable combination.
Usually, in the case of trophies, her preference is avoiding additional finishes and not applying products on top. She simply lets the natural beauty of the wood shine.
CNC manufacturing process times
In total, Alicia estimates that the project of manufacturing the 44 trophies took her approximately a week (equivalent to 40 hours of work):
- In general, the final design is usually ready in one or two days.
- The manufacturing process will depend on the design and the number of trophies to be made. In this case, since there were 44 and were rather small in size, the milling/cutting of all the pieces took two or three days of work.
- Laser engraving will also depend on the design and the laser technology used. For this project, Alicia engraved the race categories and the donkey silhouette, which translates to a couple of days.
This project could be completed faster using a CO2 laser like the Atheon series, reducing the work time by up to 60%.
- Finally, the glueing of the pieces would be done in one morning.
Entrepreneurship in the world of digital manufacturing
Alicia Fernández is one of the #WomenMakers who have ventured into the world of wood and new CNC manufacturing technologies.
She discovered her passion thanks to her father's woodworking hobby. Since 2018, this young creative has turned it into her activity and business. Her message is very clear: the greatest reward is doing what you love and having people trust your work.
